The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-09-29
CLEVELAND'S LETTER VS.. THE CHI.
CAGO PLATFORM.

At last Cleveland has written his letter
of acceptance and whatever may be said
| to the contrary the letter must be regard
ed as disappointment. 1t is trite, IN
comprehensive and lacks the directness
of purpose ard well chosen epigramatic
language usual in Cleveland's public ut
terances. But one question is presented
worthy of mention-the tariff. The Chi
cago platform is treated as though it
were ancient history and in its stead is
substituted 'my adherence to the opinion
which | have heretofore plainly and pub
licly declared, touching the questions in
volved in the canvass" Mr.. Cleveland
repeats the oft exploded doctrine that
the tariff is a tax, which is paid directly
into the hands of the taxgatherer'
and represents a ''diminution of the
property of the people," That the tariff
is, to large extent and in many in
stances wholly paid by the foreigner for
the privilege of selling in our market
has been demonstrated over and over
from the statistics of trade and the test-
mony of the foreign shipper himself.
This is notably true where the article
comes in competition with the home
manufactured article. The price is
fixed here and il the foreigner wants the
privilege of our market he must paw for
it. The price of the article must be in
creased 10 the extent Of the tariff to
make the tax fall On American con-
sumers, as intimated by Cleveland. This
view has been given up by many of the
most distinguished Democrats. Speaker
Crisp in the American Journal of Poll
tics for August says it is not SO much
the higher price for articles
OF domestic manufacture" as that pro-
tective tariffs have not created a home
market" for farm products. Mr.. Crisp
admits that we now manufacture ninety
per cent of all the manufactured articles
used in this country. But he fails TO
point out how we could, by buving
portion large or small as the result
would be- OF these manufactured articles
abroad, thus reducing our productive
industries and consequently our home
consumption of farm products, make a
home market for our surplus products
now sold in Liverpool I'm competition
with the cheapest labor in the world,
the coolie labor OF Indiar' The differ
ence between Mr. Crisp and Mr. Cleve-
land is that Mr.. Crisp knows the price of
the domestic article is not increased to
correspond with tie tariff, and Mr.
Cleveland apparently does not.
Mr.. Cleveland denounces the theory
which is boldly presented that tariff
taxation is justifiable for the express
purpose and with the intent thereby of
promoting special interests and enter
priSesn as clearly contrary to the spirit
Of our constitution. This language is
mere lugslery. Il is an attempt to get
away from the Chicago platform. /: is
neither frank statement of the theory
of protection nor an honest int=rpreta-
ton of the Chicago platform. The CHI
cago platform says protection Is fraud,
a robbery and is unconstitutional Mr..
Cleveland would have you believe
he Chicago platform simply means
that tax, lala 10 raise fund for the |
express purpose and with the intent of !
bestowing that fund upon private,
special interests and enterprises is IN
constitutional, Does Mr.. Cleveland re- /