Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-10-25
THURMAN'S LETTER
Accepting the Vice Presidential Nomi-
nation.
A Brief but Pointed EplstIe.

- 4
Hon. Patrick A. Collins and others, com
mittee: Gentlemen In obedience 10 Gus
tom / send you this formal acceptance Of
my nomination for the Office of vice presi-
dent of the United States, made by the
national convention 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, j expressed TO you my
sense Of obligation 10 the convention, and
stated although had not sought the nomi-
nation did not feel at liberty, under the
! circumstances, TO decline it. / thought
| then, as i still think, that whatever / could
properly do 70 promote the re election Of
President Cleveland / ought to do. His
administration has been marked by such
integrity, good sense, manly courage and
exalted patriotism that just appreciation
Of those high qualities seems TO call for his
reelection.
am also strongly impressed with the be-
! lief that his reelection would powerfully
| lend to strengthen that feeling of fraternity
among the American people that is so es-
sential to their welfare, peace and happi-
| ness, and To the pcrpetuity of the union and
Of our free institutions.
/ approve the platform of the St Louis
convention and l cannot too strongly ex-
| press my dissent from the heretical teach
| ings Of tho monopolists that the welfare OF
| a people can be promoted by system of
| eNOTDltanJ IuNaLlOO lar III auNdutc Oh inc
wants OF the government.
The idea that "a poop can be enriched by
| heavy and unnecessary taxation, that a
mans condition can be improved by taxing
| him on all no wears, on all his wife and
children wear is obvious absurdity.
TO fill the vaults Of the treasury with an
| idle surplus for which tho government has
no legitimate use, and TO thereby deprive
! the people of currency needed for their
| business and daily wants, and to create a
| powerful stimulus TO extravaganza and cor
| ruptiOn in the expenditures OF the govern
ment seems TO me TO be policy at variance
with every sound principle of government
and of political economy.
The necessity of reducing taxation TO
prevent an accumulation Of surplus revenue
and the consequent depletion Of the circulat-
| ing medium is so apparent that no party
dares TO deny IL; but when we come to con-
slider the modes by which the reduction
may be made we find wide antagonism be-
tween our party and the monopolistic lead
ers Of our political opponents.
| We seek to reduce taxes upon the neces-
aries of life; our opponents try to increase
| them. We say, give to the masses of the
people good and cheap clothing, cheap tools
and cheap lumber The republicans by
their platform and by their leaders in the
senate, by their proposed bill, say increase
| the taxes on clothing and blankets and
! thereby increase their cost, maintain high
| duty on the tools of the farmer and mechan-
| ic and upon the lumber which they need for
1 the construction Of their modest dwellings,
| shops and barns, and thereby prevent their
| obtaining these necessaries at reasonable
prices.
Can any sensible man doubt as to where
he should stand in this CONTROVERSY Can
any well informed man be deceived by the
false pretense that a system so unreasona
BILE and unjust is for the benefit OF labor
ing men'
Much is said about competition of Ameri
can laborers with the pauper labor of Eu
rope; but does not every man who looks
around him see and know that an immense
majority of the laborers in America are MOI
engaged in what are called the protected
industriesl And as to those who are EN-
ployed in such indus ries, is 1t not undenia
BILE that the duties proposed by the demo
cratic measure called the Mills bill far ex
coed the difference between American and
European wages, and that therefore, If i
were admitted that our workingmen car
be protected by tariffs against cheap Labor
they would be fully protected, and NOR;
than protected, by that billi
Does not every well informed man know
that the increase in price OF home manufac
lures produced by a high tariff does not e
into the pockets OF laboring men, but only
tends to swell the profits of othersi
1t seems 10 me that IL the policy Of thu
democrat party Is plainly presented al
1 must understand that we seek to make tn
cost of living less, and at the same time in
crease the share OF the laboring man in tn
benefits of national prosperity and grow b
/ am very respectfully your ebedien
servant, ALLEN q. THURMAN.