The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-06-13
The Democratic Candidates
and Platform.

that he dictated the nomination of Mr..
Thurman for the vice-presidency there
was little use in holding the conven-
ton, except to formally register his
will. Mr.. Cleveland was beyond ques-
ton the most available candidate the
democrats had, though by no means
strong candidate, and his party have
been forced to take him, whether they
wished to or not. His career is so well
known to the country that it is unneces-
sary to reproduce his biography. His
record as president is, however, mat
ter of particular interest in the cam
paign, and its leading features may be
summarized as follows: He has failed
to keep his pledges to maintain non
hostility to the cause of protection to
home industries, and in his last annual
message virtually warned the country
that he favors opening our markets to
foreign competitors. He has truckled
to British influence in our governmental
affairs. His treatment of the fishery
and extradition questions has been di-
rectly in the interest of Great Britain.
He has made a great number of OBJ
jectionable appointments and has used
the power of federal patronage to Sc
cure his denomination. He has dis
regarded his implied pledge made in
1884 not to be a candidate for re-
election. He has affronted the loyal
sentiment of the country in many ways,
and notably by his pension vetoes, his
order to surrender rebel flags and his
selection of the most conspicuous trait
ors and copperheads for high honor and
trust. His management of the public
service has been an exhibition of vacil
lation, gross inconsistency, hypocrisy
and scandalous partisanship. 1t is as
serted in some quarters that he is
" safe president because his policy
has been chiefly a do-nothing policy.
But no president can be regarded as
safe who advocates policy which, if
carried into effect, would cripple the
vast industrial interests of the nation.
The nomination of Allen G. Thur
man for the vice-presidency is an alb
surd performance. Born in Virginia
November -, 1913, Mr.. Thurman is
nearly seventy-fve years of age. He
is six years older than the Oldest man
ever elected to that office. Every vice.
president elected after passing the age
of siXty-and there were five in all-died
while in office. Though vigorous in
mind, he is physically infrm, and if he
should live to be elected it is a matter
of grave doubt if he would long be
able to discharge the duties of the
office. 1t will be remembered that the
president declined to put Thurman in
his cabinet on the ground that he was
past seventy and infrm, and also that
the suggestion of his name to fill the
vacancy in the supreme court was OPP
posed for like reasons. His nominal
ton was probably dictated upon the
mistaken assumption that he would
add strength to the ticket in Ohio and
the doubtful states, but it does not APP
pear that it has made Ohio any the less
surely republican, while it much les
sens the chances of the democrats to
carry Indiana. The chief purpose,
however, in making this singular nom
ination was to keep in line the large
number of old-time democrats who are
dissatisfied with Mr.. Cleveland. To
this extent at least the selection of Mr..
Thurman was good politics, but in no
other respect will it increase the
chances of democratic success.
Like the presidents message last De-
cember, the platform is principally de-
voted to the tariff issue. Although
Henry Watterson talked big" about
making the platform free from equivo-
cation, it nevertheless repeats the am
biguous declaration of 1884, which is a
complete straddle of the tariff ques-
ton. But, outside of the platform, reso-
lutions were adopted making the mes
sage of Mr.. Cleveland and the revenue
bill of Mr.. Mills the correct interpreta
ton of the old platform. Yet these
are Enthusiastically in the line of free
trade, and from the position taken the
democratic party can find no retreat.
In reviewing the record of the admin,
istration the platform abounds in false
assertions, the most conspicuous being
the declarations that "honest reform
in civil service has been inaugurated
and maintained by President Cleve
land" and that " the equality of all oul
citizens before the law, without regar6
to race or color, has been steadfastly
maintained" The platform makes nc
specific allusion to civil service reform
and is silent on the temperance issue
IN tho wbn1a tho Mat form, ic onno;d