The Portland daily press., 1883-05-24
A Characteristic Democratic Per
formance

The promise and performance of the Ken
tueky Bourbons were very different. The
resolution relating to the tariff which was
submitted TO the committee on resolutions
of the recent Democratic convention and
which the first telegraphic reports seemed to
indicate was adopted by the convention read
as follows:
The Kentucky Democracy are unalterahly
opposed TO subsidies OF every description They
believe that all taxation should be for the sun
pert OF the government. They denounce the
tariff act of the last Republican congress as
monster piece of inequality, injustice. and
wrong, and they demand of the next Democrat
ic house of representatives measure of relief
and reform based on the organic law of the
Democratic party declared at st. Louis in 1876
and reafiirmed at Cincinnati in 1880 which re-
CURES that all custom house taxation shall be
for revenue
The resolution which it subsequently APP
peared was adopted is this:
That our laws in relation to revenue and tax
alton should be so framed as to secure equality
in rate OF assessments as nearly as possible
and to insure the collection of revenue in the
most convenient and inexpensive manner.
It was certainly reasonable to suppose
that the Democrats of Kentucky who have
been for years sitting beneath the teachings
of Mr.. Henry Watterson and who have no
industries to protect but the manufacture of
whiskey and pistols, both of which are al
ready pretty we'll provided for by the moon
Sinners ara 'sase' seurts, would give no uu-
certain sound on the tariff But it appears
that the Kentucky Democrat has the same
empowering love of votes, and the same
horror of losing them that possess his more
northern brother. There may be, there very
likely are, Democrats in Kentucky who do
not agree with Mr.. Wattersoa's views, and it
was the fear of alternating these men as well
as alarming Democrats of the same stripe in
other States that led the convention to adopt
the meaningless resolution quoted above.
Certainly no Democrat, whether he be free
trader or prutectionist, can take exception
to anything in the resolution, for it is as
empty as the deprayed ingenuity of Demo-
cratic politician with an eye single to votes
could possibly make it.
And this Kentucky performance is only a
specimen of what will be enacted in all the
other States of the Union in the coming two
years. The now-you-see-it and now-you
don't game which the Democratic party
adopted concerning the currency it proposes
now to apply to the tariff. 1t will support
free trade and protection with the same facil
ity and the same indifference to the shame
fulness Of the performance with which it adj
vocated hard money and soft money. The
only vital article in its creed is the one which
calls upon the voters to pitch the Republi-
cans out and put the Democrats in. All
the Others it is ready to abandon at mo-
ment's notice provided it sees votes in so
doing. Democratic organs in Maine are
just now talking free trade, but the Demo
crat convention when it assemblies next
year will roar as gently as a sucking dove
on the subject. The time will then have
come to keep dark. Then mum will be the
word in Maine as it is now in Kentucky