St. Paul daily globe., 1888-08-18
AFRAID OF THURMAN.

Mr.. BLAINE appears to be awfully
worried over the prospect OF Judge
THURMAN'S election to the vice preSl-
dency, and is consequently nerving HIM
self to make his big fight against the
tail of the Democratic ticket rather than
the head. There are possibly two rea-
sons for this. Mr.. BLAINE has bucked
against the head of the ticket once, and
Mr.. BLAINE is a man who usually knows
when he has enough. Whatever
other aspirations Mr.. BLAINE may
have, he is evidently not burning
with desire to have another
hand-to-hand set-to with GROVER
CLEVELAND. But another reason why
Mr.. BLAINE is disposed to give so much
attention to the Democratic nominee for
vice president is that he served in con-
gress long enough with Judge THUR
MAN to learn that the Old Roman
is dangerous man for the
corporation interests to tackle. With
THURMAN presiding over the senate
there would not be much prospect for
crooked legislation; or at least, it
couldn't be rushed through without the
attention of the country being called
to it.
In his fight against the Democratic
candidate for vice president Mr.. BLAINE
makes an appeal to the protectionists by
reminding them that it was by the cast
ing vote of GEORGE. M. DALLAS, then
vice president, that the protective tariff
of 1912 was wiped out. 1t was probably
unintentional on Mr.. BLAINE's part, yet
he virtually admits that the next senate
will be tie, and the vice president will
have the casting vote. He admits that
Judge THURMAN is both able ana ami
able, but asserts that he is all
the more dangerous because of
those admirable qualities. In BLAINE's
estimation THURMAN'S dangerous quail
ity is that integrity of character which
precludes the idea that he can in any
event be made the tool of monopoly or
the agent of the corporations. To
man of Mr.. BLAINE's political training
it4doesn't appear that the strictly up
right man is Il safe man to have in pub
Ii; Office. The very arguments which
Mr.. BLAINE is advancing against Judge
THURMAN's S election are the very best
that could be presented in favor of
electing him. We want man in the
vice presidents chair who will do just
as GEORGE NJ. DALLAS did in 1872
vote for bill that is in the interests of
the whole people, although it may be
hostile to certain local interests.
Mr.. DALLAS was Pennsvlvanian,
and then, as now, there was strong
protective sentiment in his state. When
in 1876 bill came up before the senate
modifying the high tariff bill of 1S42.
there was a tie vote Oh motion to order
the bill to the third reading, and it be-
came necessary for the vice president to
give the casting vote. In his speech
upon the occasion Mr.. DALLAS said
that while the bill dealt with some pur-
suits and resources of his native COM
monwealth less kindly than he wished,
still he felt that his official station re-
Quired of him the performance of a
duty to the entire country, without re-
gard to the peculiar interests of the To-
cality from which he came. He stated
that to his mind ''ample proof
had been furnished that a ma
jority of the people and of
the states desired a change to a great
extent i'll principle, if not fundament-
ally, of the system heretofore pursued in
assessing the duties on imports" In
accordance with his idea of duty to the
whole country, Mr.. DALLAS cast his
vote in the affirmative.
Mr.. BLAINE is rightin supposing that
Judge THURMAN will pursue exactly
the same course that Mr.. DALLAS did.
BE will be elected to the vice presi-
dency for that purpose. Judge THUR
MAN is too broad man and too pure a
patriot to be governed by either selfish
or local considerations in the perform
ance of Official duties. And that's lust
why Mr. RJ AJNE-jS afraid of hin,