The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1888-06-13
Cleveland and Thurman.

lhls is the pair Whlch the Demo'
Gratis at ST. Louis last week put up for
November harvest. 1t was no surprise
to any one. The thing was cut and
dried by Scott, aud there was nothing
left for the delegates to do but endorse
the set up, which they did with little
or no kicking. Thurman was stuck
onto the tail of the ticket for the pur'
pose of raising little temporary en-
thusiasm, which has already subsided,
and because he's the "Old Roman
The platform is free trade pure and
unadulterated. OF it the sPhiladel-
phia Press says:
"The Free Traders won a complete
triumph at St. Louis. After sustain
ing an apparent check for three days
they turned the tables and carried
every point. The final deliveraDce Of
the Convention is precisely what they
conteuded for, and the candidate and
the platform exactly fit each other,
The Democratic party by the utter
auce and action of its highest national
tribunal, commits itself squarely and
unequivocally to the most advanced
policy Of Free Trade.
"In any event, whatever the decla-
ration, Mr.. Cleveland would have been
his own platform. Even IF the deliv.
erance had not been in full harmony
with his position, the divergence would
have possessed no practical signifi.
cance. 1t is Mr.. Cleveland who is
running, and he is running on his own
record. But as a matter of fact the
platform exactly squares with his most
extreme Free Trade proclamation and
carries the party fully and finally over
to his position. The more conserva
tive Democratic leaders who see the
dangers ahead wanted to hold the
party tn the tariff straddle of 1884
and save it from going beyond. That
was a two.faced declaration, and Mr.
Randall could stand on it in Pennsyl
vania while Mr.. Watterson could JUS
as easily stand on it 10 Kentucky
But the St. Louis platform has at leas
the merit of abandoning all double
dealing, and of speaking on the tarii
: question in terms which are direct
explicit and unmistakable. 1t declare
{ that President Cleveland's message j
3 the correct Interpretation of the plat
! form of 1884, aud supplements thi
e with separate resolution which ex
i pressly endorses the Mills bill.
"In other words, it justifes the cor
e struction which the Free Traders pu
4 upon the platform; it abandons a.
h attempt at a straddle; and it plant
e the Democratic party on the extrem
position of the Presidents message.
e approves the Mills bill, but it goes bt
= yond that measure because the messsg
?. goes beyond it. The Mills bill do,
II not limit its proposed reduction who
ID ly to the tariff duties, but does en-
G. brace some decrease of internal tax
is tion. The message, on the other han
r expressly condemned any attempt
~ cut down internal taxes, and insist
e. that the entire reduction should cor
m from the tariff. The Democrats
e, Congress did not dare go to the fl
st extent Of the message in reporti
n the Mills bill, but the Democrats
nd the Convention have endorsed it in
,rt its length and breadth. The positi
est Of the Democratic party is at II
ne clearly and decisively fixed, and thu
bgy is no longer any room for cavil
ue dispute. Unless the people are stran!
" ly blind to all the teachings of exp
NJ ience and all the dictates of inter
IN IN there can be no doubt about the res
~ of such a struggle"