Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1888-10-25

The following Is Judge Thurman's letter OF
acceptance which was given to the pubic on
October 18th. Columbus, Ohio, Oct IL.
1SSS-Hon. Patrick A. Collins and others,
Observation-Disclosures In obedience to
custom, | send you this formal aeceptanee
of my nomination for the Office of vice
president 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, | expressed to you my sense OF
obligation to t-heconyention and stated that
although | had not sought the nomination,
/ did not feel at liberty, under the circum,
stances, to decline it. ! thought then, as
still think. that whatever could properly
do to promote the reelection OF PRESIDENT
Cleveland / ought to do. His admlnlstra,
ton has been marked by such integrity. good
sense. manly courage and exalted patriotism
that a lust appreciation of these high quail
ties seems to call for his reelection. am al
40 strongly impressed with the belief that his
reelection would powerfully tend to strength
en- that feeling offraternity among the Amerl-
can people that Is essential to their welfare,
peace and happiness, and to the perpetulty
of the Union and of our free institutions. l
approye the platform Of the st. Louis con-
~yention, and | cannot too strongly express
nv dissent from the heretical teachings OF
the ~monopolists that the welfare Of a people
can be promoted by a system OF ~extoruonate
far in excess of the wants OF the government.
The idea tina q people can be enriched by
heavy and unnecessary taxation, that a
mans condition can be improved by taxing
him on all his wife and children wear, on all
his tools and implements OF industry IL an
obvious absurdity. To fill the vaults OF the
treasury with an idle surplus, for which the
government has no legitimate use, and to
create a powerful and dangerous stimulus to
"a afI oarranfinn in the pNDandl-
lures OF the government seefts to me TO be a
policy at variance with every sound
principle Of govtE Iment and of political
economy The necessity or reItcDg taxa
ton to prevent such an accumh alton OF sur
plus revenue and the consequent deposition OF
the circulating medium, is so apparent that
no party dares to deny II; but wheE we come
To consider the modes by whiSh the reduction
may be made We find
WIDE ANTAGONIST
between our party and the monopolistie
leaders of our political opponents. We seek
to reduce taxes upon the necessaries Of life;
our opponents seek to increase them. We
say, give to the masses OF the people cheap
and good clothing, cheap blankets, cheap
tools and cheap lumber. The Republicans
by their pla. form and their leaders IN the
senate, by their proposed bill, say, increase
the taxes on clothing and blankets, and
thereby increase their cost, maintain a high
duty on the tools of thefarmer and mechanic
and upon the lumber which they need for the
construction of their modest dwellings, shops
and barns, and thereby prevent their OBJ
tanning these necessaries Mt reasonable prices.
Can any sensible man doubt az to where he
should stand in this controversy? q any
well informed man be deceived by the false
pretense that a system 30 unreasonable and
unjust is for the benefit of laboTing men?
Much is said about competition OF American
laborers with the pauper labor of Europe;
but does not every man who looks around
him see and know that an immense majority
Of the laborers in America are not engaged in
what are called the protected industries? And
to those who are employed in such industries
is it not undeniable that the duties proposed
by the Democratic measure called the Mills
bill far exceed the diffcrence between American
and European wages, and that therefore if it
were admitted that our w~orkingmen can be
protected by tariffs against cheaper labor
they would be fully protected. and more than
protected by that bill? Does not every well
informed man know that the increase in price
o fhome manufactures produced by a high
tariff does not go into the pockets OF labor
ing men, but only tend to swell the profits
,ofothers? Ii seems to me that if the policy
OF the Democratic party is plainly presented
oil must understand that we seek to make
the cost of living less. and at the same time
increase the share of the laboring man in the
benefits of national prosperity and growth.
! am very respectfully, your obedient ser
want, ALLEN 6. THURMAN.