The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1892-10-12
REID ON THE ISSUES.
Es Crsticises Cieveland's Silence ON Vital
Points I'm the Platform.

Boston Republicans the other evening
ratified their State and national nomI~
nations with speeches by Whitelaw Reid
Gov. William Mckinley, Lieut.. Gov.
Halle, and Roger Wolcott, the two latter
being the nominees for Governor ana
Lieutenant Governor, respectively.
. Whitelew Reid was presented as the
first speaker OF the evening. As he
stepped forward he was given a moss
fatterlng reception by the large audi
ence, which was quick 10 notice ths
sharp points OF his address and bestowed
frequent applause. Mr. Reid spoke in
substance as follows:
There is no one who should not be proud and
grateful for such reception. Bat IL would DO
worse than presumption TO think 10 personal.
i am simply, Tor time and through the par
TALLY of associates, Il representative of the
grand old party that has guided this nation for
thirty years to its unparalleled prosperity and
uncontested supremacy. To 1t your loud ap-
plause may well be given; For IL your cheers
bred by the embattied farmers ring round 1 the
world. Whatever may come now or hereafter.
its past at least IL secure.
AT every step in its magnificent march ft Was
resisted In whole or In part by the Democratic
party, which resists It now. The Republican
party Is now In power. The country IL peace
ful, contented and prosperous beyond prece-
dent. Shall we thereupon make radical and
sweeping changer III so, why?
This il the question for the solid men OF this
town. Until recently 1t was no question at
all, for our opponents then openly and without
DISCUSSES and without exceptions or dissent
ers. wanted change as abrupt and impor-
tant as can we'll be conceived. They wanted to
reverse the whole policy OF the Governments
since 1861 by a change from the American idea.
protective tariff, to the modern English idea.
tariff for revenue only That would mean =
shock TO business and disaster to labor that
would exceed anything this generation has
seen. They want TO reverse the fiscal policy
or the Government since 1861 by abandoning
part OF the national pref ogative In the issuing
ofmoney-breakingd down the best currency this
continent ever saw, the national bank notes. to
substitute for II the worst, State notes and shin
plasters. That would mean a shock to all bank
Ing and exchanges, and an inconvenience and
constant loss to every citizen that would be-
long to semi-barbarous period, and not to q
civilized one. Our opponents denounce as q
the reciprocity treaties by which I'VE we
trail America, South America and Europe. In
return for the free admission OF sugar, coffee,
means, unless their profession of principle
is itself sham the closing again OF those
new markets, and a high revenue tariff again
on sugar, coffee, and tea
There is no need TO go further in enumerat-
ing the changes they threaten. Enough is as
good as feast; and that is the sort of feast to
which they invite you.
That the Democratic party demanded these
changes everybody knows. But something has
happened.
They are now demoralzed and almost on the
run. The letter OF acceptance discloses a
figure which our aborgna friends OF the far
West would describe as Big Man Afraid Of
Hfs-Pletforn, and the party gazes in perpex-
ity and alarm on candidate who accepts its
nomination but has not yet shown either tho
csndor to accept or the courage TO repudtate Its
principles. mean TO speak of Mr.. Cleveland
with that respect which all rightthinking
American people wish TO show for one who has
passed our supreme ordeal and been once de-
o the the Ghsf 81 of tb Ts'es nation
But 10 cannot be disrespectful. and 1t is obvi-
ously truthful, to say that Mr.. Cleveland now
acts toward the platf OF his party IL hs
were afraid that should he venture TO step on
IL it would break through.
Points of Cieveland's Silence.
The three distinctly vital points in the plat
form are State bank currency, reciprocity. and
the tariff. On two of them his letter Is abso-
lutely silent while he writes all around and
about the third through half his whole let
forward language whether protection is un-
constitutional, as 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
ia to say. the business OF the country must
have no peace, everything must be once more
unsettled and the whole tariff must be turned
| over again TO be tinkered by Congress OF that
party which at Chicago declared by nearly a
| two thirds majority for the English against
| the American system and pronounced protec-
! tion unconstitutional
He might "a well have stepped body upon
the platform IL would have looked better, and
| could not have resulted worse: for what he
does say brings him. whether he likes IL or not,
| straight TO the Platforms conclusions: We
declare il TO be a fundamental principle of the
Democratic party that the Federal Govern
| tariff duties, except for the purpose OF revenue
only. We denounce the Mckinley tariff as the
| eliminating atrocity OF class legislation, and
we promise its repeal" Are even the Demo-
cratic business men OF Boston eager just now,
this year, or even next year, for an entertain
| ment Ike this!
Before the campaigne is fairly started comes
| the answer from Mr. Cleveland's own Commits
sioner Of Labor Statistics that during the last
| year in the State OF New York wages have ad-
| vanced and production has increased. Next
| comes his own superintendent of the Bank
Department who reports, frst, that the de-
have increased; and second. that the deposits
OF the workngmen In the building and loan
associations have increased. Then comes his
own Board OF Equalization. reporting that I'm
| the one year 1891, when the Mckinley bill
had just got fairly at work with its cul.
| property of the State have increased over
si6o,ooo,O0O or 3 $40 per cent Or, to pnt all
| cratic officials into the brefest tabular form,
we have the following answer to Mr. Cleve-
official reports in Mr. Cievelands ow n State OF
New York: Net increase of wages. $685. .925.Os;
net increase of production, ssl,s ,lSoes: In
crease OF savings banks deposits, s13. 1885, 44s.2;
net sum invested during the year In building
and loan associations, SIS, 1879 72o; increase I'm
e et Of the State. sis2saf7ss. ''' ''''
Then come the official reports from Massa-
chusetts New Jersey and elsewhere, showing
substantially, though in varying degrees, the
same rising tide OF general prosperity.
|
| operation" says Mr. Cleveland's platform
There has been" says Mr.. Clevelsnd's Com
f, missioner OF Labor Statistics, There nss
has been, says his Board of EqusliIation and
the reports from the officers In other STATES
| confirm 1t all. Well may Mr.. Cleveland Tepes.
to his officials the despslring exclamation ..
Balak, King of Moab, to Balaam tne fI4phhe. ,
| II took thee to curse Israeli anu "eho" S"o"
hast blessed him altogether
There is one party in this campaign, MI
Chairman that does not md IL neediuI 20 s,sn
| dsr the country: that does not seek Tor ceiam,-
t;as y and does not read its defeat In tho
general prosperity There Is one party hd .nss
| 1880 II has nominees who are not afraid or
| ,ts nrinciples It IL not trying TO succeed by
o,tRing one part OF the country To vote for it's
| sistform and another part to vote only Tor it'
| Graduates. It stands everywhere for pro-
| tective tariff and wants no mistake about that
| ~ stands for honest money, and wants no mis-
take about that. 1t stands for equal rights
| under the law for.recprocity, Tor revived ship,
| nino for American wages, and for America all
The time. And, finally, IL challenges the YER