The Portland daily press., 1888-10-15
JUDGE THURMAN ON THE TARIFF.
His Letter of Acceptance Devoted to
an Assault on Protection.

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct 14.-The following
is Mr.. Thurman's letter of acceptance:
COLUMBUS. Ohio, Oct. u, 1888.
To Hon. Patrick a. Collins and others, Com
mittee:
Gentlemen-In obedience to custom, |
send you this formal acceptance of my nomi.
nation for the office of Vice 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 officially notify me of my
nomination, expressed to you my sense of
obligation to the convention and stated that,
although had not sought the nomination, /
did not feel at Liberty, under the circum-
stances to decline it, / thought then, as /
still think, that whatever 1 could properly
do to promote the reelection of President
Cleveland ought to do. His administration
has been marked by such integrity, good
sense, manly courage and exalted patriotism
that just appreciation of these thigh quail
ties seems to call for his reelection. l am
also strongly impressed with the belief that
mis- 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 prosperity of the union and of our free
institutions.
approve the platform of the st. Louis
convention, and L cannot too strongly ex-
press my dissent from the heretical teach
lngs OF the monop0llstss that the welfare of a
people can be promoted by system of exor-
bitant taxation far in excess of the wants of
the government The idea that people can
be enriched by heavy and unnecessary taxa
tion, that mans condition can be improved
by taxing him on all he wears, on all his
wife and children wear, on all his tools and
implements Of industry, is an obvious absur-
dity. 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
powerful and dangerous stimulus to extray-
agance and corruption in the expenditure OF
tne government, seems to me to be a policy
az variance With every sound principle OF
~ government and of political economy.
Inc necessity OF reducing taxation to prevent
sucn an accumulation of surplus revenue and
tne consequent depletion of the circulating
me9luin is so apparent that no party dares
TO deny 1t, but when we consider the modes
| Dy winch the reduction may be made we find
Wlue antagonlsm between our party and
the monopoIstlc leaders of our political on
| ponents.. We seek TO reduce taxes unon the
necessarles OF life; our opponents seek To in
| crease them. We say to the masses of the
| people cneap and good clothing. ehean
blankets, cheap tools and cheap lumber. the
Republicans, by their platform and their
leaders in the Senate and by their proposed
bill, say increase the taxes on clothing and
blankets and thereby increase their cost
maintain high duty on the tools oi
the farmer and mechanic and upon
the lumber which they need fol
the construction of their modest
dwellings, shops and barns and thereby pre-