The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1892-09-23
Senator Hill Speaks.
II WAS A DEMOCRAT BEFORE THE
CHICAGO CONVENTION, AND l
Am A DEMOCRAT STILL"

Senator Hill said in part: al am remind.
ed OF the fact that il was in this edihce, upon
a memorable occasion in 1855, that had
the homer Of expressing to the intrepid Dem
ocraey Of Kings county the sentiment, am
a Democrat, and under the existing political
situation | know Of no more appropriate
place or presence than here to declare that
was Democrat before the Chicago conven.
ton and am a Democrat still.
"The national Democratic convention of
1892 has passed into history with its record,
its trumphs and its disappointments. The
wisdom of its action is not now TO be qucs-
toned. 1t was the court of last resort es.
| tablished by party usage as the final arbiter
to determine the conflicting interests and
claims OF candidates, states and sections, and
| its decision will be accepted with loyal &C.
| quiesence by every true and patriotic Demo.
crat who recognizes the necessity Of party or
ganization and discipline, and respects the
obligations which he assumes in its member.
| ship.
FAcTIoNAL APPEALS SHOULD CEASE.
"From this time forward imperative du.
| ties are imposed upon US. Factional ap-
peals should now cease, the spirit of re-
sentiment should be abandoned, state pride
should lie subordinated to the general good.
Real or fancied grievances should be dsm IS.
| ed, personal ambitions should be sacrificed
and individual disappointment should be
| forgotten in this great emergency which de.
| mands for us all the exhibition Of widespread
| and lofty party patriotism. Permit me to
| repeat what had the honor Of expressing to
| the Tammany society on July last, be-
fore the echoes Of our national convention
| had scarcely died away, as follows:
''Our course at the present time is plain.
| In the approaching struggle the Democracy
Of New York should present solid front to
| the common enemy. Loyalty TO cardinal
Democratic principles and the regularly
| nominated candidates is the supreme duty Of
the hour!
IL reiterate those sentiments now. The
Democratic position is safe, logical, con.
| servaiive and just position. No tariffs ex-
| cept for the purposes Of revenue only and
then limited to the
NECESSITIES OF rHE GOVERNMENT
honestly and economically administered is
| doctrine which appeals to the good sense
| and sound judgment Of every honest and
| thoughtful man. With the constantly in.
creaslng expenses of the government and the
| enormous amount Of money annually aug.
menting received by the growing pension
| list, these tariffs which must necessarily he
| exacting to meet these expenditures will be
for many years to come amply sufficient to
| afford incidentally all the protection which
| the most ardent advocate of the system can
| reasonable ask. More than this ought not
| to concede to any body.
president Harrison in his ingenious let.
| ter Of acceptance endeavors to place our par.
| ty in false attitude by calling attention to
the fact that while our platform in 1884, re.
| adopted in 1883, contained an express plank
| upon this question Of the equalization of
wages, yet it was omitted in 1897, and as.
serts that we have changed our position. I
beg to differ with him. There has been no
| change. 1t Is not always practicable to
place in platform the details of the pro.
posed legislation. The platforms Of ISS+-SS
were elaborate and lengthy and it was de.
| sirable to simplify them. General princi.
Piles were stated IN 1899 rather than par,i.
culars as in 1854.
TARIFF POLICY OF THE DEMOCRACY:
"There is conflict between them. There
was no necessity for the repetition of plank,
as the party's position upon it had been evi.
denced by the Mills bill, which had not been
passed before the national con ,entions of
1884 and 1888 were held Parties are to be
judged as much by their records as their
platform. We stand not only upon
our platform Of 1899, but upon the
Mills bill, which was the latest general
Democratic legislation upon the tariff SUBJ
ject. The bill was as good an exposition of
our principles as any elaborate platform
could possibly be. If l were asked TO define
as concsely as possible the whole Democra.
tic policy l should state it substantially as
follows: We favor a tariff for revenue only
limited to the necessities Of he government,
economically administered and so adjusted
in its application as far as practicable, as to
prevent unequal burdens, encourage produc.
tive industries at home and afford Just com.
pensation to labor but not to create or fos.
ter monopolies.
"These are the cardinal principles upon
which the details Of all tariff legislation
should be based. SAID in the campaign OF
1888 in my opening speech at the Academy
of Music in New York city, that if l believ.
ed that the Democratic party
FAVORED ABSOLUTE FREE TRADE.
should not advocate its cause, and | re.
peat the statemer. here to night. | have
| read with care all the arguments urged by
the two very able apostles Of protection.
Governor Mckinley and Senator Aldrich,
but fail to discover that they present n
single tenable ground upon which protection,
| pure and simple, can be constitutonally de.
Tended. / insist that neither the Democratic
party nor have changed our position upon
this question, but that we stand where we
have ever stood.
"IarlH reform does not mean free trade
Our opponents misrepresent our position now
| as they have ever done since the famous tar.