The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-05-24
The Democratic Platform.

The Democratic State convention endorsed
the Mills bill, the fishery treaty and the kind
of civil service reform we have been getting
under the reign of President Cleveland.
The Mills bill strikes an exceedingly damag-
ing blow to all of Names most important in
dustries. The farmer whom itproposes toput
in competition with the Dominion farmer;
the lumberman whose business even so good
a Democratic paper as the Bangor CONNER
cal has admitted would be practically
destroyed by it; the owners of, and workers
in, our granite quarries the lime burners of
Rockland the pulp manufacturers who have
built mills in many villages in the State that
are giving remunerative employment to
hundreds Of laboring men, the cotton and
wooden manufacturers all cry out against
and denounce the bill, but the Democratic
party of Maine in convention assembled ap-
prove it as measure to relieve the people of
unnecessary taxation. So far as Maine is
concerned it's title might better be an act 10
relieve the people of Maine Of surperfiuous
cash and give good many hundreds of them
an opportunity TO take vacation that they
do not want. Yet the convention expressed
great regard for the laboring man and solicit
tude lest the extravaganza of Republican
administrations might so burden the tax pay
or as to paralyze the industrial efforts of our
people.
The fishery treaty recently negotiated
under the auspices of the administration of
Mr.. Cleveland has not proved accept
able to a single Maine fisherman, be
he Democrat OF Republican, from Quoddy
20 ntrf Vet kn
cratic party in convention assembled
endorses it as a wise and benefcent
measure 1t a practical surrender of all
the points we have contended for, yet to the
vision of the Maine Democracy it appears to
be triumphant vindication of our rights.
The civil service reform of Grover Cleve-
lands administration, what little there was
of it, long since disappeared from view. Yet
the Democracy declare that Mr.. Cleveland's
administration has effected practical re-
form" Of the civil service. II practical re-
form of the civil service means clean sweep
Of Republicans and substitution of Demo-
cratic workers, then the administration has
effected practical reform Of the civil service.
This Is doubtless what the convention
meant and that is why they praised it, Had
the alleged reform been genuine RESIN,
that is to say, had President Cleveland re-
garded public Office as public trust, as he
once declared he was going to do, and filed
the offices with men selected for their COM
potency instead of for their party service no
word Of praise would have been accorded it
by Maine Democratic convention.
The three leading points of the Democratic
platform are, therefore. first, approval of the
Mills bill which will If passed cripple our
most important industries; second, approval
of the fishery treaty, measure which is de-
nounced by every member of the industry
directly affected.by it; third approval of Mr..
Cleveland's practical reform of the civil
service" which is nothing but b. old spoils
system covered over with asthin veneer
ing of hypocrisy. The Democracy asks
the people Of Maine to endorse these
opinions by voting for the Hon. Will
liam l.. Putnam for Governor of the
State. The people Of Maine, both Re-
publicans andlDemocrats have great respect
for Mr.. Putnam. but they don't approve of
the platform on which the convention has
placed him-not by large majority.