Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1892-06-28
Chairman Wilson'S Address al
Chicago.

~
Temporary chairman Owens shook
hands with. Mr.. Wilson and then
stepped to the front of the platform
and said Gentlemen of the con-
yention: Itgiyes me pleasure to in
trodnce to you one of the brayest
Democrats in America Mr.. Wm.L.
Wilson of West Virginia. .
As Mr.. Wilson came forward he
was greeted with q storm of applause.
He looked calmly over the conven-
tion during a minutes silence and
then began:
'tGentlemen of the convention:
thank you most heartily for this
honor. I shall endeavor to meet the
duties of the high position to which
you have called me with spirit of
fairness and equality that is Democ-
racy. This convention has high
and patriotic work to perform. We
owe much to our party; we owe more
to our country. The mission of the
Democratic party is to fight for the
under dog. When that party is out
of power we. may be sure there is an
under dog to fight for, and the under
dog is the American people. When
that party is out of power we may be
sure that some party is in control of
our government that represents sec
tion and not the whole country; that
stands for class and not the whole
people.
"Never was this truth brought
home to US more defiantly than by the
recent convention at Minneapolis
We are not deceived as to the temper
of the Republican party. We are
not in doubt as to its purposes
Having taxed for years without ex-
cuse and without mercy it now pro-
poses to disarm us Of all powers OF
resistance. Republican success in
this campaign, whether we look to
the party platform, the party cGndi-
dates or the utterances of the party
leaders, means that the people are to
stripped of their franchise through
force bills in order that they may he
stripped of their substance through
tariff bills.
"Free government is self-govern-
ment. There Is no self-government
where the people do not control their
own elections and levy their own
taxes. When either of these rights
is taken away or diminished breach
is made, not in the outer defenses,
but in the citadel of our freedom.
For years we have been struggling
to recover the lost right of taxing
ourselves, and now we are threatened
with the loss of the greater right of
governing ourselves. The loss of
the one follows in necessary success
sion the loss of the other. When you
confer upon the government the
power of dealing out wealth you un-
chain every evil that can prey upon
and eventually destroy free institu-
tioDs--excessive taxation, class tax
alton, billion dollar Congress, cor
rupt civil service, q debauched bal
lot box and purchased elections. In
every campaign the privilege of tax
ing the people will be bartered for
contributions to corrupt them at the
polls. After every victory a new
Mckinley bill TO repay these con-
tributions, with usury, out of taxes
wrung from the people. For every
self-governing people there can be
no more momentous question than
the question of taxation. 1t is the
question, as Mr.. Burke truly said,
around which all the great battles of
freedom have been fought. 1t is the
question out of which grow all the
issues of government. Until We set
tie this question wisely, permanently,
justly, we build all other reforms on
q foundation of sand.
1--WE and the great psrty we repre-
sent are to-day for tariff reform be-
cause it is the only gateway to genu-
inc Democratic government. The
leader who presided
over the Republican convention
boosted that he does not know what
tariff reform is. Who ever said that
he did? Let us hope, with that
charity that endureth all things and
belieVeth all things, that lie is fully as
ignorant as he vaunts himself to be.
Unfortunately the people are not
so ignorant of the meaning of protec-
tion-at least of the protection which
is doled out to them in the bill that
bears his name. They see that mean
ing written large to-day in pros
trated agriculture, in a shackled COM
merce, in stricken industries, in the
compulsory idleness of labor, in law
made wealth, in the discomfort of the
workingman and the despair of the
farmer. They know by past expe-
ricnce that protection as system of
taxation is but the old crafty scheme
by which the rich compel the poor to
pay the expenses of the government.
They know by hard experience that
protection as system of tribute is
but the old and crafty scheme by
which the power of taxation of the
private people is made the private
property Of few of the people.
H'Tariff reform means to readiust
this system of taxation and to purge
away this system of tribute. 1t
means that we have not reached the
equality of true feedon so long as
any citizen is forced by law to pay
tribute to any. other citizen and until
our taxes are proportioned to the
and ability duty of the taxpayer
rather than TO his ignorance, his
weakness and his patience.
Governor Mckinley further de-
clared that the Democratic party be-
lieves in taxing ourselves. l am
afraid, gentlemen, we must admit