Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-10-05
That Has Utterly Demoralized the
Democratic Ranks.
1T WAS THE ACCEPTANCE LETTER
Of the "Big-Man- Afraid-of- His. Platform,
Lately Issued
A TALK TO MASSACHUSETTS PEOPLE

| ernor William Mckinley, Lieutenant Gov
ernor Halle and Hon. Roger Wolcott, tn.
two latter being the nominees for Governor
and Lieutenant Governor respectively. As
soon as the doors of the Music Hall were
opened there was rush for seats and many
who came later were thankful even to find
standing room. After short Introductory
speech, Hon. Whitelaw Reid was presented
as the first speaker of the evening As he
stepped forwaId he was given most fatter-
ing reception by the large audience, which
was quick to note the sharp points of his
address and bestowed frequent applause.
He spoke as follows:
There is no one who should not be proud
and grateful for such reception. But it
would be worse than presumption to think
it personal am simply, for a time, and
through the partiality of associates. a rep
resentative of the Grand Old Party that has
guided this nation for 80 years to its un-
paralleled prosperity and uncontested
supremacy. To is your loud applause may
well be given. For it, your cheers may
well shake the roofs, aud like the shot fired
by the embattled farmers, ring round the
after, its past at least is secure.
Resisted by the Democrats.
At every step in its magnificent march it
was resisted, in whole or in part, by the
Democratic party, which resists it now.
At every step it was sustained by the
Drawn and the brain, by the men and
the money of Massachusetts, There are
those who say that Massachusetts, will re-
sist it now. do not believe the aspersion.
Edmund Burke said: "You cannot frame
an Indictment against whole nation"
But this State, if she could vote now and
on the issues of to-day against the Repub-
glorious periods and many Of the most
glorious names of her own history.
The Republican party is now in power.
The country Is peaceful, contented and
prosperous beyond precedent. Shall we
thereupon make radical and sweeping
change? If so, why? There is the question
for the solid men of Boston. Up to Tues
day last 1t was no question at all for our
opponents. They openly and without dis
guises, and without exceptions or dissent,
wanted q change as abrupt and as important
as can well be conceived.
They wanted to reverse the whole reve-
by a change in the American idea, pro-
tective tariff, to the modern English idea,
tariff for revenue only. That would mean
q shock to business and disaster to labor
that would exceed anything this generation
has seen.
They Would Reverse the Fiscal Policy.
They wanted to reverse the fiscal policy
of the Government since 1861 by abandon
ing again part of the national prerogative
of issuing money-breaking down the best
currency this continent ever saw, the ma
tional bank notes, to substitute for it the
worst, State notes and shinplasters That
would mean a shock to all banking and ex-
changes and an inconvenience and constant
loss to every citizen; that would belong to
a semi-barbarous period, and not to.a civil
lied one.
Our opponents denounce as a sham the
reciprocity treaties by which we secured
new markets for our products in Central
America, South America and Europe in re-
turn for the free admission of sugar, coffee
and tea to your breakfast tables. That
means, unless their profession of principle
is itself o sham, the closing again of those
new markets and high revenue tariff again
on sugar, coffee and tea
There Is need to go farther in enumerating
the changes they threaten. Enough is as
good as feast; and that is the sort of feast
to which they invite you. I challenge the
judgment of the candid and intelligent
business man of Boston, whatever his poll
tics, on the proposition that those changes,
it actually carried out by the Democratic
cratic platform, would prove for a year or
two at any rate the greatest and most
dangerous shock to business since the war.
1t may be replied that the Democrats do
not mean what they say. If you take that
view, then there are two things to be con-
sidered. The first is, why encourage or in
any way sustain party that does not even
intend to do what it promises. And the
second is, If its promises are admittedly
worthless, what guarantee have you, il you
give 1t power, against its going even far
ther than it has threatened? Is the tiger
so amusing and playful a creature that it IS
to see what he will do?
Something Has Happened.
That the Democratic party demands these
has happened. Since last Tuesday they
have been demoralized and almost on the
run. The letter of acceptance discloses a
figure which our aboriginal friends would
describe as "Big- g-Man-Afraid-ot Of His-Plat-
form, and the party gazes in perplexity
and alarm on a candidate who accepts its
nomination but has not yet shown either
the candor to accept or the courage to re-
pudiate Its principles.
I mean to speak to Mr. Cleveland with
that respect which all right thinking Amer
lean people wish to show tor one who has
passed our supreme ordeal, and been once
declared by a majority of American votes
worthy to be the Chief Magistrate of this
notinu pnS mn ~ he .,I
it is obviously truthful to say that MI.
now acts toward the platform OF
his party as if he were afraid
that, if he should venture to step on it, it
would break through. The three distinctly
vital points in the platform are State bank
reciprocity and that of tariff.
On one of them his letter is absolutely silent;
" lille he writes all around and about the
third, through one-half his whole letter,
without once being able to say in straight
forward language whether protection is un-
az his party declares it, or
right and expedient, as Thomas Jefferson
and Andrew jackson declared it.
But he does tell US that tariff reform is |
still his purpose. That is to say, the bus
mess of the country must have no peace;
must be once more unsettled, |
Ind the whole tariff must be turned over |
again to be tinkered by Congress of that |
party, which, at Chicago. declared by |
nearly two-thirds majority for the English
rs against tn 9 American system, and pro-
nounced protection unconstitutional.
Mightas Well Have Stepped ON 1t.
He might as we'll have stepped boldly upon
he platform. It would have looked better,
md could not have resulted worse; for