Los Angeles herald., 1892-09-20
A STALWART DEMOCRAT
Senator Hills Status in the
Present Campaign.
He Defines His Position in No
Uncertain Words.
To Support the Chicago Nominees Is
the Duty of the Hour.
From the Public Rostrum He Urges All
True Democrats to Work and
Vote for Cleveland and
Stevenson.

~--o~'
By the Associated Press.l
New YORK, Sept. 19.-There was a
great outpouring of Democrats in Brook
lyn tonight. The Academy of Music
could hardly accommodate the crowd that
tried to get in. The principal speaker
of the night was Senator David B. Hill,
who was greeted with tremendous ap-
plause. His speech was listened to
attentively and broken by frequent
bursts of cheering. Interest toward the
close OF the address was great,l the
speaker not having once mentioned the
name OF Cleveland, referring in each
instance to the ex-president as she" 4"
When after one grand phrase of deepest
meaning, he closed with the words
Cleveland and Stevenson" the audi
ence rose en- masse and cheered him to
the echo, recognizing the ingenious
climax to his address.
SENATOR HTLL's sPERcH.
The senator said in part: 81 am re-
minded of the fact that it was in this
edi6ce, in 1885, that l had the honor Of
expressing the sentiment, i am Dem
ocrat,' and under the existing political
situation, I know of no more appropri-
ate place or presence than here to de-
clare that / was Democrat before the
Chicago convention and am Demo-
crat still. The national Democratic
convention has passed into history. 1t
was the court of last resort, and its de-
cision will be accepted with loyal acqui-
escence by every true and patriotic Dem
ocrat who recognizes the necessity of
party organization and discipline. From
this time forward imperative duties are
imposed upon Us. Factional appeals
should now cease; the spirit of resent
ment be abandoned; state pride be cub
ordinated to the general good real or
fancied grievances be dismissed; per-
sonal ambitions be sacrificed, and indi-
vidual disappointment forgotten.
THE DUTY OF THE HOUR.
SIN the great emergency which, de-
mands from US all an exhibition OF wide
spread and lofty patriotism. permit me
to repeat what had the honor OF qFcx-
pressing to the Tammany society the
4th of July last, before the echoes of
our national convention had died away:
Our course at the present time is plain.
In the approaching struggle the Democ-
racy of New York should present solid
front to the common enemy. Loyalty
to the cardinal Democratic principles
and the regularly nominated candidates,
is the supreme duty of the hour re-
iterate these sentiments now"
THE TARIFF QUESTION.
Senator Hill reviewed the history of
the two parties and said: "rhe Republi-
can party advocates the doctrine that
the government has constitutional as
we'll as moral right to impose tariff du-
ties for the purpose of encouraging the
building up OF private industries by the
imposition of duties sufficiently large to
prevent foreign competition irrespective
of the needs of the treasury, while the
eminent has only right to impose du-
ties necessary to raise sufficient revenue
to support the government economically
administered. This is the precise is
sue, squarely stated. The Democratic
national platform gives forth no uncer-
tain sound upon this subject, and COR
rectly states the true position of the
party. We always insisted that there
was no warrant in the constitution
for the imposition of tariff du-
ties to aid private industries,
but, whether such a tariff is constitu-
tional or not, or whether it is practical
BILE to have the question properly raised
and decided, the system itself is vicious
in the extreme, unjust to the people,
and contrary to the spirit of our free in
stitutions. Republican protection is
imposed upon the people by fraud, false
pretense, and gross abuse of the taxing
power: and, with careful examination
of the matter. fair-minded men will ar
rive at the conclusion that the Demo-
cratic party was right when it declared !:
Taxation for private purposes is uncon-
stilutional.' In 30 far as a tariff is ne.
ceseary to meet the necessities of the
government, it may be imposed, and
any other benefit which may be legiti-
mately derived from its imposition may,
and does, necessarily, accompany it. If
the burdens imposed would operate to
prevent foreign competition, the benefit
is indirect and unobjectionable.
THE DEMOCRATIC POSITION.
President Harrison, in his ingenious
letter OF acceptance. endeavors to place
our party in false attitude, by calling
attention to the fact that while our
platform OF '84, readopted in 49, con-
tanned an express plank upon the ques-
tion OF the equalization of wages, yet it
was omitted in '92, and asserts that we
have changed our position. There has
been no change. 1t is not always prac-
ticable to place in platform the details
OF proposed legislation. The platforms
OF '84 and '88 were elaborate and lengthy,
and it was desirable to simplify them.
General principles were stated in '92,
rather than particulars, as in '84.
There is no conflict between them.
There is no necessity for the repetition
OF that plank, as the party's position
is evidenced by the Mills bill. We
stand not only upon the platform Of '92,
but upon the Mills bill, which was the
latest general Democratic legislation
upon the tariff. That bill was as good
an exposition of our principles as any
elaborate platform could possibly be. If
| were asked to define as closely as pos
sible the whole Democratic policy, /
should state it substantially as follows:
We favor tariff for revenue only, lin
tied to the necessities of the government
economically administered, and 50 ad-