The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-07-17

IN spectators to anything like the deg
he that Blaine and some OF his rivals
k, the republican nomination did, III t.
a same hall, five weeks ago.
ed At S:25 the convention was cal
ne to order, and a resolution was Offer
ne by Henry, of Mississippi, expressi
It, the regret and intense admiration
he the convention at reading the stat
1t man-like and patriotic letter of SAINT
he j. Tilden. in which he ma
III known the overpowerlng and pro
q. Dental necessity which constrain
him TO declile the nomination to t
D. presidency, condemning the fraud a
II violence 10y which Tilden and He
bricks were cheated out of their otfic
in 1876, expressing regret that the n
70 ton has been deprived of the lof
= patriotism and splendid executive al
o administrative ability of Mr.. Tide
q and appointing a committee to co
: Yey these sentiments to that gentl
n man. Adopted.
o On motion of Mr.. Cleveland, of Ne
= Jersey, it was ord red that the stat
, and territories be now called for tt
: names of members of the nations
} democratic committee.
f A report made by the committee
resolutions in favor of the proposltlo
to permit the national committee
, choose chairman outside OF It's oW
i members. The report was adopted.
A delegate from Arkansas offered
resolution Bbrogating and dlscontlnU
ing, in future,
, THE TWO.THIRDS RULE
in the nomination of candidates TO
president and vice president.
Mr.. Cochran, of New York, move
to lay it on the table, characterlzlng l
as revolutionary proposition.
Mr.. Abbott, of New Jersey, said /
was absurd for this convention to at
tempt to make rules for the next con
vention and he movedto postpone thu
resolution indefinitely. Cochran with
drawing his motion.) The question
was taken and the motion to postpone
Indefinitely was carried.
REPORT ON PLATFORM.
Mr.. Morrison, of Illinois, chairman
of the committee on resolutions, at
p. M, stepped to the platform to pre-
sent the report of that committee. His
appearance was greeted with cheers.
The platform was read by one of the
reading clerks.
TPlatform-pledges the democratic
| party to revise the tariff in respect to
| fairness to all interests, in making a
reduction in taxes 1t is not proposed
to injure any domestic industries. All
taxes shall be limited to the require
ment of economical government. The
| platform favors the repeal of all laws
restricting the free action of labor,
and holds the public lands should be
kept for homeSteads for actual set
tiers.
The reading of the platform was
concluded at 10 o'clock. 1t was list.
ened to attentively, and with very
few Interruptions. In fact, none of
its paragraphs except that referring
to Mr.. Tilden, elected any marked in
dications of approval.
Mr.. Morrison said he would yield
now to General Butler to present a
minority report. He would then al
low Gen. Butler thirty minutes to
discuss the reports; fifteen minutes to
M. Converse (Ohio). and five minutes
to Mr.. Watterson, and then he would
move the previous question and ask
for vote.
BUFFERS VIEWS.
General Butler said that most of
the things in the platform he agreed
to. Some things ought to be added
to 1t, and one thing especially
ought to be changed, that he
would submit to the better judgment
of the convention. He asked the
clerk to read his report. The clerk
commenced by enunciating slowly and
very distinctly, the words: General
Buffers platform" which caused a
general laugh.
The Butler minority report declares
customs duties must be carefully adj
justed to promote American enter
prises, and industries, and foster
American labor; favors labor tribu-
nal to settle controversies between
capital and labor, and favors federal
support to common schools.
General Butler then proceeded to
address the convention. He said:
HE appeared with great dlf1idence.
Most things in the platform, he
agreed to. Those which had just
been read were submitted and agreed
to. There was one thing on which
there was the most radical difference
between the two platforms.
Both agreed that there was no
constitutional power to raise
revenue beyond the necessary
wants of the government; that it
should be raised according to the doc
trines of the fathers; and that no tax
should be laid on the necessities of
lite not produced by this country. He
came here as no mendicant, (no beg
gar). He came here as representa-
tive of more than 10000 laboring
men. He had brought their condition
before the committee and had de-
lnanded not that it should give them
anything, but that when taxing the
people, the tax should be taken
where it would hurt them
least. Was not this reasonable de-
mand? Did they think they
could get along without that? He
Sought not. He objected to the tar
if plank in the platform of the COM
mittee because it took the COMMITTEES
So hours to frame it, and if it took
these able gentlemen so long to frame
it. and get it in form, there must be
some reason for that. They could not
find out in 80 hours what they wanted.
How were his laboring men to ind
out what it meant. Naughter.)
There was radical difference between
the committee and himself. The very
able chairman of the committee, (Mr.
Morrison) thought there should be no
such thing Cor could be no such thing)
as protection to American labor by
taxation. He (Butler) believed there
should be such protection, sIch foS-
tering. such care. Mr.. Morrison
could not yield his convictions, and he
(Butler) could not yield his, and, there
fore, the committee had to spend all
that time to say something that would
mean one thing one way and another
thing another way. Laughter. He
asked the delegates to read that tariff
plank and see if they could find out
exactly what it did mean. Did it
mean protection? If it did, Col. Nor
rison was too honest man to bring
it here, and it was so twisted that it
might mean protection. Laughter.
The democracy had, in its platform
| in 1880, plank of tariff for rev.
enue only, and broke the back of one
of the most gallant soldiers in the
country, Qaughter) and they hao q
tariff plank (for public purposes ex
cIusiyely) wherein the difference was