Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-10-18
THURMAN ACCEPTS.
A CONDENSED REHAsH OF THE OLD RO-
MANS FREE TRADE ARGUMENTS IN
TIE CAMPAIGN

MAN FREE TRADE ARGJ MENTS IN
TIE CAMPAIGN.
COLUMBUS, O.. October 13. Following
is Judge Thurman's letter of acceptance:
Hon Patrick A Collins and others, committee
Gentlemen: In obedience to custom. l
send you this formal acceptance of my
nomination for the office of Vice Presi-
dent of the United States, made by the
National Convention of the Democratic
party at St Louis. When you did me the
honor to call upon me at Columbus, and
officially notify me of my nomination, L
expressed to you my sense OF obligation
to the convention and stated that al
though | had not sought the nomination,
l did not feel at-liberty, under the cir
cdmStances. to decline it. | thought then
as | still think, that whatever | could
properly do to promote the reelection of
President Cleveland ought to do. His
administration has been marked by such
integrity, good sense, manly courage, and
exalted patriotism that just apprecia
ton of these high qualities seems to call
for his reelection. am also strongly i'm
pressed with the belief that his reelection
would powerfully tend to strengthen that
feeling of fraternity among the Ameri-
can people that is so essential to their
welfare, peace, and happiness, and to the
perpetuity of the Union and of our free
institutions.
| approve the platform of the St Louis
convention, and l cannot too strongly ex-
press my dissent from the heretical teach
ings of the mOnopOlists that the welfare
of a people can be promoted by system Of
eXOrbitant taxation far III excess of the
wants of the government. The idea
that a people can be enriched
by heavy and unnecessary taxation,
that a mans condition can be i'm
proved by taxing him on all he wears,
on all his wife and children wear, on all
his tools and implements of industry, is
an obvious absurdity.
To fill the vaults of the treasury with
an idle surplus for which the government
has no legitimate use, and to thereby de-
prive the people of currency needed for
their business and daily wants, and to
create powerful and dangerous stimu
lus to extravaganza and corruption in
the expenditures of the government,
seems to me to be a policy at variance
with every sound principle of govern
ment and political economy.
The necessity of reducing taxation to
prevent such an accumulation of surplus
revenue and the consequent depletion of
the circulating medium is so apparent
that no party dareS to deny it; but when
we come to consider the modes by which
the reduction may be made we find a
wide antagoniSm between our party and
the mOnOpOlistic leaders of our political
opponents.
We seek to reduce taxes upon the ne
cesSitieS of life; our opponents seek to in
crease them. We say, give to the masses
of the people cheap and good clothing,
cheap blankets, cheap tools, and cheap
lumber. The Republicans by their plat
form, and their leaders in the Senate by
their proposed bill, say increase the tax on
clothing and blankets and thereby in
crease their cost, maintain a high duty
on the tools of the farmer and mechanic
and upon the lumber which they need for
construction of their modest dwellings,
shops, and barns, and thereby prevent
their obtaining the neceSSarieS at reason
able prices.
Can any sensible man doubts as to |
where he should stand in this controver-
sy? Can any well-informed man be de-
ceiyed by the false pretense that system
so unreasonable and unjust is for the
benefit of laboring men? Much is said |
about competition of American laborerS
with the pauper labor of Europe; but |
does not every man who looks around him
see and know that an immense majority |
of the labOrerS in America are not engag
ed in what are called the protected indus |
tries? And as to those who are employed |
in such industries, is it not undeniable |
that the duties proposed by the Demo |
cratic measure called the Mills bill far
exceed the difference between American |
and European wages, and that, therefore, |
if it were admitted that our workingmen |
can be protected by tariffs againstcheap- |
er labor, they would be fully protected, |
and more than protected, by that bill?
Does not every well-informed man know |
the increase in price of home manufac |
lures produced by high tariff does not |
go into the pockets of laboring men, but
only tends to swell the profits of others ? |
1t seem to me that if the policy of the |
Democratic party is plainly presented all
must understand that we seek to make |
the cost of living less, and at the same
time increase the share of the laboring
man in the benefit of national prosperity |
and growth. l am, very respectfully, |
your Obedient servant.
ALLEN G.. THURMAN