Clarksville evening chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn) 1886-1890, 1888-10-15
THURMAN'S LETTER.
In Obedience to Custom He
Formally Accepts.
Cleveland's Reelection Essential to the
Peoples Welfare-Po Position of Democ-
racy Dehned-A Letter that is
Characteristic of the Old Roman.


COLUMBUS, O., Oct. 14.-The fol-
lowing is Judge Thurman's letter of
acceptance:
COLUMBUS, O., Oct. -, 1888.
Hon. Patrick A. Collins and Others, Com
mittee:
Gentlemen-In obedience to GUS
tom, / send you this formal accept
ance Of my nomination for the Office
of Vice President of the United
States, made by the National Con-
vention 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, / ex-
pressed to you my sense of obligation
to the convention, and sta ed that, al
though | had not sought the nomina-
ton, / did not feel at liberty, under
the circumstances, to decline it. /
thought then, as | still think, that
what whatever l could properly do
to promote the reelection Of Presi-
dent Cleveland / ought to do. His
administration has been marked by
such integrity, good sense, manly
courage and exalted patriotism that
a just appreciation of these high quail
tiles seems to call for his reelection.
1 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 happi-
ness, and to the perpetuity of the
Union and of our free institutions.
Iapprove the platform of the st.
Louis Convention, and can not too
strongly express my dissent from the
heretical teachings of the monopo-
lists that the welfare of a people can
be promoted by a system of exorbi-
tant taxation far i'm excess of the
wants of the Government. The idea
that a people can be enriched by
heavy and unnecessary taxation, that
a mans condition can be improved
by taxing him on all he wears, on all
his wife and children wear, on all
tools and implements of Industry is
an obvious absurdity.
To fill the vaults of the treasury
with an idle surplus fer which the
Government has NO legitimate use,
and to thereby deprive the people of
the currency needed for their bust
ness and daily wants, and to create
a powerful and dangerous stimulus to
extravaganza and corruption in the
expenditures of the Government,
seems to nae to'be policy at variance
with every principle Of Government
and 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 dares to
deny it; but when we come to Oon-
slider the modes by which the redlIc-
tion may be made we find a widean-
tagonism between our party and the
leaders of our political
opponents.
We need to reduce taxes upon the
necessities 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 Re-
publicans by their platform and their
leaders in the Senate, by their pro-
posed bill, say, increase the taxes on
and blankets and thereby
increase their cost, maintain a high
1uty on the tools of the farmer and
mechanic and upon the lumber which
hey need for the construction of
heir modest dwellings, shops and
barns, and thereby prevent their OBJ
aiming these necessaries at reason
Ible prices.
Can any sensible man doubt as to
where he should stand in this contro-
yersy? Can any well-informed man
'e deceived by the false pretense that
system so unreasonable and unjust
3 for the benefit of laboring men?
luch is said about competition of
american laborers with the pauper {
abor of Europe; f; but does not every ,
1an who looks around him see and
now that an immense majority of /
he laborers in America are not en- {
aged in whatare called the protected
ldustries? And as to those who are {