New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-06-20
NOT " JTUOP' BTT " WHIT TOH!'


NOT "UHO?' BTT WHIT FOR'"
Pending the Democratic State Convention in
Ohio a lively controversy i, in progress over the
interesting and important question. Who l. the
real author of the revenue tIlih plank in the
Chicago platform? there bsing a general i'm
preston tha; the author. if be can he definitely
asc,riained, will secure tho nomination for COY
ornar from the grateful Ohio Democrats. The
tariff plank in the PLATFORM, a. is well known
was not reported by the Committee on Kc-olu-
tons. but was adopted H. an Amendment 20
their report on motion of TIE Hon. Lawrence
T. Neal. Of Chihicchc. On this account
Chilliccthc Is quito urgent that IL own
"Larry," a> his friends famiaily call him.
should receive the nominltion. 1t is ~ cXac-
gcrrtion T. LAY that Chill;c9;he is stirred way
up on the subject. Chiliccthc persons have
already begun t. write letters and send tcl'-
gram, t, New-Yorl newspapers about il. and
the excitement is apparently horily incr a,ng
Ii is matter of record that Larry" offered the
amendment in convention. and that Il wa on
his motion that il went through. But since II
has been discovered that il was on the strength
of it that the Democrats cIrricd tho country,
and the Ohio Democrats have resolved T. show
their apIrecai II cf the author by nominating
him fer Governor other claimants for the
credit Of il have c'mo forward chief Of whom
are the Hon. Thomas l.. Johnson. familiarity
called "Tom> who i also candidate for the
nomination for Governor Of Ohio and the Hon.
Henry Wattcr>on, VINO is upon his own con
fcssion candidate fDr nothing except a very
high place in the hearts of hi, countymont
which indeed he has already.
1t has been intima;cd notwithstanding the
fact that tho Hon. Larry introduced the
amen lment on the floor Of tho convention and
advocated it in speech which aroused the
usually quiet and scf-coniaincd Tammany dele
CATION TO such pitch Of excitement that they
folded their umbrellas and stood right up and
said Hi HI in a quite animated way, the
amendment was actually drawn by the Hon.
"Tom.' This has brought ont from the Hon.
Larry what is called an authoritative his
tory of the tariff plank" in which he says firm
y and de idc1ly: "Whacvcr of credit or
dscrc1it attaches T. the tariff plank
in the Chicago platform assume
responsibility for and alone an to blame"
"To blame is good. Whon it is considered
that the Ohio Democrats propose t. nominate
for Governor the man who did it the Hon.
Larry" attitude in shifting his breast and
crying "mca culpa' viii be appreciated. IL
take the blame" SAYS "Lalry.n "also the
nomination. being understood. In taking the
blame he naratcs with circum>tantaliy the de-
tails of the transaction, how he wrote il himself
without consulting with anybody in the room
of the Committee on Resolutions in the Palmer
House in Chicago while the committee was in
1.
House, lie oms to describe the operations
of his mind or the emotions that surgcd within
him while the great work was evolving; and
we cannot but feel that the effect would have
been heightened if he had stated whether h.
used pencil or a stub pcn or wrote" with his
tongue OUT These interesting details NAV
come later, as the controversy grows hot and
begins to take in sections OF the country out
side Chllicothe. As to johnson and Wattcrson
he says, while giving them credit for coming to
his assistance his own opinion is that the
amendment would have been adopted without
a speech from them or anybody else
All Of which is interesting and important
Particularly in Chillcothc. But we submit;
that, after all, the most interesting question in
connection with the famous tariff plank is not
so much who did it, as what he did it for.
Al the time Of is adoption it had become rca-
sonably certlin that Mr. Cleveland would be
nominated. Under the leadership Of Mr.. Whit
ncy his friends had secured control Of the con-
vcnlon and were very plainly running it in
his interest. The original tariff resolution re-
ported by the committee was said on good au-
thority to have been submitted b. Mr. Glove
land and TO have received his approval. Th,
being the issue on which he was running il WAS
important that the uttcrancc Of the convention
on the subject should be in accord with his
views. His supporters were bewildcred at the
introduction OF the amendment and duI,
founded at its ad p'ion. 4 majority of them
voted against it, while all the Tammany dele
CATION and nearly all Of the anti Cleveland men
supported it warmly. lis adoption was greeted
by the antl-Clcveland men with demonstrations
OF applause and sort Of chuckl ling that could
bear no other Interpretation than that il would
in their opinion handicap TIE ticket. Several
OF the most prominent and active Of them openly
admitted that this was their purpose. Mr.
Whitney said thoughtfully that it seemed to
him to have been done out of pure cu>>edncss
IL was a rather remarkable political situation.
Not less remarkable is the circumstance that
the men who carried that amendment through
for the avowed purpose of handiclppng the
ticket are now the most strenuous f.r having
the party fulfil its pledge to the people.
Interesting as is the question: "Who did it ~
still more interesting is the one, "What did he