Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-07-28
DODGlNG THE ISSUE.
DEMOCRATIC NEWSPAPERS IN THEIR
MOST coNGENlAL ROLE.

Three Quotations Showing That the Tariff
Plank in the Democratic Platform
Means Free Trade Pure and Simple.
Too Late to Retreat Now.
The disposition on the part of Demo-
cratic organs to run away from the con-
federate free trade plank in the Chicago
platform is becoming general. This
open declaration of war on American
industries was uproariously greeted and
lubilantly adopted by the Democratic
national convention. An overwhelm-
ing maiority of the delegates declared
that it represented the principles and
purposes Of the Democracy, and the
party prepared to begin campaign for
Cleveland and undisguised free trade.
But the tremendous volume of angry
protest from the masses of voters whose
comfort and independence were men
aced by this free trade threat promptly
produced its effect The free trade
press began an absrrdly futile endeavor
to hedge. or all the hedgers the New
York Times is the most helpless and
the most ridiculous.
The attempt of the Mugwump news
paper that is printed on imported Brit
isb presses to prove that the representa-
tives of the Democracy at Chicago were
either fools. who did not know what
they said, or willful falsifiers who pub
lished to the world as the most vital
plank in their platform a statement
which they knew to be lie. is so divert
ing that we regret that we have not the
space to reproduce the whole of it. As
ii is. we must content ourselves with re-
printing few of the most striking por-
tions. II is to be feared that our Mug
wump contemporary fatally damages its
own case by making such astounding
confessions as these:
mo protest OF disclaimer, no profess
sions of platforms. candidates or cam
paign orators can ever acquit the Demo-
Gratis of the odious charge of being free
traders.
The Democratic yellow dog with the
free trade tin can tied to its tail is
ging it for dear life, with the entir
publican party yelling prouIs so.sly in
furious pursuit.
The aptness of the concluding illus
tration cannot fail to impress every
reader. Incidentally we may remark
that the Republicans propose to have a
great deal Of fun with that yellow dog
before th aign is ended.
The ass made by The Times are
ms rema its admissions 1t
pleads pit an excuse for the
confederat TX that it twas not de-
liherate an matured pronouncement;y
it declares that the plank had been ''pur-
posely draN, in rough and incorporate
language" for the purpose of embarrass-
ing the feeble Cleveland element. which,
as it embraced only little more than
two-thirds of the convention, was of
course unable to make its real senti-
ments felt, and it closes with the stu
pendous statement that the tariff decla-
ration in which was framed the great
issue of the campaign was SO little heed
ed by the Democratic convention that
General Sickles, Meal, of Ohio, and
Watterson were the only persons in the
convention who knew or cared" what
this. the most important plank in the
Democratic plank, said or signi6ed.
The Chicago tariff plank itself and
the declaration as to Democratic policy
by newspapers and public men that are
conspicuously hostile to the Republican
party constitute the most fitting COM
ment on the wild efforts of the Cleve-
land organs to propitiate protectionists
misunderstanding free traders. Here is
the essential portion of the plank;
"We declare it to be a fundamental
prir ciple of the Democratic party that
the federal government has no constitu-
tional power to enforce and collect tariff
duties except for the purposes of revenue
only"
This is the editorial utterance of the
London Graphic, made within twenty
four hours after the Chicago platform
had been cabled to England:
"Englishmen will watch Mr.. Cleve-
lands campaign with cordial sympathy,
for not only is his tariff policy in accord
with the orthodox economic school of
Lily ihltos uut AA0 pAAA pA1AAOAiu wisely
condemned the arrogant and irritating
foreign policy of its opponents.
A very few days ago Henry George,
whose ability and candor Democratic
organs are never weary of praising, and
whose free trade works the Democratic
majority in the house have been surrep-
titiously circulating in The Congress
sional Record. said this of the Chicago
platform:
Thank God. At last, quicker even
than we had more than dared to hope,
what we have struggled for and waited
for has come to pass, and the two great
political parties OF the United States
stand fronting each other ON the naked
question of protection or free trade."
The Democratic free trade standard
has been firmly planted and conspicuous
iy Haunted. It cannot be covered up
now. But those who assisted in plant
ing it can effectively call attention to
their own cowardice and dishonesty by