Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-06-30
At Chicago.

There are said to be ten candidates
who will come prominently before the
Democratic convention that meets in
Chicago next week. OF these, the ia
vorites are now Bayard and Cleveland,
with the latter somewhat in advance.
The choice of candidate will be diff
ficult one to make, as it is likely the
convention will be tied to the two
thirds rule, and no single candidate
yet proposed is so commanding as to
hold the confidence of 535 out of SOP
delegates. Unless there is complete
revolution in opinion, and concen-
tration upon some man as the strong
est and most available candidate, with
in the coming week, it is highly prob
able that prolonged contest at Chi
cago will take place, with the historical
dark horse as its fruit.
The selection of candidate will
not, however, end the contest. That
will be merely an opposition of per-
sonal preferences and interests, which,
however it may be decided, will
receive the united and harmonious
support of the Democratic party. In
the committee room, upon the con-
struction of the tariff plank, the fight
will be hard and bitter. AS Il whole,
1t cannot be questioned legitimstely
that the great majority of the Demo-
cratic party is in favor of a reform of
the tariff and an accommodation of
tariff duties to the necessary expenses
of the government. The party is
opposed to the allowance in any degree
of the principle of protection, which,
once admitted, is fatal to its profession
of tariff ror revenue only. What
ever industries are protected are
protected at the expense of Others
equally deserving, and that principle
is inconsistent with the traditional
policies of the Democratic party
Nevertheless there are protectionists
in the Democratic party. We have
;, convincing evidence of this in thu
half-hearted declarations of the Dem
ocrats of Virginia and West Virginia
, and in the unconcealed preferences o
Pennsylvania and Ohio Democrats 70
9 protection. The delegates of thes
1t states, with scattering recruits from
20 other states who are too timid to sa,
= what they want, will oppose the adoI
ton of a platform of sensible and eX
d plicit declaration as to the tariff. The
g. will endeavor to force upon the part
t ffplank of glittering generalities
i which shall mean anything and prom
20 Use nothing. To resist the purpose {
r these quasi-Democrat is the duty c
3 those delegates who believe that tn
< Democratic party is the party of refug
r from protection burdens, and VIII
n must insist upon an unequivocal de
mand for revenue tariff. 1t must l.
at least as unambiguousa as the languag
of the Democratic platforms of 1Sl
of and of 1880. The former proposed
II tariff "only for revenue" and the la
It's ter tariff for revenue only" To |
ly less emphatic now is to advertise th
lie the party has not the courage of /
he convictions.
to The Texas delegates have the resoll
IA tions of their state convention to d
list rect their action. Those resolution
u- are the voice of the state expresse
ry through the peoples representative
ms and they declare that mo duty shou
en- be imposed upon imports except
le- raise revenue necessary to the msint
err nance of an economical and efficie
ILL., government and the payment of Il
to public debs." If our states repr
mt sentatives at Chicago shall insist al
as impress upon the convention tn
he these are the views Of majority
on the people of their state, they will
ase their duty and discharge their oblil
ur- tions to the party that sent them tn e.
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