Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-08-27
ceDeraI Durbin Wards speech.


f The speech of General Durbin Ward,
+ delivered at Gallon. Ohio, last Saturday,
/ extracts from which we publish this
morning, in one respect, at least. may he
+ considered as fairly opening the cam
paigp in Ohio. General Ward was Judge
F HoadIv's chief competitor for the Guber-
material nomination. He was the candi-
date Of Judge Thurman and that element
OF the party which has heretofore guidea
the Democrats Of Ohio. His failure TO
get the nomination was the occasion Of
considerable dissatisfaction at the time.
F General Ward. however, smOOthed over
all difficulties by frankly accepting
the decision Of the nominating
convention. He at once an
Dounced himself as candidate
for the United States Senate. He has,
therefore. an interest in the campaign
other than the success Of his party. He
will he regarded as speaking the views Of
the Ohio Democrats or national affairs,
and his utterances, therefore. viii attract
very general attention. Those who read
his Gallon speech viii find that he enter
tains very pronounced views on what he
regards the leading national issues,
viz. the tariff and civil service reform.
Free trade. he says. Is sustained by about
allofthe ripe thinkers in political economy,
but has not been 50 generally approved
by statesmen. The protective idea does
not depend 80 much upon reason for its
place i'm legislation. as upon influence
and the difficulty Of adjusting the details
Of the tariffs 20 the standard Of revenue
f He explains General HancOck's remark
. i'm I 50. that the tariff was local issue,
i'm way that robs the criticisms which
which were made upon General Hancock
F nj the time Of their point. The greatest
statesmen the country has produced
f Webster and Calhoun-at different times
favored protection and a revenue tariff
inst - their respective sections happen
al U be- affected.
The legitimate inference from what
+ General Ward said is that the great diff
Guilty I'm the way Of securing a speedy re-
form of the tariff is local interests. Many
E Congressman who are advocates of a
tariff for revenue weaken their influence
F 10y demanding protection for a local in
terest. General Ward accepts the Incl
dental protection tariff plank Of the Ohio
Democratic platform. and comments on it
in q way that can hardly fail to meet
general approval. He says: Il fear the
. phrase tariff for revenue only is very
liable 20 mislead. 1t MAJ convey differ
ent meanings TO different minds. some
NAV construe il as meaning that a Teye-
nue. tariff should be so adjusted as that no
. incidental protection should follow. This
would involve levying duties on only such
articles as could not come into competi-
ton with home production. for whenever
that competition does arise. incidental
protection follows tariff for reye-
nue.. such articles are too mar
row basis for revenue, and.
by checking importation might defeat
revenue entirely. When protection in
cidentally follows duty whose purpose
Is revenue barely. il would be refining too
much 10 say that the unavoidable incident
should not follow. though the article itself
might be a proper subject for revenue"
The distinction which General Ward
draws is this: The protectiOnists want a
tariff for the purpose of protection, and
regard revenue as only incidental.
The revenue refOrmerS want tariff for
revenue. and ito not object to
the incidental protection that must neces-
sarily follow II is not improbable
that the tariff plank in the
Ohio platform viii be adopted with slight,
if any. changes by the national conven-
ton. Its discussion. therefore. viii be
watched with unusual interest. on the
question Of civil service reform General
Ward j. outspoken and emphatic. He
believes in reforming the civil service,
but he doesn't believe in the kind OF re-
form that leaves all the offices in posses
sion OF the Republicans. When the Re-
publican party goes out Of power the men
who have been sustaining the party and
have been doing the bulk of the party
work ought TO 20 with il. He doesn't
favor leaving men in charge Of the offices
who will work to overthrow the party in
power General Wards views on this
are pretty certain to meet with a sympa-
thetic response from very considerable
portion Of the Democratic party.