Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-07-18


"Are you candidate for governor9'
was asked him by the writer. r
mo, am not a candidate. lam de-
voting myself exclusively to the prac-
tice oflaw."
"What do you think the Democrats
should do to win this fall?'' 'I would
say: First, adopt u good short sensible
platform, declaring the principles of
the party, and then nominate good
ticket"
"What position should be taken on
the tariff question:" 1--WE should ad-
here strictly to the national platform
of last year. and hope there will be no
deviation whatever from the position
we took on the tariff question last year,
for it was no use for politicians and po-
litical trimmers to try to dodge any Of
these important issues. They were
started by the people in the first place.
/ am surprised that so many people give
President Cleveland credit for starting
the tariff issue, while few blamed him
for 1t. The fact il that Mr.. Morrison,
as chairman Of the committee of ways
and means introduced bills in the house
six or eight years ago to reduce the tar
i'll, and these bills received the support
of the great majority of Democrats in
congress, very few voting with the Re-
publicans.
''But the main fact is that In every
Democratic State convention held in
the United States In 1887, including
Ohio and Pennsylvania, bold decIara-
tian was made on the tariff question;
in other words, the Democracy of every
State In the union, without single ex-
ception, declared in favor of reducing
the war taxes. They thus instructed.
President Cleveland to do just what he
did In his message. He had to do it or
ignore the expressed wishes of his party,
made more than year before he wrote
that message. Why then should Mr..
Cleveland be given the credit or be
blamed in the least for doing just what
the entire Democratic party of the
United States with singular unanimity
and SO much enthusiasm instructed
him to do a year before. If he Is to. be
blamed for anything at all it is because
he did not write that message two
years before he did.
"Yes, sir, the great mass of Demo-
cratic voters deserve the credit or de-
serve all the blame if 1t is to be at
tached to anybody, but / attach neither
blame nor credit to the people or the
President, for 1t was plain duty on the
part of both. 1t is right to reduce any
system of taxation when that system
calls for money which Is not needed for
any purpose. If there Is any blame at
tached at all it should be to those men,
bers of Congress who first imposed the
unequal and unjust system upon the
people. OF course, 1t was necessary to
nave high taxation to carry on the war
and to pay the debt, but it is not neces-
sary to keep them up eternally when
there is no war or any debt that is due
to be paid. Now. If the Democrats will
adhere strictly and boldly to their prin-
ciples they will win after while, and
when we do win we can eat the fruits
of great victory"
| "What about State issues?'' 'tWeli,
the last Republican legislature, like
many other legislatures before 1t,
violated the principles of home rules
Any party that undertakes to legislate
one set of people out and another in
makesa mistake.sy The people should
be allowed, SO far as possible, to choose
their own officers In municipalities as
welllas In the e0lntie and States. The
recent acts of the legislature to put the
control of Demo ocratic cities or any city
in the hands Of the governor i'd order
that Republicans may be appointed To
Insignificant placesshows a. disgraceful
greed for spoils.S lam opposed to a1v
legislation that takes power frofn the
people and gives it to an indfviIiual.''
| IvXIAaA Il ~ fV,L - l.
in the, State?" II believe with the
right kind of "a bold platform and q
good ticket the Democrats will be able
to carry the State and continue q DEM
ocrat. III the United States Senate to
succeed Senator Payne.'' gSy...s AZ
ousthink then we can. defeat Fora
ker?'s" hink we can try pretty hard
at any rate. Foraker il q good cam,
paigner; the trouble with Democrats is
they have alWays underestimated HIM.
1t is d great mistake to underestimate
your enemy. Greater men than For
aker have been defeated. Henry Clay
was defeated, Blaine was defeated, Fen
dleton, Thurman, Allen, eCorwin, Nc
Kinley and Butterworth were. all de-
feated. I think Foraker's time has
come for a defeat, which he richly de-
serves. 1t is pretty hard to- tell what
the effect of defeat will be upon For
aker. / think he will pop up again
after awhile. y
The writer again asked MIR. HilIif he
was candidate for governor. and he
replied, mo, Sir" Fs @ hl
Would you decline the nomination
if it was sofered?" Certainly not. No
Democrat could afford to decline the
nomination for governor if it should be
conferred upon him in the right spirit.
| wouldaccept and make the best fight
l could, that would be plain duty, but
there is time enough to accept or de-
cline after it is offered. L have no
claims on the Democracy of the State
for the nomination. neither has, any
other man in the State. 1t is an office
which belongs to the people and not to-
any individual, and. I suppose the.
Democrats when they. meet at Dayton
will assert their pretogative and nom
mate somebody acceptable to the party
and make good selection. I hope all
the candidates will have good straight
Democratic records; d good platform;
and bad candidate would not do,
neither would good candidate and a
bad platform, better have both il we
want q large vote and success at the
.polls.n