Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-19

He Tells His Constituents of His Ideas
in Long Address.
LOWELL, MASS, Aug. 1s.-The follow
ing are extracts from Gen. Benjamin +

ing are extracts from Gen. Benjamin F.
Buffers address:
To NJ Constituents:
In compliance with oft repeated and anxi-
Gus inquiries, / hasten TO give account Of my
stewardship of the political interests with
which was charged. They were four:
!. Hostility to al mopopolies in commerce,
industries and lands.
2. The preservation Of the national legal
tender currency OF the people. constitution
ally issued BY Congress.
g The needs Of all men and women who
labor in the production of wealth to be pro-
tected against the encroachments Of those
who absorb and consume without producing.
4. The necessity for reform and correction
Of abuses in government, so that its pressure
on the people would be made as light as posi-
BILE; its administration effective, to guard the |
rights Of American citizens at home and
abroad: to make public servants individual or
corporate, subservlent to the use and VIII OF
the people only, so as to restore the prosperity
of the country, with equal rights. equal bur-
dens. equal powers. and equal privileges OF
all people.
had intended, il these great principles Of
government, by The people and for the people
only, had been cordially received, and
earnestly ana honestly adopted by
that convention as the political chart OF
the Democratic party, to have permitted my
name to be presented to the convention for
the sufrages OF the people as Chief Executive
TO minister and car " forward the neces-
sary measures; IN whic1 case 1 should have
been bound by its actlOnto support both its
platform and nominees.
That l should be placed-n that high posi-
ton l knew was the will Of he 10000 voters
of that Commonwealth, v ne had expressed
their confidence by their Ytes so unani-
mOusly that no man from INT state could
have been delegate to that colyentiOn If he
had dared to breathe aloud thatle was op-
posed either to the principles L epresented
or to my personal candidature.
In thus doing the will OF those VIII sent me-
I sought none of the honors of the convene
ton, and interfered with none OF its ioceed-
ings, save to serve as member Of Is COM
m Ittee on what should have been Its pltform
of principles, and not of expedlents.
Owing to an accident without fault otsnv
| one. reached that committee only a1te, it
| had been some hours in session, and TIN
found nv solemn vote twice over, that II VS.
| e0ualiv diviaed upon the question whether, Il
raising the moneys necessary Tor an honesV
/ and economical carrying on OF the govern
ment, the Democratic party would pledge II
self to tax the people IN such manner only as
| would best promote American enterprise ana
American industry, and foster and cherish ,5Ll
/ repeated votes of eighteen States to eighteen
/ states in the choice as Chairman. one who
| should represent the Affirmative and negative
/ Of that vital proposition. The committee fail
| ing to elect a Chairman, remained under its
| temporary Chairman during the remainder of
| its deliberations with the understanding that
/ after tariff plank should be agreed upon,
/ either one or the other of the two candidates,
| AIessrs. Converse of Ohio or Morrison of ILL
/ nois, should be elected permanent Chairman
| and present platform to the convention, the
| tariff plank Of which should most nearly ac-
| cord with his views.
HIS CONsTROLLING VOTE.
To find myself holding the controlling vote
| in a committee on resolutions of a Democratic
| National Convention was not new or I'M
| tried position. l had held that position a
years before in the Charleston Convention of
1850; and there l was obliged by my convlc-
| tiOns to differ from both sides. | then pre-
sented a second minority report of one which
was adopted by the convention.
| At Chicago a b-committee of eight was
chosen, and directed to prepare a tariff plank
| and submit it to the committee. In that sub
| committee presented a series of resolutions,
| which may be thus summarized:
l. That no more revenue should be raised
| by any form of taxation than absolutely
| necessary for the expenses of the government.
2. That such revenue should be raised by
| tariff on imports.
| g. That ali material used in arts and manu-
| features, and the necessaries of life not pro-
duced in this country, should come IN free;
| but luXuries should be taxed to the highest
| possible point.
4. That the internal revenue tax upon
| liquors. distilled and fermented, and tobacco,
| being a war tax, should be sacredly devoted
| to relieving the people from the remaining
| burdens CT the war, TO Wlt-the care ana COM
| fort relief of soldiers disabled in the wars
| OF the republic, and paying such pensions as
Congress should from time to time allow
such soldiers, and paid into a fund for
that purpose, like fund having been pro-
vided for our sailors.
). That the laws imposing duties for reve
nue. should be so adjusted as best to promote
Amarlcan enterprise and American industry,
TO cherish and foster American labor and not
create mOnODOlle5.
ON submitting these resolutions to the sub
committee, the first four articles were agreed
to without division; but the fifth, declaring
the duty of the government to so lay taxes
as best to promote American enterprise and
American industry. and cherish and foster
American labor, failed Of adoption by vote
of four TO four.
From that hour any candidature of mine in
that convention became to me impossible.
The defeat of any possible nOmin. of the
party upon free trade platform seemed to
me inevitable, even if not desirable. The in
fluences which caused the change of three
votes out of seven clearly foreshadowed the
nominee.
At the next meeting of my delegation re-
quested that my name be not presented, and
suggested TO them TO favor the nomination of
a gentleman whose length of public service
and long acquaintance with public AFFAIRS,
and whose prior con LIBERATION IN other Demo-
cratic conventions showed that he had some
claims to be considered Democratic states
man. All of the delegation who remained
faithful to their constituents, and represented
the Massachusetts Democracy, so voted, and
with true consistency and prOpriety so stood
firmly to the end.
Then ensued in the committee a struggle of
many hours so to frame tariff plank that
should appear to say what mine said, and yet
not say it, and appear to say the contrary,
and vet not say it; like the western hunter
who tried to shoot his rifle at something he
dimy saw stirring in a bush, so as to hit it if
it was deer and miss it If 1t was a calf.
With this struggle of ingenuity and decep-
ton, as if for prize, of course, had nothing
to do, but simply stood by my guns.
TO SUSTAIN THE LEGAL TENDER CUR
RENCY.
| also presented a resolution declaring that
the legal tender currency, under the decision
of the supreme Court, was now the constitu-
tional currency of the country, and should
not be interfered with; and that business in
terests should not be disturbed by financial
discussion.
That also was voted down in the committee,
and a resolution passed that the Democracy
were in favor of "hOnest money" This was
intended to be, and is an insult to every friend
of constitutional currency, and was presented
by one of the most narrow minded of capt.
talists.
FULL CONSIDERATION NOT PERMITTED.
Through the courtesy of the Chairman Of
the committee and by personal lntercesslon,
/ obtained the boon Of thirty minutes to pre-
sent and discuss a charter Of the peoples
rights at an hour crOwding on midnight, but
before it could be printed and LAID before the
convention, and with the refusal of the con-
vention to adjourn to the morning before
vote was taken upon them, so eager were
the members to get at their work OF predes-
tined nomination.
And such convention has been called a de-
libeTatlYe body!
1t is true, that it spent days upon the unit
rule, which required a mans vote to be cast
against his conscience and Judgment, in spite
of his protest by others, and days in trying to
settle the internal discussions of the machine
politics of a single State; but it could give
thirty minutes only to the discussion of prin-
ciples for the government OF the nation. L
therefore could substantially present but one
plank. the most important Of all, the protec-
ton of the American labOrer and producer,
without which, in my judgment, there can be
no prosperity to this country.
And this was voted down in the convention
by a vote of 7l2l5 to 973.
felt it but right to warn the convention,
however unlmpOrtant such warning might
seem, OF the course of my duty if such vote
was passed against the workingmen and
women of the country, for whose welfare 1t
was well known l had stood from my ear
lest manhood. The notice was in this en-
phatic language, "If you refuse to stand by
the workingmen, God help you, / cannot"
In this there was no mistake. Mr.. Watterson,
of Kentucky, who followed me, took warning,
saving the party would look to God for help,
but the scripture saith, "the prayer Of the
wicked availeth not" 1t was due to myself
not to adopt the course certain pure minded,
and upright, and highly moral politicians
deem 1t proper to pursue, take part in the
proceedings of a convention to its end, and
then, without giving notice to anybody, and
without protesting, refuse to support it's do
ings.
have thus given a succinct, as it must be,
hut a faithful account of my connection with
the Chicago Convention and its action on the
matters which | was charged to present to it
by the National Greenback Labor party, the
Anti Monopoly organization, and the Demo-
crazy of Massachusetts,.
WHY AN EXPLICIT PLATFORM SHOULD
BE DEMANDED OF THE DEMOCRACY.
The country has had no experience for
nearly a quarter of a century of what the
Democracy would do if they had the power,
so that the people are obliged to require the