Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1892-06-14
NOW OR MEYER.
The Tariff Will Be the Sole
Issue of the Democrats.
The Reformers' Last Hope Is
in This Campaign.

|
William M. Springer, chairman of the
ways and means committee of the house
of representatives, was at the Sturtevant
House, Broadway, between Twenty
eighth and Twenty ninth streets, yester-
day. He was more than willing to talk
about politics.
II will attend the Chicago convention,
but not as q delegate" said Mr..
Springer.
eff Blaine had retired from the Har-
rison cabinet year ago." continued Mr..
| Springer, "instead of on the eve of the
convention, without any tragic or stage
effects, do not doubt that he could have
had the nomination. AS it was, under
| the circumstances of his February letter
and his sudden resignation, his nomina-
| ton would have caused serious disturb
ances if not open ruptures in his party.
| Under all the conditions Harrison was a
stronger candidate.
81 do not think Blaine acted treacher-
ously toward Harrison. Mr.. Blaine has
been greatly impaired in body and mind
for many months, and he listened to the
fowery representations of those on
whose Judgment he relied to the effect
that there was great popular demand
for him as the candidate. This demand
was imaginary. You can readily judge
how much disinterested patriotism there
was in his supporters by running over
| the names of the leading Ones-ThOmas
| G. Platt, Nj. S. Quay, j. S. Clarkson and
men like them. They tried to manu-
facture popular enthusiasm out of per-
sonal dislike. They stole the livery of
Blaine's supposed popularity to serve
their private ends and resent their per-
sonal disappointments.
with Harrison as the candidate we
| can make tariff reform as the issue.
| Had Blaine been nominated we would
| have had an insincere campaign full OF
| buncOmbe, reciprocity, personallsm and
| sensationalisms. Blaine was over
reached That which he supposed was
a demand for him was only another
means of expressing personal resentment
| to Harrison.
"The delegates to Chicago will be men
| of cool heads and Judgment and will not
be moved by any imaginary demonstra-
| ton of popular enthusiasm, but will eX-
ercise their judgment as to what is best
| to do. If, after weighing the situation
over carefully, they come to the conclu-
sion that Cleveland can carry New York
state and the country they will nomi-
nate him.
"Those states which are doubtful and
essential are New York. New Jersey and
Indiana. 1t is absolutely essential for
| us to carry these states. Connecticut is
| a doubtful state and Iowa and Illinois
might also be regarded as doubtful, but
under favorable circumstances we can
carry these three states.
I'm Illinois the popular sentiment as
expressed in the newspapers and county
| conventions is for Palmer first and
Cleveland next. The delegates to Chi
cago We're uninstructed except to that
extent that if it was found that the first
place on the ticket was going west they
We're to present and urge Senator and
| Ex-Governor Palmer. They are there
| fore at liberty to vote for any eastern
| man.
Il think that Palmer has good show
| for the nomination. He is a man of the
| people, is right on all the great issues, is
| in good health, is available, has good
record and Can carry Illinois without a
doubt, and render Wisconsin, Indiana
and Iowa extremely doubtful. He is
my personal candidate.
ii am not advised to how the Indiana
| delegation stands, but | think that it is
about equally divided between Gray and
| Cleveland. They are uninstructed and
may all vote together as a unit.
II earnestly desire the success of the
| Democratic party and | want the issue
kept on tariff reform. That is the great
| and permanent issue. | believe in more
of tariff reform and less of personalities.
81 earnestly advocated Clevelands
nomination in 1894 and his denomination
in 1888. l have at all times been his
friend and admirer. Iagree with him en-
tirely in his tariff reform policy, and if
| We're making president to-day
would make him the best embodiment
of the Democratic faith and principles.
If we lose this election do not expect to
live long enough to see the tariff re-
formed"
Mr.. Springer said that so far as he
was personally concerned he doubted if
Mr.. Cleveland was the most available
candidate, owing to the alleged hostility
| to him of the old soldiers and the
Farmers Alliance and the New York
party machine, whose organization and
| existence were at stake as the result of
| the Syracuse convention.
"When will congress adjourn" Mr..
Springer was asked.
The house will be ready to adjourn
July A."
"What do you think of the record Of
! the session."
Il think it has been reasonably good.
We have allowed a vast amount of talk,
and nothing is so beneficial as a free dis
cussion of all subjects. | warned our
people at the beginning of the session of
I the necessity of keeping down the ex-
penditures. There has been very little
room for retrenchment, as the Republic
cans in their billion congress and before
that had made most of their immense eX-
penditures recurrent and permanent.
For this reason we We're unable to get at
them, except by repeating the obnoxious
measures of legislation, and this we
could do only with the concurrence of
the senate.
IF we had had both branches of con-
gress with us, also the president, we
could have made record of rare econ
omy. But how could we get rid, for in
stance, of the 81 100000 in the sugar
bounties provided for by the Republican
congressf Then, too. the great public
buildings projected by the billion con-
preparations at the hands of this con-
gress. Then there is the pension list
Six months ago, when l looked into the
subject, the pension Office was ad-
Indicating / 1000 pension claims per day.
"The enormous magnitude of the pen
sion bounti.s has become n very serious
matter. during MIR. Harr1sons admin
istration the number of pensioners ha.
been increased by between DOC. 900 and
100000 persons, and the beneficiaries
under the service pension law are mostly
all voters have no doubt in my mind
that the present administration has used