The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1888-09-13
CLEVELAND ACCEPTS.
The President Heartily Indorses the
Platform and Discusses the
Campaign Issue.
A Vast Amount of Money Unjustly Taken
from the People Now Threat
enlng Financial Disaster.
The Party Opposed to Radical Measures
that Would Cripple American In
dustries Lower Wages.


The following is the presidents letter OF
WASHINGTON. Sept. 8. 1SS8-HoN. PAT
RICK A. COLLINS and Others, Committee,
tc.-Gentlemen: In addressing to you
my formal acceptance of the nomination
to the presidency of the United States my
thoughts persistently dwell upon the I'M
pressive relation to such action to the
American people, whose confidence IS thns
invited, and to the political party to which
1 belong, Just entering upon a contest for
supremacy.
f,he world does not afford a spectacle
more sublime than is furnished when
millions of free and intelligent American
citizens select their chief magistrate, ana
bid one of their number to find the highest
earthly honor and the full measure of pub
lie duty in ready submission to their Will.
1t follows that a candidate Tor TINS hlgn
Office can never forget that, when the tur-
moil and the strife which attend the Sc
lection of its incumbent shall be heard no
more, there must be, in .the quiet calm
which follows, complete and solemn
self-consecration by the peoples chosen
president of every faculty and endeavor
to the service of a confiding and generous
nation of freemen. These thoughts are in
tensified by the light of my experience in
the presidential office, which has sOberly
impressed me with the severe responsible
tiles which it imposes, while 1t has quick
ened my love for American institutions
and taught me the priceless value OF the
trust OF my countrymen.
1t is of the highest Importance that
those who administer our government
should jealously protect and maintain the
right of American citizens ut home and
abroad, and should strive to achieve for
our country her proper place among the
nations of the earth; but there is no peo.
pie whose home interests are so great and
whose numerous objects of domestic
concern deserve SO much watchfulness
and care.
Among these are the regulation of q
sound financial system suited to our need,
thus securing a sufficient agency or ma
tional wealth and general prosperity; the
construction and equipment of means OF
defense to insure our national safety and
maintain the honor beneath which such
national safety reposes; the protection or
our national domain, still stretching be-
yond the needs of q century's expansion,
and its preservation for the settler and the
pioneer of our marvellous growth; a sensl-
Bile and sincere recognition OF the value
of American LABOR, leading to the scrupu-
lous care and just appreciation of the in
terests of our wOrkingmen; the limitation
and checking of such monopolistic tenden-
cies and schemes as interfere with the ad-
yantages and benefits which the people
may rightly claim, a generous regard and
care for our surviving soldiers and sailors,
and for the widows and orphans of such
as have died, to the end that, while the
appreciation of their services and sacrifices
is Quickened, the application of their PEN
sion fund to improper cases may he pre-
vented; protection against servile imini-
kration which vigorously completes with
our laboring men i'll the field of toll and
adds to our population an element ignor-
ant of our institutions and laws, 1mposs1-
BILE of assimilation with our people, and
dangerous to our peace and welfare; a
strict and steadfast adherance to the prin-
| ciples of civil service reform and d
| thorough execution of the laws passed fol
their enforcement, thus permitting to ouI
people the advantages of business methods
| in the operation of their government; the
guarantee to our colored citizenship, and
| their just recognition and encouragement
| in all things pertaining to that relation; &
| firm, patient. and humane Indian policy,
| so that lin peaceful relations with the gov
| ernment tue civilization of the Indian may
| be promoted with resulting quiet anC
| safety to the settlers on our frontiers; anC
the curtailment of public expense by the
introduction of economical methods II
every department of the government.
The pledges contained in the platform
| adopted by the late convention of the ma
tional democracy, lead to the advance
ment of these objects and insure gooC
| government-the aspiration of every tru
| American citizen and the motive for ever!
| sciousness that much has been done in thu
direction of good government by the pres
| ent administration, and submitting it
| record to the fair inspection of my coun
trymen, indorse the platform thus pre-
| sented, with the determination that, il
am again called to the Chief magistracy
| there shall be continuance of devoted en-
| deavor to advance the interests of the en-
| tire country.
| Our scale of federal taxation and its
| consequences largely engross at this time
the attention of our citizens, and the peo
| pie area soberly considering the necessity
| of measures of relief Our government il
the creation of the people, established tt
| carry out their designs and accomplish
their good. 1t was founded ON justice
and was made for a free, intelligent, anG
virtuous people. 1t is only useful wher
| within their control, and only serves then
we'll when regulated and guided by theil
constant tOu b. 1t is free government
4 because it guarantees to every American
| citizen the unrestricted personal use anC
enjoym6nt of all the rewar Is of his toll
| OF all his income except what may be
| fair contribution to necessary public ex
pense. Therefore, it is not only the right
| but the duty, of free people, in the Ell
forcement of this guarantee, to insist thn
| such expense shall be strictly limited Il
| the actual public needs. 1t seems perfect
| ly clear that when the government, thi:
| tnstrumentality created and maintained
| by the people to do their bidding, turn'
upon them and, through an utter perver
sion of its powers, extorts from their labO
and capital tribute largely in excess o
| public necessities, the creature has REBEL
ed against the creator and masters ar,
| robbed of their servants.
The cost OF the government must con
tinue to be met by tariff duties, collected
at our custOm-hOusesu upon imported good:
| and by internal revenue taxes assessed
4 riff nd mali tnh
| and Olsomargarine. ] suppose it Is need
| less to explain that all these duties an(
assessments are added to the price of tn,
article upon which they are levied ant
thus become tax upon all those who buy
| these articles for use and consumption.
suppose, too, it is well understood that the
effect of this tariff taxation is not limited
| to the consumers of imported articles bu
that the duties imposed upon such article!
| permit u acorrespondingin increase in price tt
| be laid upon domestic productions of the
same kind, which increase, paid by al
our people as consumers of home produc
| tLOns and entering every American home
| constitutes q form of taxation as certain
as inevitable. as though the amount wa.
| annually paid into the hand of the tax
| gatherer, These results are inseparablt
from the plan we have adopted for tn,
| collection of our revenue by tariff duties
/ They are not mentioned to discredit tn,
system. but by way of preface to tht
statement tnaC over St,OOD, ,UUO cOllected n
our custom-houses for duties upon article!
and paid into the public treasury repre-
| sent many millions more, which though
never reaching the national treasury, arr
paid by our citizens as the increased cos
of domestic productions, resulting from
our tariff laws.
In these circumstances, and in view o
this necessary effect of the operation o.
our plan for raising revenue, the absolute
duty of limiting the rate of tariff
charges to the necessities.o of a frugal anG
economical administration of the govern
ment seems to be perfectly plain. Tht
continuance, upon pretext of meeting
public expenditures. of such a scale o.
tariff taxation as draws from the sub
stance of the people Il sum largely in eX
cess of public needs, is surely something
which, under goyee enment based upon
justice, and which finds its strength and
usefulness in the faith and trust of the
people, ought not to be tolerated. While
the heaviest burdens incident to the ne
cessities of the government are uncom
plainingly borne, light burdens become
| grievous and intolerable when not justi
fed by such necessities. Unnecessary
taxation is unjust taxation, and yet this i:
| our condition. We are annually collect
| ing at our custom-houses and by means o
| our internal revenue taxation many mill
! ions in excess of all legitimate public
| needs, As a consequence there now re
mains in the national treasury a surplu: