Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-07-11
MR.. wATTERsoNs SPEECH.
The Tariff Plank Explained and All
Differences Adjusted.

CHICAGO, July IL, 3 A. M.-The follow
ing is Dir. Watterson's sDeech in full:
Ar. Chairman and Gentlemen Of the Con-
UeHti0a:
Since Gen. Butler has assured US that the
adoption OF the majority report OF the Com
nlItee on Resolutions viii prevent his help
Ing ns II the election, / fear that we shall
nave TO throw ourselves and rely upon God,
10 whom he has kindly left u.s. TGreat
laughter.l For my own part / have never
oouoseu tnat Il TINS convention should adopt
an honest and sound platform for its
principles, and should place upon
thaI platform two representative Demo-
cratic statesmen Of honorable repute
next President and Vice President OF the
United states. lApplause.l Your Platform
Committee have given you = platfOrm it is
for YOU to give the country ticket. Ii is an
honest platform; entirely so. Ii is a sound
platform; eminently SO. / shall not consume
your time with reference to points which were
not IN dispute; but shall devote the time al
i0tted to me to that clause which produced the
most numerous and most serious division, l
refer, of course. to the tariff clause. 1t was
adopted after hours Of patient painstaklng
and candid discussion.
HARMONY IN THE COMMITTEE.
There were no subterfuges and no suppress
slons, and can say. and believe il may be
said by each member of the committee, that
we came away from our consultation feeling
more kindly 70 one another, and greater
ASoBSNb t0NdA0s one duOLnef EHan Wnen we
went into It Iapplausel; and, moreover. we
found after full discussion that the differances
between us were not so great as the country
had imagined, and, indeed, as we had inn
agined ourselves. Applause. We have
given you revenue plank upon which sill OF
us can afford TO stand. Applause. We can
say that the surplus in the Treasury proves
the need for change. Nobody doubts that
We say that the policy of the government
from its foundation, has been to raise a large
snare OF It's revenues through custom houses.
NOBODY denies that. We say that the system
must continue, and we all agree to that. We
say that the necessary amount of revenue can
be collected OF custom duties and internal
taxes. We all agree to that. We say thata
reduction should be made so carefully as not
to lnjure any interest which has relied upon
the invitation of the government, but rather
to promote their healthy growth.
ALL OF ONE MIND.
An of us believe that although to read some
of the commentaries of the enemy upon some
OF us one would imagine it our purpose to
burn down the custom houses and blow up
the factories, and finally we denounce the
abuses of the present war tariff and we declare
that all Federal taxation shall be exclusively
Tor public purposes, and that no more taxes
shall be collected than are required to suD-
port the government economically adminfs-
tered. Applause For my own part 1 have
never asked more than that and less than
that none of us are willing TO accept. rAp-
plause.l Gen. Butler has said in your pres
ence that he is free-trader, and to prove il
AC NolAtC0 lhtO THIS convention ana ouerS q
protectionist amendment to our revenue re-
form report. lApplause.l l am not a free
trader. Applause and cries of sGood."l
can imagine no system OF taxation more op-
pressive or unequal in its action than the dis
trlbution OF the cost of government among the
states. believe that Well-regulated and
moderated custom house taxation, Welding
the necessary expenses of the government, is
the easiest tax which can be imposed upon
tho. people, and l have always believed in a
tariff. Applause.
DIVISION A THING OF THE PAST.
Gentlemen of the convention, there are
among your committee representatives of the
IS states OF the Union. A substantial agree
ment has been reached after a thorough dis
cussion and interchange of opinion on a ques-
tion which. has divided the party hitherto
very much more than it will ever divide il
again. Applause. We have given you a
platform upon which you can fight. We have
given you platform which cannot be misre-
presented by the enemy. We have given you
a platform which, when you have elected
your nominees for President and Vice Presi-
dent, will constitute noble programme and