St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-05-18
Mr.. Watterson Had Hoped
There Was Virtue in the
Republican Party.
That Four Years in a School
of Experience Had I'M
parted Wisdom,
But Was Doomed to Disap-
pointment in the Wild
Expectations.
Missouri Democrats Instruct
for CIeveland--Other
Conventions.

LEXINGTON, May 17.-Henry Waiter
son. in his speech yesterday at the Dem
ocratic convention, said: Il wish that
we could look upon the national cam
paign which we are about to enter with
the earnest, but candid sensibilities of
men who feel that, no matter where it
ends, the grace of God and the glory of
His work shall be fulfilled. 1t is unhap-
pilly otherwise. In a certain cOntin-
gency, we can expect nothing but dis
aster. the undoing of all the good which
twenty years of peace have brought to
land once divided against itself and
drenched in fraternal blood. and in no
contingency can we escape the disgrace
of a rancorous party battle, to be fought
on sectional lines, tearing away the
bandages applied by time to the wounds
that were wellnigh healed, and expos
ing all that is basest in our nature, and
all that is weakest in our system, once
more to the scorn and derisiOn of man
kind. | had hoped for better things. |
had hoped that there was some virtue
left in the party of war which might
still be turned to the uses of state of
peace. | had hoped that the leaders of
this party of war, even if they lacked
the virtue. they had borrowed yet a lit
tie wisdom from the
SCHOOL OF EXPERIENCE
to which the people sent them four
years ago, and that, chaStened by adj
versity and admonished by the defeat
of their prophesies, they had acquired
the capacity to address themselves to
the needs of the time, and to deal with
the wants of the country. was induced
to hope this, the more truStfully be-
cause they have been for years so loud
and so constant in the declaration that
what they really sought was square
issue upon the tariff. | did not believe,
for my part, that they would find this
square issue to be what they claimed
uneasiness and occasionally of some re-
proach from my party associates, | did
my best to give them their desires.
Well, at last they have it. they have it
square, and they have it fair, they have
it plain i'll the message of the president,
aud they have it dressed in the measure
of the ways and means committee, and
now what do we see? First let me tell
you what we do not see. We do not see
any picnic parties of gay and
SLEEK PROTECTIONISTS
dancing to the music OF Fishers horn
pipe and singing with every bumper:
"Here's to good old bounty, drink it
down." We can't see any joyful pro-
cessions of jolly Republicans splitting
their sides with laughter as they march
under banners Oh which are emblaZ0ned
such mirth-provoking inscriptions as,
1.-The war taxes are national blessing"
and Death to the star-eyed goddess of
REFORM But what do we see? We see
the robber tariff driven once again be-
hind the mud heaps Of obstruction,
thrown up, and so often successfully
thrown up, to keep out the waters of re-
form. We see the robber baron, sullen
and dismayed, withdrawn to his castle.
from whose turrets only danger signals
appear, making but an Indifferent
light, and no warmth for the thousands
of striking and starving work people,
whom he is bravely protect
ing against the pauper labor
of Europe by the help of a
patriotic and valiant detachment of
Pinkerton's detectives. And. finally,
what do we see? Last of all, and worst
of all, that at the end of this dreadful
spectacle of hypocrisy and cant, of cor
ruption and rapacity. we see the flag of
the republic hauled down from its place
above great political party and in its
stead run up the black flag of eternal
war against the South. To such base
uses has come the confident invitation
of the Republican leaders to a states
manlike discussion of economy PROB
lens.