The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-02-10

chusetts Tariff Reform League, and tina
Its members had banquet here recent,
Rt which there were many distinguished
guests and speeches. So l natural,
thought that here, at least, l might find
statement OF the benefit Of the foreigl
market and what is meant by "tRriff re
form." l carefully read all these speeChe
and confess my surprise to find 90 littl
on economic questions affecting our homC
industry. and 30 much about politics. l
Is like Falstaf's bill OF fare: $50 littl
bread and 20 much sack"
Mr.. LOWELL AND CLEVELAND.
Take Mr.. Lowell, for instance, a gentle
man for whom have always entertained
the highest respsct. He 10 known rs al
accomplished writer, a man Of culture ant
taste, welcome representative Of thi
country ct the English Court. He wa
the president Of the occasion and gavl
tone and direction to it. l find but yer,
little about the tariff in his remarks, bu
good deal about Mr.. Cleveland. HI
says:
Personally, / Conisas that feel myss!
strongly attached to Mr.. Cleveland RB the
best representative Of the higher type o.
Americsnism that we have seen since
Lincoln was snstched from u.s."
Thus Mr.. Lowell, who has been honor.
ed by great party with its confidence
and trust, places Mr.. Cleveland above
Grant, the great soldier Of our country
above Hayes, who certainly gave to the
country pure and excellent administra.
ton, and Mr.. Lowell himself; above Gar
field, one Of the most accomplished OF
American Statesmen, and above Arthur,
in every respect model gentleman and q
prudent and able President.
Now, for what has Mr.. Cleveland been
distinguished tojnstiiy this eulogY? Two
things, first for the promise Of Civil Ser
vice reform. And he has practicsd the
most general, eweeping removals in the
public offices Uince the Government was
established. He found 1850 Presidential
postmRsters in office and he has removed
or changed 1000 OF them. His Postmss-
ter General, out OF 5000 employees usder
him has removed 10000 0ut OF thirty
removed, or changed thirty.two, large
proportion OF whom are men distinguished
In the war against the Union. Out OF
So, 600 places he has removed or changed
43, 900, and out OF the 43, 900 there are not
fifty Republicans among the sppointees.
No wonder the witty but cynical Mr..
Stourns, one Of these appointees, Gays:
"Oivil Service reform received no aid from
any public man to amount to anything
until the advent OF Mr.. Cleveland" But
il Is the Civil Service that turns out all the
'ins" and puts in the "outs." This is the
kind OF OWL Service reform practiced By
Mr.. Cleveland, and yet he is extolled by a
gentleman who places OWL Service re-
form above all other objects OF public
policy.
THAT MESSAGE.
The other ground named to Justify this
eulcgy is the recent message Of the Presi-
dent recommending that all taxes now ex.
istipg on home products be continued and
duties on imports be largely reduced. The
inevitable effect Of this policy is to in
crease importation at the expense and loss
OF our home market, and especially to re-
duce the wages Of all engaged in indus
tries competing with foreign production.
The message creates slarm among busi-
ness men at home and gives joy and hope
to every market in Europe. l have had
oCCGsion recently to answer this message,
and do not care to repeat II here, but wish
to reply to other remarks Of onr friends in
the League.
Mr.. Lowell says: "Never before has a
pandora's box go full OF these germs Of in
feCtious decentralization been offered to
any people IS our growing surplus"
On tay - 4 10
deal better than deficit. And this sur.
plus is not new. 1t has been growing
since the close OF the war. 1t has enabled
us to perform the magnificent feat OF rapid
ly reducing the public debt, a policy which
has excited the admiration Of the greatest
statesman OF Europe. Mr.. Gladstone said
to me twenty years sgo that this was as
great q victory as success in war. This
growing surplus was bequeathed TO Mr..
Cleveland by his predecessors, and was
applied by them TO the payment Of debt
and to repeated reductions OF taxes. II is
the rational and steady rsHult Of our in
crease in wealth and population growing
out Of the policy OF protection to home in.
dustries. Our friends may be surprised
that the surplus revenue did not stop with
the election OF q Democratic President,
and perhaps it will II his advice Ia fol-
lowed. Certainly it will II he checks the
prosperity which enables ia to import
goods and pay taxes.
soMI POINTED QURsTIoNs.
But why is not this surplua applied to
the payment or purchase Of the public
debt? Whose fault is 1t that 1t accumu.
lates in the Treasury2 Plainly the fault
OF Mr.. Cleveland, whose Secretary OF the
Treasury Is authorized to apply this sur
plus at any time to the reduction Of the
public debt. II he had followed the ex.
ample Of his predecessors he would
weekly or monthly, without proclamation
or noise, have purchased and retired the
public debt under the plain provisions OF
existing law.
But, II the President preferred to re-
duCe the surplus by the reduction Of tax
alton, why did he not apply to Congress
to diminish taxation without disturbing
home produCtion2 l know that at any
time in the last Congress taxation could
have besn reduced but for the desire OF
tho Speaker OF the House, and the Presi-
dent to strike st home industries rather
lllhu " A0AuGo bAAhbAOus a VI
the House, though Democratic, would
have passed in an honr bill reducing
taxation II 1t had been permitted by the
Speaker to vote upon a reduction OF In.
ternal rather than external taxes, and To.
day, II the House is not packed to defeat
its will, q bill to make all the reduction
recommended by the President could be
promptly passed. But the truth Is, the
President and the controlling elements Of
his party are determined to use the ext
gency which he has created to force Con.
gress to reduce taxes in their way, so az
10 strike dangerous blow ct our domes-
tic industries; and It iB because OF this
that he receives the eulogy Of Mr.. Lowell,
Again, Mr.. Lowell says that "the two
great parties in Congress are unworthy ni
Confdence;" that "wish them 1t is strug.
gle between the ins and the OUTS" and
that leach appears to make use Of the
same unworthy tricks for its own advant'
aya: each had an abundance of ACES IN II