The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-07-29
~ THE DEMOCRA TIC CANDIDATE a
FREE TRADERf
A Hiehly Iuteresting Statement from .
Very Distinguished Supporter OF Mr..
Cleveland Through Thee Cnmpnieus

Very Distinguished Supporter OF Nh. |
Cleveland Through Three cnmp"isns.
To THE EDrTeR OF THE SuN-Sir: Mr. Clcve-
lands rehl tariff views are just now the sub
iect OF n great deal Of quiet discussion among |
politicians in and out III Congress. 1t Is plain |
that the Chicago platform does not express |
them. His friends opposed the adoption OF ,
the platform. aud his Madison Square Garden |
speech repudated It. Just "a no sent Senator
German and tho late William l. Scott with q
carefully prepared conservative platform. APP |
proved by Mr.. Randall. to ST. Louis. 80 his |
recognized friends. Villas, Dickerson. Harrity. |
and Whitney. stood up in a body against tho |
radical delivornnne at Chicago 1t Is no longer
amatter OF doubt that they represented him in
this ms they did in everything else.
The truth is. Mr.. Cleveland never intended
the message OF 1887 to be taken as free
trndc slogan He believed that fight for free
raw materials would be winning ono and
that some VI the abuses Of the turin needed
correction. But he made no assault on the
principle OF protection, and whenever he has
been confronted with the doctrine laid down
in the Chicago platform, he has rccoiled. The
Republican press and politicians have sedu-
lousy held him up rs n FREQ trader and de-
nounccd the message of 1887 as u free trade
message They were ndroit enough to Join
the issue there, and in so doing thoy mado thu
did He was hnrcd and disappointed by the
popular acceptance o! tho message as n cha-
lenGe to free trade battle He tried to i'm
pose his own Interpretation on the ST. Louis
Convention. md again on the Chicago Con-
vention. but in each was detected by the sem
timent aroused among the masses Of the party
by the crusade which had been preached In
his own name and Of which they were deter
mined he should he the leader
Never was anything moro interesting md
curious than his effort on the notification &C.
casion to modify the tariff issue and to mag
Nifty the Force bill. which he hopes may elect
him. rrovidcd reasonable moderation shall
prevail in presenting the other question.
A leading Democrat. who knows tho inside
OF the National Committee well as any man,
said to me only day or two after tho demon
stration in New York:
cleveland like Lincoln, gets the credit OF
great candor and straishtforwardncss. but is.
Notwithstanding. II most practical politician.
1t was one thing to get the Democratic nomi-
nation: it is another thing to be elected. He
had an instinct in 49, Just rs he has in 90.
that FREQ trader cannot be elected. Hc never
WIS u free trader: but the notion that he was
radical Oh the tariff question and would lead
a revolution Of some kind was necessary to his
nomination both times: and he let it run tho
first time until too late to correct it. Henry
Watterson believed he was lighting Cleve
lands battle when he defeated Senator Cor
man for Chairman OF the Resolutions Commit
tee. whom the latter had Cleveland platform in
his pocket. typewritten in tho White House.
and agreed to by all sides. including such OPP
ponents as Randall and Carlisle. who had
weighed every word! William l.. Scott was to
convey the hint to Mr.. Cleveand's friends
that Senator German was Clcveland's spokes-
NJ hut Mr. fnilnI fp A. So until II \yn c
too late. Had Mr.. Cleveland employed more
direct methods no would have succc eded. ana
might have been reelected. for he had no Op-
position. and his wish would have suf1lced.
AT Chicago it was different There lie had
! to face n stern opposition. protesting to tho
| last. His friends were routed when it came to
| the platform. and their CONSERVATION was
| manifest. Mr.. Cleveland. as before. had
| talked generalities on the tariff. In the alb
| scnce of Il definite and practical statement of
| his meaning. tho FREQ traders secured the
adoption OF their own. and Mr.. Cleveland is in
the remarkable position Of n candidate whose
friends were strong enough to nominate him.
but were not strong enough to protect him
| against platform upon which he thinks no
man can stand and hc elected!
| but Mr. Cleveland intends to be elected.
He has had all he wants of the rs style of pol
| tiles. Tho Henry Georges. and the Henry
| Wattersons. and the Frank liurds. and the
| Millses. and the Brcckinridgcs will not run
| this campaign. Cleveland will do the great
| Hancock act. But he will 90 it in his own way
and win on it. He won't rcpudiate tho plat
| form in single hast; and panicky letter
| But he will gradually lead thought and dis
| cussion away from the plank which he regar Is
| rs fatal. and substitute for it himself and his
| own uttcranccs. The camraisn has not be
| gun. and yet he has already planted ono OF hi:
feet on THE Suns platform. and is pcrccptibl,
lifting the other. He has given tho Force bill
its proper place in the Foreground. while, as t'
the tar II. he says: We need not base our at
tack upon questions OF constitutional per
mission or Legislative power. but con'en
ourselves with exposing its inequalities and
favoritism in tho present conditions
This is consistent with the message o
'S7, and with every word Mr.. Cleveland ha:
ever spoken. But it is not tho Chicago plat
form! Some politicians imagine that Whit
ney. who was anGered by the ~ message. nn'
Harrity are tho authors OF this policy. Bu
that is not the case. They approve 1t natur
ally. but it is Cleveands own. who sees in /
the certainty of his election. He is looking Il
tho operatives for tho support he requires
| and he believes that u denial OF tho right Il
levy tariff duties sufficient to cover the diner
ence between tho cost Of labor here ant
abroad would sacrifice that surro and leav
him where no WAS left in 1888 MIR. Whitne
agrees with him. So does Mr.. Hnrrity. ant
that Is ono reason why Mr. Whitney picked tn
Pennsylva:an and had him made Chairman.
A DrMOCRAT Nor FoR REVENUE
WASHINGTON, J uly ~.