Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-11-12
Tarin Reform And Honest Money.

Tnriff Reform And Honest Money.
There is another testimony afforded in
this election of the feeling of Massachu-
sets on the tariff question. Thousands of
voters have left the party because 1t was
chained to the car of McKinleyism;
thousands of others have remained in 1t
under protest against its high tariff views.
1t will Inevitably be defeated in this state
IN the Presidential election next year. I'M
less it unloads itself of this encumbrance.
So says the Boston Herald. And it
also says that 'judging by the votes of
this year and last year, and by official
public demonstrations, it is safe to say
that, under existing. conditions, ex.
President Cleveland would be likely to
carry the state of Massachusetts against
any candidate that the Republicans
could put up. That is, on the issue of
tariff reform, clearly defined and in no
way qualified by other considerations, a
Democratic majority in Massachusetts is
result which may be fairly depended
upon"
And here is another extract from the
Boston Herald, embodying what THE
GAZETTE has already remarked, but the
Herald puts 1t so tersely that we cannot
resist the temptation to quote:
It is true that the election in Ohio can be
claimed as Republican victory, and that
MIR. Mckinley has apparently received a
personal Endorsement In his own state-an
Endorsement which may go some way
toward making him strong candidate for
the Republican Presidential nomination;
bit when fa1yaG iDtn M D tnt ,,,
view of the position on the silver question
taken by the Democratic convention in
Ohio, the independent citizens of Massa-
chusetts would have voted the Republican
ticket if they had been in Ohio, 1t is easy
to. see to what cause this defeat is at
tributable, In fact, this rebuff is likely to
prove OF immense benefit to the Demo-
cratic party, since it will make it obvious
that, while a hearty devotion to the cause
OF tariff reform will certainly lead to vic
tory, the intersection of the silver heresy
into the national platform next summer
Will be an invitation to defeat. The no
litical air has been wonderfully cleared by
the event OF Tuesday. The cause of tariff
reform has made tremendous stride
onward, and now needs to make but one
more step to win its long delayed, but COM
plete, victory.
Governor Campbell was not person.
ally in harmony, it is well-known with
this free silver blunder. He is too
straight man himself to take kindly TO
anything less than a straight dollar
worth one hundred cents. HE de-
served" says another Boston journal,
the Post, "better fortune than to be sent
into the canvas handicapped by the
foolish and mistaken action of a few
men of his party, who mustered bare
majority in the convention in favor Of
the free coinage plank" He had made
good record in Office and would have
made good governor for another term.
On the straight issue of tariff reform,
unhandicapped by free silver, Campbell
would probably have been reelected.
1t was stated Immediately after the
election that in the industrial centres,
where the workingmen had such reason
to subordinate everything else to the
matter of getting square with the highly
protected" trusts and combines that
had cut down their wages, Campbell
gained votes. The Cincinnati returns
indicated this and so do the returns
from Cleveland, where Mckinley fell
nearly 1000 votes behind his ticket in
the city and county.
1t is quite clear, therefore, that Camp
bell was defeated, not by the Repub-
licans, but by the expediency politicians
of the Democratic convention that
placed him in nomination. Every
thing was in excellent shape for the
Democrats when that convention met
they had an unexceptionable candidate;
they had the prestige of former victory:
they had the moral support of thousands
OF workingmen whose wages had been
cut down. they had the Australian ballot
law; in short they had the inside track.
. 1t looked as though nothing but their
own laundering could wrest from
them the victory already half-won.
And they showed themselves capable
of just this laundering. They had few
old Bill Aliens among them who looked
upon questions of finance as damned
barren idealities"-only useful to throw
out as bait for votes. They allowed
these blunderers to revamp "the Ohio
idea" of 1879 and to pawn their birth
right for mess Of debased currency
pottage. They sacrificed right to ex.
pediency and got left-as they deserved
to-though it is pity they should have
selected such a man as Campbell for
their victim.
But Campbell's loss is his country's
gain. 1.-THE Ohio idea" has this time
been killed a-borning and the Demo-
cratic party will now stand united for
tariff reform and an honest dollar.