Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1888-06-09
CLEVELAND!
FREE TRADE EVASION AND REFORM.
THURMAN THE ROMAN sEPTUAGENARIAN
FOR VICE PRESIDENT.
Nothing Said about I" Better Times,
More York and Higher Wages"
THE ST. LOUIS CONVENTION.

This was great week at st. Louis,
where the Democratic National Con-
vention met. The exposition build,
ing was handsomely draped with
flags and banners and hung with
portraits of the Democratic leaders.
The hall will seat Ia 900, and it vas
filled. Bands played on all sides.
Chairman Barnum called the Con-
vention to order, naming S. M.
White of California, as temporary
Chairman. The speakers confined
themselves more to what the Repub-
licans are charged with than to what
the Democrats can boast of having
accomplished. There was a good
deal of skirmlshing over the resolu.
tions, between the outright free.
traders like Cleveland, ~Watterson,
Morrison, Scott, and protectionists
like German, Beck, Kenna, Davis,
and others, who though administra.
ton men, do not want the Mills bill
endorsed, knowing that it would
bring defeat to the party in states like
Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsyl,
vania, and even in some of the doubt
full Southern and Western states.
Henry Watterson, of the Louisville
COurier-Journal, rank free trader,
was elected Chairman of the com,
mittee on resolutions over A. p.
German, of Maryland, semi,pro.
tectionlst. In the organization of
states West Virginia was represent
ed as follows: Chairman, j. B. Jack
son; secretary, J. A. Neighbert;
resolutions, Wesley Mallahan; Gre
dentials, G. W. Daily; organization,
j. BASAL: committeeman, William
Clements.
The West Virginia delegates pass
ed as conservative protectionists,"
and favored the tariff platform of
1884, thus putting themselves in OPP
position to the Mills bill and to the
spirit of the Presidents message.
They knew that with Watterson's
tree trade plank, West Virginia
would go Republican. This desire
to straddle the tariff issue in the cam
paign and be on the side of the free
trade leaders in Congress-, shows the
people of West Virginia how sincere
their representatives are, and that
their only object is to carry the state
for the Democratic party and then
sail with the administration wind,-
the higher it blows them on the free
trade seas the more they are at
home, and the nearer it brings them
to the English goal of statesman.
ship.
These Democratic leaders of West
Virginia have in their speeches and
newspapers given qualified en-
dorsement Of the Presidents mes.
sage and the Mills bill. but that was
only blind. Being conservative
protectionlsts " at heart, they de.
pended upon the Convention readop
ting the old platform then they
thought they would be able to
weather through the campaign on it,
and ignore the Presidents true poll
cy and the Mills bill altogether.
Mr.. Kenna, particularly, looked for
this, and Mr.. Davis has so much as
said it. The Democrats of West
Virginia are having their eyes open
ed to the position of'their leaders.
Grover Cleveland was renomina.
ted by the st. Louis Convention,
Wednesday: Hon. Dan. Doughtery
making the nominating speech.
There was great cheering. There
was great applause for such catch
sentences as "reform, revision and
reduction" "public Office is a public
trust," but none for the Mills Bill.
In the resolutions it reads, " the
pending bill, when properly amend
ed" but does not endorse or men.
ton the bill by name. The tariff
platform was sawed and split and
shaved to suit both wings of the
party, and is the same old straddle
over OF 1884. The plank pleases
everybody and means everything
and can be twisted to suit all per-
sons and sections. The Presidents
message is endorsed as the interpre-
tatiOn of the tariff plank. This
proves at once that when the cleo
ton is over free trade as hobby
will be brought out again for the
party to ride through another four
years of doubt, uncertainty and de.
preston. The interests OF the coun.
try. irrespetivce OF party. looked for
square issue between free trade
and protection and a settlement one
way or the other, for better or for
worse.
Marked use was made of Mrs.
Cleveland all through the Couven
ton. 1t was inevitable that she
would be brought before the Con
vention in Somebody's speech, and
ta@