The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-09-11
The Meaning of MT. fuckers Nom
nation.

party necessity and not the expression or
the real preference of majority OF the
delegates. 1t was the policy of the party
both as to Presidential and Congression-
al candidates that the tariff issue be not
raised. nor indeed, any other affecting adj
ministration in its relation to the business
of the country. The National Democrat
ic platform plainly indicates this. In
short there is no definite tariff policy
announced The resolution on that ques-
tion is two-faced. to serve revenue re-
formers or virtual free traders, in one To-
cality. and protectionists in another. 1t
was believed that Mr.. fuckers defeat in
the Convention would draw attention to
condemning the doctrine of free-trade. or
revenue reform, "a term used to cover mp
the real intention of the Morrison and
Carlisle school of politicians. To avoid
thus giving the question prominence, and
to smother the differences in the party, Mr..
Tucker received the nomination by accla-
nation. This was intended to convey the
impression that the tariff question was
not an issue of concern to this district,
nor was it one that should be dignified by
discussion in Congressional contest. 1t
was surrender of conviction on the part
of not less than three-fourths of the dele
gates to what was considered eXpedient.
In this way Mr.. Tucker was nominated.
Not that he was really the choice of a
majority of the party, but in the hope OF
ignoring an issue that might cause dissen-
sion, but which is of vital interest to the
whole district Mr. Tucker aspires to rep
resent.
Had the delegates gwen the situation
careful and penetrating consideration,
they would have discovered that the very
question they wished to place in allegiance
would be brought more prominently to
the front in the selection of Mr.. Tucker
than it could have been by any other
course. While serving in Congress from the
old Sixth District his votes on the tariff is
sue became so obnoxious to his constituents
that protest after protest went up from
leading members of his party and leading
Democratic papers. A telegram went
from Lynchburg signed by prominent
Democrats, protesting against his vote for
Carlisle for Speaker, and we think his vote
for the Morrison bill, or rather his vote to
consider it, when every other Democrat
from Virginia voted against its considera-
ton. The party organ of his Owl. town
fiercely assailed his position. Regardless OF
these expressions Of opposition to the
ruinous policy to his constituents, indi-
Gated in his votes, he persisted in main
tanning his theory, and placing his indi-
vidual views above the pronounced senti-
ment Of those who had elected him.
He not only antagonized the well known
interests and expressed beliefs of his con.
stltuents in his vote for Carlisle for
Speaker, and his Democratic colleagues
on the motion to consider the Morrison
bill, but he voted against striking out the
preamble to that bill. which was -substan-
TALLY vote for it.
His congressional record is necessarily
brought before the people in his nomina-
tion-a record that really confronts and
antagonlzes the rank and file of his party
on this and other questions.
1t was his objection that killed the Blair
educational bill-a bill that gave to Vir-
ginia between $4,000, 900 and 100000
for educational purposes, which would have
placed our educational system on basis
lasting for good and ample for the school
ing of every child in the Commonwealth.
1t required unanimous consent to take up
the bill out of its order. A few days be.
fore the adjournment of Congress, this
consent was asked, when Mr.. Tucker rose
and objected. This virtually killed the
bill for that session.
He voted for the Bonded Whiskey Elk
tension bill, which would have deprived
the public treasury of $3.50, 900 for five
years. The ring that was pressing this
monstrous outrage was that which had
pressed Mr.. Carlisle for Speaker, and it
was charged that the election of Carlisle
would be followed by the extension of the
whiskey bonded period. OF course we do
not mean to intimate that Mr.. Tucker was
governed by any improper motive or by
any other consideration than that which
he honest believedito be right, but we men,
tion it to show how wrong-headed he has
been on nearly all important public ques-
tions.
This Bonded Whiskey Extension bill was
in the interest of whiskey monopoly. Its
effects would have been not only to de-
prive the treasury of $S0,000,000 for FIVE
years, but to have given the Whiskey Ring
power dangerous to legislation and Of
fensiye to the moral sentiment of the
country. 1t had already been powerful
enough to elect United States Senator,
and like the Coal Oil Monopoly, it grew
npon what it fed.
Then, Mr.. Tucker's vote for Carlisle for
Speaker over Mr.. Randall had double
significance. 1t was record in favor of
the peculiar revenue notions embraced in
the Morrison bill. as well as against the
repeal of the internal revenue.aws, where
in he directly antagonized the platform of
his party in Virginia. Carlisle was OPP
posed to the repeal Of the internal revenue
laws. Randall was in favor of their repeal
the one believing in maintaining the IN
ternal revenue system of taxation and re-
ducing custom duties, and thus approach
ing free trade and striking a blow at
American manufactures, and the other in
favor of aholishing the internal revenue
system, as means of sustaining Ameri-
can manufactures through levy of GUS
tom duties high enough to obtain revenue
for the demands upon the public treasury
and at the same time, causing no unwieldy
surplus, while protecting American man.
ufactures.
Mr.. Tucker is what is called strict
constructionist of the Constitution. He
cannot give his consent to the exercise by
the National Government of all the powers
plainly inferrable or fairly implied, whenev-
er they can be exercised for the common
good OF general welfare. But he prefers to
adhere to the old way of literally and exactly
constituting every word and sentence. This
leads him to oppose measures and legisla-
tion looking to the.promotion of the general