Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1894-09-05

their legitimate and necessary taxation for
the support Of government; to reclaim and
make forever sure that heritage of Ameri-
can youth which is the true meaning and
priceless boon of Democratic Institutions
equal opportunity in land of equal rights.
This was the inspiring mission which the
Democratic party had long sought from the
American people, power and authority to
perform. To this mission the immediate
representatives of the people gave them
selves earnestly and faithfully.
SIN that work they were at all times
cheered and encouraged by their great lead
er, who for eight years, in defeat and victo-
", had lead the movement for tariff reform.
While he scrupulously abstained from in
reference with the work of those entrusted
with the reform legislation, he was insistent,
in season and out of season, in urging that
the pledges on which We had come into
power should be fulfilled in the letter and
in the spirit, and that the blessings of re-
duced and just taxation should be fully and
honestly secured to the American people.
"In this great work your own Represent
alive, thanks to your kindness in granting
him long public service, was assigned an
important and most arduous part. Norman
could fifty undertake to frame a revenue
bill for nation of 100000 of people I'M
surpassed in wealth and in the magnitude
of the variety of their industrial and COM
mercial interests, to purge injustice and
monopoly from that system, to replace class
exaction by public taxation, privilege by
equality, to tighten the burden of the peo-
pie, secure larger rewards for their labor
and freer play for their industry, without
being appalled, by the greatness Of the trust
committed to him and thickening difficult
ties in the way Of its successful performance.
No man could worthily approach such
work without putting away from him any
petty personal ambition and any selfish
concern for his own political future. No
man could hope for any measure of real
success who was not willing to dedicate to
such task every power of body and mind,
with an humble invocation for strength
and wisdom from the unfailing source of
strength and wisdom. | canrot claim to
have risen to the full height of this duty,
but have never faltered in the belief that
YOU. my friends and constituents, expected
and desired me to enter upon my work in
this spirit and in this spirit to perseyere to
its close.
II knew that you were tariff reformers
without reservation knew that the DEM
Gratis of West Virginia were not protection
lists for West Virginia and reformers and
free traders for other States. But even if |
had known otherwise l should not have
gone aside one step from what was to me
the clear pathway of duty to all the people
You know, for you have followed with
watchful interest the varying history of our
attempt at tariff reform. You have follow
cd with rising hopes and hearty approval
the action of the House of Representatives
in the framing and passing Of measure
bearing the badges Of Democratic principles
and fraught with promised benefits to all
the people, You have followed with wan
ing hopes and angry disapproval tho tedious
and tortuous passage of that bill through
the Senate, and have seen that despite a
nominal Democratic majority in that body
the great trusts and monopolies were still
able to write their taxes, as they had done
under Republican rule, in some of its most
important schedules. The burden upon you
is the same whether they use Democratic
or Republican hand as their amanuensis.--
But the wrong to you is infinitely the great
err when those who bear the commission of
your party thus prove faithless to its high
est duties.
"I need not recite to you the successive
steps, the material and baneful alterations
through which the House bill quietly be-
came law yesterday mording without the
signature and approval of the President,
who was elected upon the issue Of tariff re-
form, and who anticipated as the signal tri-
umph and historic achievement of his adj
ministration the privilege Of atiixing his
name to a genuine and thorough reform bill.
'You know by what influences this was
brought about. The country knows and
history will know where to put the respon
sibility for our partial failure to redeem our
pledges to the people and our partial failure
to dislodge the great privileged interests
from our tariff. am not sure that this very
failure may not be the harbinger and assur-
ance of speedier and more complete tri-
umph of commercial freedom than the
smooth and unrestricted passage Of the
H ouse bill would have been. The Ameri-
can people are aroused as hardly anything
else would have aroused them to the deadly
menace which protection begets to the puri
ty and the very existence offree government
They have seen a single great trust empow-
cred by our tariff laws to control the pro-
duction and sale of necessary Of life, par
ceiling out the country with its partners and
using its law-made wealth and power to
thwart the best efforts of the people to re-
duce their own taxation. They have seen
it hold up Congress for weeks and have
heard its minions boldly declare that there
should be no tariff bill in which its interests
were not fully protected, aud they have re-
allied the final fulillment of that boast
When the Sugar Trust thus challenges the
American people to contest of strength
its days are numbered its temporary tri-
umph is its speedier and more complete
overthrow, and with its overthrow will van
ish its sister brood Of monopolics that are
strong through its support.
But, my friends, there is another and
brighter side to this picture. With all its
manifold failures, its final retention Of many
protective duties, its Objectionable sugar