Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-06-15
THE ISSUE MADE AT LAST.
New York Tribune.

New York Tribune.
This time, thanks to the South.
err Brigadiers. The country owes
a debt of gratitude, probably to
them exclusively, and not to the
President in this instance, tor the
explicit commitment of the Demo
cratic party to the cause Of free
trade. In order to appreciate this,
it must be remembered that the
Presidential slave driver has an
owner behind him. He can crack
his lash about the mutinOus Demo
Gratis as a master, but the Southern
free traders are his masters. Other
features OF the st. Louis platform
may be separately considered, but
the issue upon which the coming
contest will turn deserves the first
and most careful attention. The
evidence is not scanty nor doubtful
that the President had become
alarmed, and was willing to have
his party attempt some evasion
But the Southern politicians, with
more practical wisdom, realized
that the party had been committed
by his message and tie Mills bill
beyond recovery, that evasion
would only weaken it, and there
fore insisted that the President
should require, from his instru-
ments at st. Louis, an express APP
proval OF the message and the
pending bill.
At the outset. the committee
voted down Mr.. Watterson's prop
OsitiOn, and decided by vote OF
% to 81 to report the tariff plat.
form of 1884. This Mr.. WattersOn
had with truth denounced as a
disgraceful straddle; there was, he
declared, "nO craftsmanship in du.
plicity." Yet the committee voted
for duplicity, and-let the fact be
carefully noted-the immediate in
struments of the President, to
whom his commands 80 by private
wire, voted on that side. A recess
followed. Of the character Of in
fluences then employed, the coun.
try may Judge from the two dis.
patches sent by Mr.. Breckenridge,
of Kentucky, and Mr.. McMillin, of
Tennessee, declaring that "failure
to indorse the Mills bill may defeat
it," and commanding, shave the
convention DO its duty" Wash
ington dispatches also show that
the active free trade members went
in haste to the White House, with
anxiety and determination in their
faces. They knew that any COW.
ardly abandonment Of the Presi.
dent and the Democratic Represen-
tatiyes. after all that had happen
ed, would only make the party con-
temptible before the country, but
would not alter in the least the
commitment of the candidate and
the party to the principles of free
trade.
Mr.. Scott, the st. LOuis end of
the Presidents private wire, at
once had long conference with
Mr.. German, the Senator whose
power with the President had been
manifested in most disgraceful ap.
pointments. The dispatches OF
Brigadlers to members of
the committee were received. The
committee reassembled at it's even
ing session, and then the majority
voted to declare that the Presi-
dents message was the "cOrrect in.
depreciation OF the platform of
1881" and to endorse the efforts of
our Democratic Representatives in /
Congress to secure a reduction of .
excessive taxation" The efforts of
Democratic Representatives ended .
in caucus resolution to press the
Mills bill as party measure. The
Presidents message interpreted the
straddle Of 1884 as a demand for
free wool and free raw materials
generally, with a heavy reduction
in dnties on manufactured pro-
tucts. In adopting this platform,
the convention puts itself in ac-
cord with the candidate, and with
more than nine-tenths of the Dem
)cratic representatives in Congress.
Having once taken the plunge,
.he convention went further. In
separate resolution it explicitly In.
lorsed the Mills bill. In a we'll.
written argument it presented the
rec trade theories more cOmpactly
md more forcibly than the Presi.
lent did IN his message. The pre-
ence that there must be a free
rade revision or no revision of the
ariff, that there can be no removal
# unnecessary taxation or lessen
ng of the surplus revenue without
.utting of duties protective in char
.cter, is obviously fraudulent. Mr.. !
randall and other Democrats have '
hOwn that the whole amount Of |
axatiOn that is needless can be
emOved without touching a single l
Iuty protective in nature or intent.
But the convention deserves credit q
nd thanks for avOwing, at last, '
he doctrines which have really {
.overned the action of the party G
Or fifty years.
This is not an end of dishonest a
retences. The party in Northern '
tates will pretend that legislation S
n free trade principles is in this +
ase intended for more effective C
rejection. The message will be f
lterpreted as a plea for protec- t
ion, because it argues that labor
MI get higher wages and manu-. &
lcturers better profits with lower b
uties. But that is precisely the 0
zee trade theory, which may be b
,und in every document and heard S
| every speech of the most ultra h
zee traders. Mr.. Carlisle and MIR. II
ILLS argued that free wool and n
w duties on woolens would make a
DOL manufacture more prosper. a
rs, aud at the same time give the d
eople cheaper wooden goods, as u
,rting that the goods are now n
Dubbed in cost by the duty. In Ia
1opting these false theories, the Il
,n-ont,op ooonnto Tho I;roof ,co... ! III