The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1892-06-29
The Chicago Convention.

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foot forward in nominating Mr.. Cleve-
land. 1t will do republicans no good TO
deny that fact. The nominee repre-
sents the best personal element in the
party; he is honest, conscientious and
fearless. The campaign cannot pos
sibly be one of personalities. More
than this, Mr. Cleveland is, in certain
sense, the leading exponent of the tariff
policy of his party. This is not saying
that he has brought to the discussion of
the subject the wealth of fact and
strength of reasoning which belong to
Messrs. Mills and Carlisle. While lack
ing much that has given these two
their wide influence, he has made full
compensation to the party by the posi-
tiveness of his convictions and the
earnestness with which he has called
attention to them. He has stood for
"tarif REFORM" and his championship
was strong and genuine. While GER
tain elements in the party were timid
in acknowledging their position, he was
outspoken and consistent. 1t was this,
of course, that made him the candidate
for the second time of the party and
the acknowledged leader of the faction
which has some regard for principles.
1t was this, too, that in this year of
1892 makes him the logical candidate of
the party which, at last, has reached
the point of unreservedly avowing its
belief in the theory of free trade. The
candidate and the party together have
been growing into that position. The
"tariff reform" which Mr.. Cleveland
advocated in his message of 1887 could
end nowhere but in free trade. He
probably saw it; certainly most of the
bright men of the party, such as Henry
Watterson, saw it; but whether the mass
of the party then had any intimation of
it or not, they now know that they are
party of free traders. When their con-
vention asserts that " we declare it to be
a fundamental principle of the demo-
cratic party that the federal government
has no constitutional power to impose
and collect tariff duties, except for the
purpose of revenue only, and We demand
that the collection of such taxes shall
be limited to the necessities of the gov
eminent when honestly and econom-
ically administered" then there is no
longer any room for democrats to claim
that they have aught in sympathy with
the principle and policy of protection.
They must either cease to be democrats
and become republ cans, or acknowl-
edge their servility to the free-trade
leaders and their hypocrisy in longer
posing as protectionists.
BY the adoption of the substitute
tariff plank and the nomination of Mr..
Cleveland, the main issue is made that
of protection or free trade. Nothing
could be more clear than the difference
of attitude which the two parties and
their candidates take on this question.
1t may be maintained that there is no
essential disagreement between the two
parties as to silver, but it is entirely nat
ural that the democratic party should
inspire less confidence in its promises
on this point than does the republican
party. The vote of the democratic
house of representatives on this ques-
ton will be accepted as an expression
of opinion more candid and more free
from considerations of expediency than
the action of the delegates at Chi
cago. The Chicago silver resolution is
concealment of the real purpose of
the dominant element of the party, and
it will undoubtedly appear in the course
of the canvass that Mr.. Cleveland has
wobbled " somewhat on this question
of free coinage. Still it is quite likely
true that the silver issue will be given
secondary importance in the discus
sions during the campaign. 1t is al ong
tariff lines chiefly that the great battle
will be fought.
The nomination for the vice-presi-
dency was complete surprise to the
East. Mr.. Stevenson is but little known
in this section. 1t does not follow that
he will be a weakness to the ticket, or
that, should he in any emergency be-
come president, he would not make a
competent chief magistrate. 1t does
follow that his career and character
must be studied infinitely if any Just
estimate is to be made of them. With
out venturing too far into prophecy,
we will say that it will take very pop
ular democrat to carry Illinois. The
people of that state remember their
two great republican presidents, and
their attachment TO the party of Lin
coin and Grant cannot be easily broken.