The herald., 1894-10-11

American people Dy plurallty OF l0z IN
the electoral college elected Cleve-
land over his Republican COM
petitor, and yet notwithstanding
the fact that the people by this unpre-
cedented majority elected Cleveland.
you are told that the people at once and
before his Inauguration. distrusted him.
You are told that the people immed-
lately contemplated with apprehension
and alarm what they had themselves
achieved at ths ballot box. In addition
to this you are told that the condition
that existed at the close OF the Harrison
administration wac the reenlt OF appre-
hensio upon the part OF the American
people that the Democratic president
aud congress would endeaver to tinker
with the tariff
s'With the bsnsfciaries Of high pro-
lection, any attempt to reduce taxation
is always 'tinkeriDg with the tariff The
object of protection, as you know is to
enable tbs producer to sell his goods at
an increased price over what he would
be otherwise able to secure in the open
market. The higher the tariff Of neces-
sity the higher the price charged the
consumer. In order to shield them
selves from the responsibilities of the
wills brought upon the country by the
enactment OF the Mckinley law, Repub.
dean orators and papers declared these
wills were the result. not of what the
Republicans had done. but of what the
Democrats might possibly do. In other
vords, in order to escape condemnation
from the evils resulting from their own
vicious legislation. the Republicans are
driven to the assumption that the peo-
pie shrank with horror from the con
templated tariff reform for which they
had go earnestly and emphatically de-
clarsd at the polls.
81 come now to consider the question
as to how lar the Democratic party has
redeemed it's promises and how we'll 1t
has kept faith with the people. 1t
promised a reduction of the expendi-
lures of the government. This promise
has been made good by o reduction OF
the expenditures OF s2S. 100000 over
those of the previous year, when the
executive and senate were Republican.
In this connection it muHt be remem-
bered also that the sum appropriated
by the present. Democratic congress for
pensions exceeded by 10000, 600 that
appropriated for the same purpose by
the Repu blican billion dollar congress-
Have you forgotten that the entire extra
session of congress. convened soon after
President Cleveland's inauguration, was
consumed in repeating the Sherman
law, passed by Republican congress
and approved by Republican preei-
dent?
"By its platform and the utterances
OF ito candidates, the Democratic party
stood pledged to the repeal OF the odious
federal election laws. For years they
have stood constant menace to the
freedom of the ballot box. By the act
of the Democratic congress, approved
by the Democratic president, these en-.
uctments, like the Republican force
bills and the old federal alien and se-
dition laws, have become things OF the
past.
IN taking up consideration OF the
Ssritf bill which has passed both the
louse and the senate ard is now the
law OF the land, l state to you in ali
randor that it is not all that l desired.
There never was @ moment that / would
Aot gladly have given the casting vote in
the senate in favor OF the tariff bill az it
passed the house of representatives.
from the beginning l have been a firm
seliever in the doctrine of free raw ma
terial. But it must not be forgotten
that. while the houee contained ma
ority of nearly 100, our majority was
put one in the senate. In fact, with
every state fully represented in that
body. there would probsb y have been
no Democratic majority at all. The SEN
ate contained A Democrats and with
the Republican senators voting solidly
against the bill at every stage. it can
pe easily seen that in body so nearly
balanced tariff reform had no easy battle
to fight. At this critical moment of th )
struggle, the bill was only saved by the
casting vote of the presiding officer OF
the senate.
Recalling. as do. the hostility of the
Republican senators to the tariff bill
from the moment it crossed the
threshold OF that chamber, | can only
wonder that it ever became q law.
Firmly believing, as l do now, that
beneficial results must follow its pass
age, rejoice with you in its triumph,
and that the Mckinley law is no longer
upon our statute books.
You have Heen in the papers in the
past few days an account OF conven.
tion OF sugar planters in Louisiana, in
which they resolved to abandon their
former political associates and hence.
Iorth to support the Republican party.
Why? Simply for the reason that the
law makers favored the
sugar bounty which Democratic con-
yress swept from the statute books. If
the new tariff law had no other merit,
this provision alone would entitle it to
your warmest commendation. But this
g but the beginning. BY the next tar
If law. more than 100 articles, highly
axed under the Mckinley law, axe
placed on the free list"