National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-07-19


=. The planks Of certain portions Of q
platform offered by Gen. Benjamin Il.
Butler, OF the committee Of resolutions,
were rejected. Other portions, such as
the subject of the disposition of internal
revenue taxes, pension fund, the Ameri-
can foreign policy, and the appoint
ment Of federal officers in territories from
the citizens thereof wero adopted by
the committee.
The principal planks Of Gen. Buffers
platform which are of special interest in
their difference from tho majority report
are as follows:
Resolved, That no taxes, direct or indirect,
can BIO rightMlly imposed upon the people,
except to meet the expenses OF an economi-
cally administered government: 10 bring
taxation down to this point is true admins
trativc revenue reform.
Resolved, That the people will tolerate d.
rect taxation for the ordinary expenses of the
government only In case of dire necessity or
war.
Resolved, Therefore, that the revenue neces-
eary for such expenses shall be raised by Gus.
toms duties upon imports after the manner Of
our fathers.
Resolved, That in levying such duties two
principles should BIO carefully Observed
/. That all materials used IN the arts and
manufactures and the nccessaries Of life not
produced In this country shall come in free,
and that all articles Of luxury should be taxed
as high as possible up to the collection point.
2. That In imposing customs duties the law
must be carefully adjusted TO promote Ameri-
nopolies, and TO cherish and foster American
labor.
In support Of his platform Con. Butler
addressed the convention as follows:
MR.. PRESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN OF
THE CONVENTION: appear before you
with great diffidence, having to differ
from the very able committee of which
was an associate. Many and most things
in their platform I agree to. You have
heard the various propositions Of your
committee to which 1 do not agree. 1
have submitted others, to which they do
not agree. / shall speak here now in the
time permitted to me Of but one where
there is the greatest and most radical diff
ference between the two platforms and
1t is all comprised In o single sentence.
Everything else was agreed to. We both
agreed that there IL no constitutional
power In the government to raise dollar
Of taxes beyond the necessary expenses Of
an economical and honest administration.
[Applause.l We all agreed that those
must be raised by taxation from custom
revenue after the manner of our fathers.
We agreed that the material used in the
arts and the necessaries of life not pro-
duced in this country must be untaxed.
Where we differ 10 this: claim that in
raising that revenue it was the duty OF
the government 30 to adjust the laws as
to best promote American enterprise and
foster and cherish American labor. APP
plsuse. Think Of IL for moment. A
democratic committee refusing when they
must raise taxes to raise them in such 0
manner as best to'sustain their own labor
ing men. Applause.l Will that do
Are you ready to 20 into a contest with
our opponents with such PLATFORM
come here as no mendicant, no beggar
come here representing more than ], 800.
900 Of laboring men. [Great applause. i i
have brought their needs before thii
convention. / demand not that you
should give them anything, but when
you are taking from the people you take
only where 1t will hurt the laboring meu
least. Is that an unreasonable demand
Do you think you can get along without
them? l do not; and l therefore brought
them here as your allies, If you will re-
ceive them.
object to the tariff plank of the plat
form adopted by your committee, for il
took them thirty-Eix hours to frame it,
[laughterl-and If it took those able gen
tlemen that time to frame it and get i
into form there must be some reason fol
that painstsking. If they could not fine
words to say what they meant in thirty
six hours, how are my laboring men t.
find out what 1t means in their dinner
the platform should be so that he VIII,
runs may read. [Applause.] Tho diff
Guilty was because of q radical differenc,
between us-a difference in principle
The very able chairman Of your commit
tee, Col. Morrison, for whom / have tn
very highest respect lapplausel becaus
he believes there should be no such thin
as protection of American labor in levy
ing revenue taxation; indeed, thinl
that he believes 1t cannot be done at all
and he always says what he believes; an,
/ believe there should be such protection
such fostering, such cherishing. He coul,
not yield his convictions, l could no
yield mine, and, therefore, our associate
on the committee had to spend all thei
time to say something that would sa,
another thing which believed.
And now reach the platform. Rea
your committees tariff plank and thel
say II you can find out what it does mean
. Applause. But it does not mean pro
lection. If it did Col. Morrison Is to
honest man to bring it here. And we
1t is twisted 80 that the committee hop
that laboring men may think it does mea
protection.
Democrats of the convention, 20
passed a tariff plank in 1876, tariff for onl
revenue, and you put q statesman upo
it who could carry any platform on hi
back. He won. In 1880 you had tart
for revenue only. 1t broke the back c
the most gallant soldier in this country
and you lost; and now you have got
tariff "for public purposes exclusively.
What Is the difference? Exclusively
means "only." "Only" means "exclr
sively." Think it over. This should b
no boys play.
The success of the campaign, in m
opinion, before God, depends on tn
question tonight. to be settled here nov
II you do not say to the workingmen
New York, New Jersey, New Hanpshir
Connecticut, aud Massachusetts that yo
mean to foster and cherish their interes
wherever you can, and say that with L
uncertain sound God help you, for
can't. Your platform says that you q
not want to cut down taxes 80 you cann'
protect workingmen, and You say the
must not be cut down below that. VIII
are you going to do with them ii you 4
not so cut them down? You say nowhel
in your platform that you will discrin
mate In favor of the working men an
women of the country.
Who are the true democracy of u
country You may say-my very goo
friend, Col. Morrison, will say to you
that he does not believe that protectir
labor is fostering and cherishing labor.
do not use the word protection, because
do not want to launt q red flag to Il
bull; for | do not believe in raising tax
only for projections sake.
For more than fifty years the dem
cratic party has told the workingmen
the country, ever since Andrew Jackso
in 1882, declared in favor of judicio
tariff, that tariff did afford protection
them, and they believed it. They ha