New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-06-09
THE ISSUE WELCOMED.

Most people give the Democratic convention
the credit it really deserves. Its unanimous
nomination of MIR. Cleveland means unreserved
acceptance Of the issue he has chosen to make
It's nomination of Mr.. Thurman means glorl-
Gcation of the Bourbonism which was nothing
if not hostile to protection. Its platform
asserts many things that are trivial or false,
but earnestly and even passionately argues one
thing, that duties for protection hinder IN
dustry and rob consumers. If that is not true,
the platform is a lie. If it is true, Mr.. Cleve-
land is rightly despot of his party, because
he has dared to force it to speak the only
truth it has in it.
Dictation, despOtisnl, why should any DEM
ocrat object? If his party is not mere organ
lied treason to the rights and the welfare Oh
the Nation, if the ideas and purposes which
have ruled it for fifty years are not false TO
all Americanism, the party ought to thank Goa
that at last it has leader able TO lift 1t above
its own cowardice and falseness. Mr. Cleve-
land has nominated himself, he has nominated
Mr.. Thurman, he has dictated the platform
Mr.. Scott says, every line and word OF 1t. The
more he plays the despOt, if his theories have
merit, the more the party will deserve success
True. if the theories are false and the purposes
dsloyal, acceptance Of Cleveland means that
sort of defeat from which party never re-
covers. But the Democrat who believes his
platform is a lie is both cOwardly and traltorous
in supporting it.. Middle ground there is none
The Democrat who believes in the candidate
who interprets the platform can hold up his
head. for the first time in forty years, and
boast that his manhood and his partiSanship are
not at war;
Despotsm in Democracy is Of evil omen.
Only once before in the lifelong history of the
Democratic party has Democratic President
been renominated. That was nearly forty
wears ago, and MIR. Van Buren,, the New ork
trckster of that distant day, enslaved his party
by patronage as RefOrmer Cleveland enslaves
it now. Known in history as the first Presi-
dent to prostitute the appointing power to the
base purposes of selfish greed and ambition,
he made fewer partisan removals and appoint
mentS than Reformer Cleveland, and left his
party more real freedom. But he bought with
office votes enough to renominate himself, and
was the worst beaten candidate the Democratic
party ever ran for the Presidency. 1t was his
bad luck that in slave States the whites were
then free to vote as they pleased, and eight
of those States voted against him. Mr. Cleve-
land has no such freedom to fear.
Mr. Thurman's nomination. like many OF
President Clevelands appointments, is an at
| tempt to resurrect the departed. Beautiful
in the misty moonlight of memory seems TO
Democrats the unyielding Democracy which
fought against the suppression of rebellion, the
reconstruction of the Union, the enfranchise-
ment of the colored vote, and gush of senti-
| 10 20 Fi,to ne no narf u
which slaughtered Mr. Thurman now dominates
his red handkerchief. But sober politicians
already begin TO reflect that Mr.. Thurman was
never as strong a candidate in Ohio as Hoadly,
who was beaten, or Allen, who was beaten,
and never strong enough in any other State
| to get leading vote in convention for the
Presidency. The Democratic party was hunt
ing for votes in those days, with passionate
anxiety. If Mr. Humans name had been
worth bare thousand votes in Ohio or In
| diana when those October States were vital,
would he have been passed in silence?
Free Trade and gushing sentiment against
Protection and practical prosperity-the issue
suits Republicans. They welcome q fight that
has meaning in it. Fighting a cOwardly
and dishonest party, which pretended to be
| one thing in Kentucky and another in New
York, has been tiresome work. 1t is good
thing that at last the theory of Free Trade is
to be tested before the people, with free wool
as its first practical illustration. The honest
belief that free wool will make wool manu-
factwe prosperous, clothing cheaper, and wool
more valuable can now be frankly met. Honest
but absurd and false it has filled the minds
of larger men than Mr.. Cleveland, and if it
can win, next we shall have free pig iron,
ore and coal, that the miners and furnacemen
may prosper. 1t is well for the country that
the issue can be tried now, while there are yet
wool growers and wool spinners left to vote.
The Oregon returns look as if the growers
had done their part with intelligence. Mr..
Cleveland will hear from the spnners the
miners and the furnacemen a little later.