The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-11-09
They Knew 1t.

hV JpuTHdI5 WHICH duNOCdlc
the protective system are now saying that
| President Cleveland's defeat was caused by
his famous tariff reform message. 81 told
you So" is the burden of their song. There
is no evidence yet, however, that Mr.. Cleve-
lands tariff reform message lost him more
votes that it gained for him. If the pro
lection journals have any such evidence
they ought to produce it. They would in
that way give better satisfaction to their
readers than by simply a serting that
the democrats were beaten because they
tried to reduce tariff taxation.
Both New Jersey and Connecticut are
manufacturing states. In 1854 NJ. Cleve-
lands plurality in New Jersey was 4,4l2
| and in Connecticut ,2S4 This year his
plurality in the former STATE was consider
ably larger, and in the latter state it was
only about 800 votes smaller The tariff
question, therefore. docs not appear to have
changed many voters iu eithe state.
IL the changes that have taken place since
1884 are due to the tariff, then Mr.. Cleve-
land was wise in urging tariff reform. be-
cause he made large gains in Ohio, Illinois,
Minnesota, Wisconsin and other states. In
New England, also, his gains over 1884
were considerable. 1t does rot appear,
therefore. that his tariff reform message did
him any injury.
MIR. Cleveland would have been elected,
if he had carried New York, by the same
electoral vote which he received in 1884.
Did his tariff message lose him New York;
1t certainly did not New York Is the
greatest manufacturing city in the country,
and yet it gave him a plurality of II ,0J0
larger than in 1884, and in tao counties
outside of New York there was very con-
siderable increase in his vote over that of
1854.
Mr.. Cleveland's defeat was due to his
failure to get as big plurality in the cities
of New York and Brooklyn as he ought to
have had, and the failure in New York city
was caused by the trading that was done
there by the County Democracy. 1t is all
nonsense to say that Mr.. Cleveland's tariff
reform message defeated him.
But what would these democratic pro-
lection journals haves Would they have
the Democratic party to desert its principles
and adopt the tariff policy of the Republican
party! In that case the Democratic party
might as well surrender to the Republican
party at once.
But tariff reform is going to win If the
republicans control the next House of Re-
representatives. they will reduce the tariff,
and, that too, in accordance with the prin-
ciples of Mr.. Cleveland's tariff reform mes
sage. They will do their best to take the
wind out of the sails of the
Democratic party. They cut down
the tariff taxes in 1882, and
they will cut them again a great deal more
as soon as they can do so without permitting
the democrats to get any of the credit for
the reform. These democratic protection
journals viii probably think that tariff
reduction is all right if the reduction
is made by the Republican party. WHAT is
the difference in principle between the Ser ate
tariff bill and the Mills bills Do the
esteemed democratic protection journals
think there is anyl
Mr.. Cleveland's name will occupy a place
in history by the side of the names of the
best presidents the country has ever had.
He has the common sense to know what is
right and best for the people, and he had
the courage to act in accordance with his
convictions