St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-07-11
THE ST PAUL DAILY GLOBE FRIDAY MORNING. JULY 1884

should be such protection, such
fosterings, such cherishings. Mr.. Nor
risofl could not yield his convictions
and he (Butler) could not yield his, land therefore
the committee had to spend all that time to
say something that would mean one thing one
way and another thing another way laughter
He asked delegates to read that tariff plank and
see If they could find out exactly what II dld
mean. 1t did not mean protection. III 1t dld,
Col. Morrison was too honest man to bring IT.
here and yet it was twisted that II might
mean protection. Laughter. The Democracy
had in its platform in 1880 plank of ''tarin for
revenue only and 1t broke the back OF tie most
gallant soldier in the country [aughter], and now
they had tariff platform ''for public purposes
exclusively" Where was the difference? SEX
clusively'' means ''only'' and .'oRl meant
exclusively laughter. Passing to THE cur
rency question, he said he affirmed the doctrine
of Andrew jackson that the government alone
could issue money, and he would rather be
wrong with jackson than be right with the com
mittee Laughter. He represents many
Greenback men-good and trle Greenback men
like Allen G. Thurman laughter .and these men
were willing to come to the Democracy to root
out corruption and wrong in the government II
the Democracy would have them. But how were
they received, with a plank in the platform that
''we are in favor of honest money and II the
Greenbackers were not, who was in favor OF
honest money? If there was such man here,
let him be put out. Laughter. As to the
civil service reform he ventured to say there
was not man in the convention in favor of 1t
unless he was school master. Laughter.
Ex-Secretary Pendleton had been the author of
the civil service law :and he had never been heard
of since. Laughter. George Wash
ington himself conld not have passed
civil service examination for 81 200 clerkship.
Laughter. His early education had Deen neg
lected, and in his will written by his own hand he
spelledclothes ''cloaths.' Oaughter.) To himself
he wanted frequent changes in office in order to
counteract the great tendency to have aristocraic
life offices. If Office was good thing then he
wanted all people to have chance at it, and if it
bad thing then it was too hard to put it
out to poor fellow for his whole life time.
Iaughter.) In conclusion he said that if this
convention told the working men and women OF
the country that they were to be, (he would not
say protected but fostered, cherished.) then the
Democratic party would sweep the
country. Otherwise they would remain
in their workshops on election
day and the Democracy would be again defeated
Theoretically he was free trader, but practically
when $500, 600 of revenue had to be raised
on imports there could be no such thing as free
trade, and so long as some industry must be
fostered American men and women should be
taken care of. Applause. He would call for
vote by states on his substitute for the tariff
plank in the platform
Mr.. Converse, of Ohio, spoke in favor of the
adoption of the platform reported by the ma
jority of the committee. He said there was
much i'll Buffers platform to which all could
subscribe. There was much of that plank en-
bodied in the report of the committee. The ma
jority report was made bN repre-
sentatives of the thirty-eight states.
The dissent was from but single
state. The majority report was harmonizing of
differences in the entire union and should ie-
ceive the support of the Democracy. In that
platform the Knights of Labor was recognized
but the great central and over shadowing idea of
the platform was a reform in the government
from department to department and when that
should be done the party would be prepared to
take up other and less important matters. This
was the concurrent Judgment of thirty-seven out
of the thirty-eight states. The party was sin
cere, earnest and determined in the work of re-
form, and who ever might be nominated by this
convention would be elected president of the
United States. (Applause.)
Henry NJ. Watterson, of Kentucky, next adj
dressed the convention He said that for his
own part he had never doubted that if the COM
vention should adopt an honest and sound plat
form of principles and should place on that plat
form two representative statesmen of honor
able reputation and spotess lives, they would be
the next president and vice president of the
United States. The committee has given to the
convention the platform. 1t was for the conven-
ton to give the ticket to the country. 1t was an
honest platform, entirely so. 1t was a sound
platform, eminently The members of the
committee had found that the differences be-
tween them were not so great as the country had
imagined and as they themselves had imagined.
I he committee had given to the conven-
ton a revenue platform on which all
of them could afford to stand. Applause The
committee denounced the abuses of the present
war tariff, and declared that all federal taxatons
should be exclusively for public purposes, and
that no more tax should be collected than was
requisite to support the government economical
ly administered. The gentleman from Massachu-
sets had avowed him as theoretically a free
trader. He tWatterson) was not q free trader.
He could imagine system of taxation more OPP
pressive or unequal in its exaetions than the dis
tribution of the cost of government among the
states. He believed that well regulated and
moderate custom house taxation, yielding the
necessary revenue for the expenses OF
tax that could be imposed on
the people and he had always believed in a tariff
Applause. There had been in the committee
a substantial agreement on question that had
divided the party hitherto much more than it
would ever divide it again. Applause. The
platform reported was one on which they could
vote. 1t was platform which could not be mis-
u
when the Democracy had elected its candidates)
would constitute noble programme and policy
as the purpose of the national democracy. APP
plause.
Morrison moved the previous question on the
report and substitute and it was ordered.
The vote was then taken by states on Buffers
substitute and 1t was rejected, ayes 97I9, noes
714H. When vote of Indiana was being an
nounced Senator Voorhees, stated that he wished
specially to have his vote recorded in the affrma-
tive.
The question REQUIRED on the adoption Of the
majority report. A delegate from Georgia in
quired whether there was not an error in the
print of the paragraph relating to internal rev.
enue. He had been informed by a member of
the committee that in the original the sentence
commenced as follows: ''The system Of direct
taxation known as the internal revenue is war
tax and should be abolished" The last four
words being omitted in the print The chairman
after inquiry stated that there was no variation
between the manuscript and print. The vote was
then taken and the platform was adopted.
The convention then at II 40 p. m, proceeded
to ballot for candidates for the presidency.
Before the state of Alabama had responded to
the call motion for recess till tomorrow morn
ing was proposed and the vote upon it taken by
states. The vote, on taking a recess, resulted in
the negative, ayes 1876, nays 616.
The convention then proceeded at 1906 to
axe the first ballot, with the following result:
FIRST BALLOT.
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