Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1888-10-19
Thurman's Letter of Acceptance.


Thurman's Letter of Acceptance:
IT POSSESSES THE REMARKABLE MERIT
OF BREyITY.
COLUMBUS, o., Oct. 14-Judge
Humans letter OF acceptance was
given to the press this evening, and
is as follows:
COLUMBUS O., Oct IL.
Hon. Patrick A. Collins and others,
Committee-Gentlemen: In obedience
to custom send you this formal ac-
ceptancc Of my nomination for the
office of icc-President of the United
States made by the National Conven-
ton of the Democratic party, at st.
Louis. When you did me the honor
to call upon me at Columbus and Off
cially notified me of my nomination l
expressed to you my sense of Obliga-
ton to the convention and stated that,
although had not sought the nomin-
alton, did not feel at liberty under
the circumstances to decline it. /
thought then, rs l still think, that
whatever l could properly do to pro-
mote the reelection of President Cleve-
land ought to do. His administra-
ton has been marked by such integri-
ty, good sense, manly courage and ex-
allied patriotism that just apprecia-
ton of these high qualities seem to
call for his reelection. l am also
strongly impressed with the belief that
his reelection would powerfully tend
to strengthen that feeling of fraternity
among the American people that is so
essential to their welfare, peace and
happiness, and to the perpetuity of the
Union and of our free institutions.
Iapprove the platform of the St.
Louis convention and / cannot too
strongly express my dissent from the
heretical teachings of the monopolists,
that the welfare OF the people can be
promoted by system OF exorbitant
taxation far in excess of the wants of
the government. The idea that peo-
pie can be enriched by the heavy and
unnecessary taxation; that a mans
condition csn be improved by taxing
him on all he wears, and all his wife
and children wear, on all his tools and
implements of industry, is an obvious
absurdity. To fill the vaults of the
treasury with an idle surplus for which
The government has no legitimate use
and to thereby deprive the people of
the currency needed for their business
and daily wants, and to create a pow
erful and dangerous stimulus to ex-
travagance and corruption in the ex-
penditures of the government, seems
to me to be policy at variance with
every sound principle of government
and of political economy.
The necessity of reducing taxation
to prevent such an accumulation OF
surplus revenue and the consequent
depletion of the circulating medium,
is so apparent that no party dGres to
deny it but, when We come to consider
the modes by which the reduction may
be made, we find wide antagOnism
between our party and the mOnopo-
listic leaders of our political opponents.
We seek to reduce taxes upon the nec-
essaries of life; our opponents seek to
increase them. We say, give to the
masses of the people cheap and good
clothing, cheap blankets, cheap tools
and cheap lumber. The Republicans
by their platform, and their leaders in
the Senate, by their proposed bill, say,
increase the tax OIL clothing and blan-
kets and thereby increase their cost,
maintain high duty on the tools OF
the farmer and the mechanic and upon
the lumber which they need for the
construction OF their modest dwellings
shops and barns, and thereby prevent
their obtaining these necessaries nj
reasonable prices. Can. any sensible
man doubt as to where he should stand
in the controversy Can any well in
formed man be deceived by the false
pretense that a system SO unreasonable
and unjust is for the benefit of the
laboripg manf
Much is said about competition OF
American laborers with the paupel
labor of Europe; but does not every
HAL WIZ lOOAS dIOunu eSO uHO
know that an immense majority of the
laborers in America are not engaged
in what are called the protected indus
tries I To those who are employed ir
such industries, is it not undeniable
that the duties proposed by the Demo
cratic measure, called the Mills bill
far exceeds the difference between
American and European -wages,. and
that, therefore, if it were admitted thai
our laboring men can be protected by
tariffs against cheaper labor, they
would be fully protected and more
than protected by that bill? Does moi
every well informed man know thai
the increase in price of home manufac
lures produced by high tariff does
not 60 into the pockets of laboring
men, but only tends to swell the profits
of others?
1t seems to me that if the policy Of
the democratic party is plainly pre-
scented all must understand that We
seek to make the cost of living less
and at the same time increase the
share of the laboring man in the bene
fits of national prosperity and growth
/ am very respectfully your Obedieni
servant, ALLEN G. THURMAN.