St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-10-15
The People Want Cheap Cloth
ing, Cheap Tools and Cheap
Lumber,
And They Cannot Get Them
Under Heavy and Unneo-
essary Taxation.
A Short Letter Plainly Pre-
senting the Great Issue OF
the Hour.

COLUMBUS, O., Oct. 14.-Judge Thur
mans letter of acceptance was given to
the press this evening. The first draft
of the letter was in the judges hand
writing, and the typewriter copies
showed only a few changes in punctua-
ton from the original. The letter is as
follows:
Hon. Patrick A. Collins and Others,
Committee-Gentle In obedience
to custom, l send you this formal az
ceptance of my nomination for the ONCE
of vice president of the United States,
made by the national convention Oh the
Democratic party at st. Louis. Wheh
YOU did me the honor to call upon me
at Columbus and officially notify me OF
nv nomination, expressed to you my
sense of obligation to the convention,
and stated that, although l had not
sought the nomination, l did not feel
at liberty, under the circumstances, 10
decline it. / thought then, as still
think. that whatever | could properly
do TO promote the reelection of Presl-
dent Cleveland, l ought to do. His ad-
ministratiOn has been marked by such
integrity, good sense, manly courage
and exalted patriotism, that a just ap-
preciation of these high qualities seems
to call for his reelection. L am also
strongly impressed with the belief that
his reelection would powerfully tend
10 strengthen that
FEELING OF FRATERNITY
among the American people that is SO
essential to their welfare, peace and
happiness. and to the perpetulty OF the
Union and of our free institutions. L
approve the platform Of the st. Louis
convention, and | cannot too strongly
express my dissent from the heretlcal
teachings of the monOpOlists that the
welfare of a people can be promoted by
a system of eXorbitant taxation far IN
excess of the wants of the government.
The idea that people can be enriched
bv heavy and unnecessary taxation,
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 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 currency needed for their business
and daily wants, and to create power
full and dangerous stimulus to eXtrava-
gance and corruption in the eXpendi-
lures of the government, seems to me
to be policy at variance with every
sound principle of government and OF
nolitical economy. The necessity of
reducing taxation to prevent such an
accumulation of
SURPLUS REVENUE
and the consequent depletion OF the cir
culating medium, is so apparent that no
party dares 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 monOpolistic leaders of our political
opponents. We seek to reduce taxes
upon the necesSarieS of life; our Op-
pOnents 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 Republic
ans, by their platform and their leaders
In the senate, by their proposed bill,
say, increase the taxes on clothing and
blankets and thereby increase their
rost, maintain high duty on the tools
of the farmer and mechanic and upon
the lumber which they need for the con-
struction of their modest dwellings,
shops and barns, and thereby prevent
their obtaining these necesSarieS at rea-
sonable prices. Can any sensible man
doubt as % where he should stand in
this 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 labOring
men. Much is said about competition
of American laboreTS with the
PAUPER LABOR OF EUROPE.
but does not every man who looks
around him see and know that an i'm
mense majority of the laborerS in
America are not engaged in what are
called the protected industries? and as
to those who are not employed in such
Industries, is it not undeniable that the
duties proposed by the Democratic
measure called the Mills bill far exceed
the difference between American and
European wages, ana lnaI, therefore, IL
it were admitted that our workingmen
can be protected by tariffs against
cheaper labor, they would be fully pro-
tected and mOre-than protected, by that
bill? Does not every well-informed
man know that the increase in price of
home manufactures produced by high
tariff does not go into the pockets of la
boring men, but only tends to swell the
profits of others? 1t seems to me that
If the policy of the Democratic party is
plainly presented, 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 Obedient
servant, ALLEN u. THURMAN.