The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-10-04
NOW DISCUSSING AND NOW FORCING
TIE ISSUE.


At the outset of the present campaign
the Democratic leaders were careful to
hedge in he doctrine of free trade, as
enunciatel in the Presidents message.
With many qualifications they assert
that what they meant was not free
trade, but Revenue Reform In the
stronghOl,ls of Protection this eXplana-
ton was used to conciiate and win oyer
support when the bOlder announcement
would have damaging effect, Thur
man was obliged to resort to this expc-
dent in Ohio. President Cievellnd
found it necessary, in his Letter I Ac-
ceptancP, t. disguise as much as posS
bic, the real issue, which he hims' 1t had
raised in his mt ssage. Revenue Re
form" for campaign purposes sounded
better than Free Trade. 1t was better
political fetch to catch votes. The
pains taken to soften the issue were re-
markabl"; but when the prulectionistS
followed up that dod e n cxTo ell it
everywhere, it lost nearly all its dect iv
ing power IL is stll used to some cX-
tent t. concilrate those who have Demo
cratic leanirgs, but lean at the same
time toward tariff which fosters the
industries of the country.
The stronghold of the adm nislrali0n
il in the southern staIeA No disgu Sc is
ncedrd there. f. is not necessary fer
any Of Cleveland's supporters t. take
the stumu there aud drCl are that the
"R We Reform of Clev' md nd the
Mills bill means anything ele than free
trade. Sou hern Democrats are not
hungry for any such explanations
They accept the doctrine without any
disguise And now that this disguise IS
no longer helping matters in the north
ern stats, the very men who hOtly de-
Tended it have ceased tp press that quail
ifcaiIun. Thurman found that it WIS a
poor rxpedi'rt in Ohir. There is n
stronger tendency now to force the
issue without any disguise. The Chi
caso Herald, the leading Democratic
organ OF that city, in Il recent editorial
headed. mo Disguise About 1t, m *, +
this declaration:
The Democratic party is not now for
the first tune in lis career antagOnizng
Tariff rOhhers. Il always has been ol
posed tU las privilege IL always h 5
been f,r freedom of ira le II was for
Free Trade and sailors rights seven
ty-hve years ago, and it vert TO war
with G. eat Britain ON that cry. The
Democratic party will he false to It's
creed, tn ITS traditions, and to ITS char
actei if il pause in the great work Of re-
form uni every Cla,S priv ilcge bOl ter
81 up under ihe Tariff has been destroy
ed. Protection is WrOHg IN itseB 1t is
uncOi stitulional There must be a Tar
itf, for K venue, but there must not he
PrntrctiOn--that II, the trXa'lon of the
IN my for the few and The Dem cratic
parry is the only oigauiz tIun which
can sweep away this mrnst~ous error.
There is no disguise in this avOwal.
Il publ ans from the frat declared that
he issue was one of protection against
free trade. The Mills bIl' Is declared 10y
its southern supporters to be Only a
feeble begiutilg.' 1t Is supp lr.ed q,
leading up to one Iin"l result. THIS
aVUwal that the support rs OF the pres
ent Administration are hostile to the
principle of prOtrCt0n, comes Just when
he Disguise nf that tact cUul'! he of no
further benefit. Thurm1n had hardly
ceased the work of spreading the Rev-
enue Reform blanket over the proteC
tionis in Ohio than the leauing d mo
cratic organ of the Northwest strips il |
off and declares that the real issue Is |
free trade. Numerous organs now bold |
ly declare that "PrOtection i wrong in
itself, and unconstitutional" This ten
dency to throw off the early disguise
aud put the knife deeper into American
industries Is the later political develop |
ment. 1t is precisely what Republicans
predicted would occur at "a later day !
Because they saw the logical outcome
early in the campaign, they were met
with ruoh gentle terms Us "vIlliiiorF,' |
'Calumniatnrs, ".dnd so on.
1t is now clear enough that the new |
is foreshadowed by the Chi |
CagO Herald. 1t i, to drop all dlsguises
and to force the one free trade issue all |
along the line. There will be some ton
ing down to meet special cases. but the |
issue to-day is just where the Repubii-
cans placed It-tne vote is to be square
ly for prot 'ction or free trade Rive
nue. reform is to-day mere rag. latter
ed and hung up as of no further use
The defense to he made IL against an at
tack on American labor and American |
Editorial from the san
Francisco EUeHiHg Bulletin.