Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1884-06-28
4 CARD FROM JOHN F. HOUSE.
70 the Nashville American.

To the Nashville American.
In the American of the 18th inst.
I am represented as taking the po-
sition in a few remarks I had the
honor to make at the Capitol, on the
evening of the 18th inst, that any
Democrat who in any way, rec
ognizes the right of adjusting
the tariff with view to Incl
dental protection should go to the
Republican party "to be shot at"
or, in other words, that any man
who stood on the Ohio platform
should go to the Republican party
ato be shot at"
This charge against me is contain
ed in an editorial, which, | must
say, is much better framed to create
an unjust prejudice against me than
to give fair statement of what |
said. prefaced what / said by the
statement that saw no reason why
harmony of sentiment should not
exist in the Democratic party ON the
subject of the tariff. / stated that
the difference between the two par
ties on this subject was broad and
deep, and then proceed to state as
briefly and conciseiy as / could
what understood that difference to
be, aud without trusting to my
memory as to what | said, l will
here quote the report OF my re-
marks as given in the Nashville
World, of the 18th inst, the next
morning after the speaking at the
Capitol:
What is the Democratic doctrine
on the tariff? what is the constitu-
tional doctrine? That under. the
Constitution of the United States
you have the right to levy duties on
imports 10 pay the expenses OF the
Government. Where the Govern
ment extends it's hands to Congress
for the relief of governmental needs,
then and then alone, under the
Constitution, has Congress the right
10. tax the people. [CheerS. But
when the Government makes no
demand, the wheels of taxation
cease to revolve. Applause. Con-
gress has no right whatever TO tax
save for governmental purposes.
Il =
but distinctly for NO private or in
dividual purpose. What is the Re-
publican tariff doctrine as defined
by the most eminent Legislators of
that party? John Roach, when be-
fore the Tariff Commission, outlin-
ed most clearly their doctrine, when
he said "Ifa syndicate of Wall
street brokers were to guarantee
sufficient money to pay the expen-
ses OF all governmental purposes,
we would still be in favor OF protec-
ton for projections sake.' That's
the succinct Republican platform.
Now, If man can subscribe to that
don't see how he can be Demo
| crat. This is free country and
every man has right to his own
opinion, but cannot see how any
man could endorse what Roach SAID
which is bona fide Republicanism,
and act with the Democratic party"
The American reporter made sub
stantially the same report, but as
the report of the World is made
more at length, l give that. After
stating that no man who believed
with John Roach could claim to
hold Democratic doctrine on the
subject of the tariff, proceeded to
say that if his principles on this sub
ject placed him in the ranks of the
Republican party, that this was a
free country and he had right to
go there, and it was much more
manly to take the open field against
the Democratic party than to re-
main as a guerilla and shoot at it
from the bushes; for in the open
field, one would stand chance of
being killed-the idea being of
course that by an open stand he as
sumed the full political responsible
ity for his position. Is there Dem
ocrat in Tennessee who does not
subscribe to every word of the
above? Is their a Democrat in Ten
nessee who says that a man who
agrees with John Roach on the tariff
holds Democratic doctrine on the
subject ? Now, up to this point /
state distinctly and emphatically
that / had not mentioned or allud-
ed in the remOtest manner to Incl
dental protection or the Ohio plat
form. i waSspeaking of protection
for protection's sake, and insisting
that 1t was not Democratic doctrine
and that noso one WHO held the doc
trine could be a Democrat on the
tariff q lestion.
After getting through with this
part OF the subject l proceeded to
refer TO the Democratic platform of
1876, on which TiIden was elected,
and the platform of 1880, on which
Hancock was nominated. After
Iemarking that these two national
platforms were the latest authoriZ-
ed utterances of the Democratic
party on the subject OF the tariff,
alluded to the Ohio platform and
stated that my objection to the Ohio
platform was that it was susceptible
of and had received two construct
ions-that it was equivOcal and
evasive, and thought we ought to
have an honest platform. | also
stated that Mr.. Converse, who made
the motion to strike out the enact,
ing clause OF the Morrison bill,
claimed to stand on the Ohio plat
form. This is all / said OF the Ohio
platform. said not one word either
directly or indirectly about the De-
mOcracy or the Republicanisms OF
the man who stood on the Ohio
platform. The reports both OF the
World and the American of my
remarks show that am correct in
my statement of the manner in
which treated the subject and the
order In which took up@the sew
eral points touched on. On the sec
Ond day of the convention-I was
not present on the first day-I
sought the floor and made substan-
TALLY the aboye statement as to my
remarks on the night proceeding
the convention, and appealed 10
hundreds of gentlemen who heard
me on that night for the correctness
of what l said. / expected the
American,of yesterday would re-
port my remarks on the floor of the |
convention, but it failed, / presume
from the press of matter, to do so,