Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1888-06-26
Mr.. BuRKE's EFFORTS IN VAIN.

Mr.. BURKE's EFFORTS IN VAIN.
The Hon. John NJ. Burke, of Ward.
ner, has written letter in which he
states that he will do his best to get
planks against the reduction of tariff
on lead" against the demonetizing
Of silver" and Sin favor of the Fed
eral appointments being made from
the bona 6de residents of the Terri
tory" inserted in the platform of the
Democratic party Of Idaho; and that
If he succeeds in having this done
and the Convention sees fit to nomin.
ate him for Delegate to Congress, he
will do his best to win.
This letter of Mr.. Burke's is being
quoted approvingly by the free trade
newspapers of Idaho, as if it were
the straitest kind of Democratic free
trade doctrine; yet it gives the
hardest kind of slap in the face to
them and their partsans all over
the United States.
The platform adopted by the St.
Louis Convention emphatically in
dorses President Cleveand's last
annual message and the Mills bill.
The message recommended the plac-
ing Of so many articles on the free
list that if Its suggestions were
adopted, even the foreign manufac-
turers would have nothing further to
desire in the way OF free trade with
the United States. The Mills bill
was framed to meet the Presidents
views and give them the force of
statutory law, and in his speech in
Congress in support of his bill Mr..
Mills said:
Then every industry will spring
forward at bound, and wealth, pros
perity and power will bless the land
that is dedicated to free men, free
labor, and FREE TRADE.
This Mills bill proposes to reduce
the duty on lead from SIS to $50 per
ton. And as it has been made a part
ofthe platform OF the National Dem
ecratic party, the Idaho Democrats
cannot adopt platform in opposition
10 it.
1t is so with silver. The National
Democratic platform does not even
mention this metal; but it indorses
President Cley Glands views, and he
is so pronounced an enemy to this
noble metal that he actually went to
the extreme length of ignoring or
dlsobeying the law requ alng a
certain quantity of silver to be pur-
chased monthly for coinage. This
law is so obnoxious to Mr.. Cleveland
that even before his Inauguration he
addressed letter to the then Demo-
cratic Congress, urging them to re-
peal it! On this other subject the
Idaho Democrats cannot, therefore,
adopt platform in opposition to the
expressed faith of the party.
The plank favoring the appoint,
ment of federal officials from the
residents of the Territory was in the
National Democratic platform of 1884,
aud was disregarded. 1t is also in
this years platform, but will again be
annulled by President Cleveland.
If the planks proposed by Mr..
Burke could be incorporated into the
platform of the Idaho Democrats,
that platform would be neither more
nor less than a denunciation of the
principles Of the National Demo,
cratic party, and an Endorsement OF
those OF the National Republican
aid Protection party.
Mr.. Burke must therefore see that
his efforts in the direction indicated
will be in vain; and that if he wishes
to uphold the protective tariff on lead
and to conduce to the enhancement
of the price Of silver he must take
other and more promising steps than
an application to portion of the
very party whose hostility to the
metals named forms the very corner
stone of their published las we'll as
suppressed articles of political faith.