New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-09-10
Mr.. ClEVELANUS LETTER.

Mr.. Cleveauds letter of acceptance is at
last given to the public, after period of In
cubation unparalleled IN the history Of Presi-
Dental nominations. 1t cannot be said that
he has passed the long interval of ninety-sx
days since the St. Louis Convention to the best
advantage for the reader will find no evidence
that he has added to the meagre store Of knowl-
edge on the subject of the tariff, which he dis
played with so much confidence in the message
of last December, or that he has corrected any
Of the blunders Of that document.
And yet none of Mr.. Cleveland's public ut
terances has shown signs Of more laborious
preparation. 1t betrays at every step the
anxiety with which its phrases have been meas
ured. The chief ground of this is the Presi-
dents desire to persuade the voters Of the
country that he is what Smith Weed vouched
for him as being IN the campaign four years
ago-as good Protectionist as any man need
be- He denies that he has entered upon a
Crusade Of free trade and begs the Ameri-
can people to believe that the existence of the
protective system Z" is entirely consistent with
the regulation Of the extent to which it shall
be applied, and the correction Of its abuses"
To which latter declaration all Republicans will
say "Amen," with the reservation, however
that they would prefer to leave the details of
"regulation' IN the hands Of some other party
than that which has pushed the Mills bill
through the House Of Representatives, in reck-
less disregard of the interests of many branches
of American industry, and which is led by a
man capable Of repeating, after an interval Of
nine months the fallacy of his message that
the duty on every article invariably and for all
time increases by just so much its cost to the
consumer. There are many other honeyed
phrases with which the President seeks to alay
the alarm which has been aroused by the course
of the Democratic party under his dictatiOn
Many of these are expended upon the laboring
class, who do not need to be told, however,
that fine words will not butter their bread If
free trade shall come in to force down their
wages
But, in spite Of these efforts to confuse the
issue to the extent of reassuring the natural
alarm Of manufacturers and wage-earners alike,
the policy the President proposes is sufficiently
clear. 1t could not well be made otherwise
The President had taken a stand in the Deem
Der message which he could not retreat from
without bringing universal ridicule upon him
self and his party. The letter is, to all intents
and purposes, reiteraton of that message with
few bits of protection trimming, carefully cut
out and baSted on by the kitchen Cabinet in
the hope of catching the eyes Of the unwary.
There is nothing in it to change the issue as
made up between the two great parties, and
nothing that Will lead the country to regard the
continuance of the Democratic party in even
limited control of the Government as anything
but menace to the prosperity of the country.
The decision of this question, so vital to the
interests Of the people, can hardly be in doubt.
Oregon and Vermont have already spoken
with the largest majorities ever given to State
tickets. Maine follows now, and her voice will
not waver. We trust and believe that the YER
dict of November will be that the preservation
of the protective system, which guarantees
American wages to American workingmen,
shall be ntrusted to its friends, and not to its