Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-12-29
TARIFF REFORM.
A Meeting of the Massachusetts League
Held at Boston.
Notable People Present, and Stirring Addresses
Delivered-A Letter from President Cleye-
land Creates Great Enthusiasm.

Boston, Mass Dec. % The annual
banquet of the Massachusetts Tariff Re-
form League took place here at the
Hotel Vendome this evening. The
principal guest of the evening was
United States Secretary of the Treasury
FaiTchild. Anon" the others were Pres
ident-elect of Harvard College 7. W.
HigginsOn, Hon. P. A. Collins, Henry
| L. Pierce, Hon. George S. Hale, G. r
Cochran. Hon. Leopold Morse, Jesse
Metcalf and William Endicott. Hon.
w. G. Russell presided, and i'll the OPEN
| ing speech said the gathering was not one
of interested capitalists to rejoice over the
| political victory, but 81 gathering i'll the
interests of the propagation of a great
! political economic reform. President
! CleveIand's letter was then read. 1t
| was as follows:
EXECUTIVE MANSION.
WASHINGTON, Dee. u, 1883.
! Messrs. Sherman, Hoar and others, Committee:
| GENTLEMEN am exceedingly sorry l
cannot be present at the annual meeting
| of the Massachusetts Tariff Reform
| League on the 2Sth inst. This is not
| merely formal and common expression
of regret. 1t fully indicates how much
| l should enjoy meeting the members
! of your league and how glad [
should be to express III person my appre-
| citation of their important views III the
cause to which am earnestly attached,
and to acknowledge at the same time
their frequent and important manifesto
tons Of personal friendliness. l know,
too, it would be profitable and advan-
| tageOus to be even for brief period
within the inspiring influence of the at
| nosphere surrounding the patriotic and
unselfish men banded together in the in
terests of their fellow countrymen, and
devoted to the work of tariff reform.
This reform appears TO me as far-reach-
ing i'll its purposes as the destiny of our
country, and rs broad in its beneficence
as the welfare of our entire people. 1t is
because the efforts of Its advocates are
not discredited by any sordid motives
that they are able boldly and confidently
to attack the strongholds of selfishness
and greed. Our institutions were con-
structed in purity of purpose and love for
humanity. Their operation is adjusted
to the touch of national virtue and patri-
otiSm, and their results under such guild
ance must be the prosperity and happi-
ness of our people; and as long
as the advocates of tariff reform appre-
ciate the sentiments in which our in
situations had their origin, SO long as they
appreheud the forces which alone can
guide their operation, SO long as they in
a spirit of true patriotism are consecrated
to the service of their country, temporary
defeat brings no discOuragemeut; it but
proves the Stubbornness of the forces of
combined selfishness, and discloses how
far the people have been led astray, and
how great is the necessity of redoubled
efforts in their behalf. To lose faith in the
Intelligence of the people is the surrender
and abandonment of the struggle. To
arouse their intelligence from darkness
and delusion gives assurance of speedy
and complete victory. In the track of
reform are often found the dead hopes
of pioneers and the despair of those who
fell in the march. But there will be
neither despair nor dead hopes in the path
of tariff reform, nor shall its pioneers
fail to reach the heights. Holding fast
to their faith and rejecting every
alluring overture and every deceptive
compromise which would betray their
sacred trust, they themselves shall re-
gain and restore the patrimOny of their
countrymen freed from the trespass of
grasping encroachmep$, and safety Sc
cured by the genius of American justice
and equality. Yours very truly,
GROVER CLEVELAND.
Applause on the reading of the letter |
having abated, President Cleveland IS |
health was drunk standing. Another |
three cheers was given, and Mr.. Russell |
then introduced Secretary Fairchild as |
the representative of the administration. |
He spoke at considerable length.
Representative Fitch of New York fol-
lowed. He said President Cleveland |
message had voiced principles held by !
many leading Republicans, and he spoke
from this standpoint.
The presiding officer read letter from
Secretary Endicott regretting necessary
absence, and also one from Speaker Car
Isle. He expresses his regret at not De-
ing able to be present, and said:
"'Under fine circumstances all l can do |
is to send you assurances of my warmest |
sympathy with every effort that is made
to advance the peoples cause in the |
struggle now going on between the
friends of industrial freedom and the ben
eficiaries of industrial slavery. This
struggle has Just commenced in this
country, and those who delude them
selves with the hope that it viii be aban-
doned before the triumph of right over
wrong, are simply augmenting the weight
of the blow that will inevitably fall ON
them i'll the future. This is not threat,
but friendly warning
The meeting broke up after "three
times three for President Cleveland and
the Tariff Reform League.