St. Paul daily globe., 1892-06-27
1t Was Made by the Galleries

1t Was Made by the Galleries.
Chicago Times.
Who made the tariff plank in the Demo
cratic platform?
The committee consulting the candidates
ideas had made conservative, moderate ex-
preston, recognizing the fact which must be
apparent TO every student of economy, that a
revenue tariff laid upon large number of
articles incidentally affords certain amount
Of protection. In making this declaration
the committee had in mind the famous mes
sage which Grover Cleveland sent in 1887 to
the congress of the United States. That mes
sage was interestingly described BY Mr.. Blaine
as free trade message. II was nothing
of the kind. Let any one at all interested
perUse its terms and he will dis
cover that there is in this famous declaration
to congress complete recognition of the time
henored theory of protection. TWAS not in
Mr.. Cleveland case protection running mad !;
it was demand for the enlargement of the
free list but also for recognition of the fact
that the industrial conditions in this country
differ materially from the industrial condi-
tions in the old world. He desired a moder
ate tariff. Paragraph after paragraph of that
famous message may be quoted to demon
strate this assertion.
A convention determined to nominate
Cleveland ought to have had the wit to adopt
platform which would be agreeable to the
candidate and to the managers of .he cam
pagn who will be relied upon to make that
candidacy successful But the convention
concluded to set these managers aside ana to
ADOPT q tariff declaration of its own. Why
was this done?
Upon the floor of the convention were a
0Ia 4 ,I1
under ordinary circumstances would con-
slider that the committee on platform having
proceeded judiciously and in the interest of
the candidate the convention itself had pre-
yiously determined to nominate had arranged
the platform with a view of successful ap
peal to the electorate. When, not wholly
without sinister motive, it was proposed to
place embarrassments in the path of that
candidate, the galleries took part in the de-
liberatons of the floor-if deliberations they
can be called that were conducted amid the
utmost confusion. The galleries outnum-
bered the delegates ten to one. Without
knowledge of campaigns, animated solely by
emotions they concluded that they would
have pronounced expression in accordance
with the Mephistophelian suggestion of men
who, opposing Mr.. CIevelands candidacy
were desirous that his descent to defeat
would be accelerated. 1t was the gallery, not
the floor, because it was the floor acting
under the impulse of the gallery, that gave
tariff -for-rsy yenue-only plank to the Dem
ocracy.
From this embarrassment, which involves
the potentality Of defeat, nothing can save
Mr.. Cleveland but the fact that he is more
conservative than his immediate proponents
The writings Of Mr.. Cleveland will be
searched in vain for any declaration that he
himself favors the absolute elimination from
tariff legislation of the idea that protection
is desirable.
1t was the galleries against the floor. and
the galleries won. There were a few thou
sand voters in the galleries; there are from
12,0OO,0OO 10 14,00000O electors in the United
States. Before November the Democracy
will regret that it laid itself open to the
charge that few noisy shouters who were
not delegates to the convention OF the party
controlled its action in matter Of the pro-
foundest importance.