The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-09-09
J, n,roFpoL1T1cAL HISTORY.


an1ToFpoLITICAL HISTORY.
The recent tilt between Editor Water
son. of the Louisville Courier-Jo11rn ana
Ar Groyer Cleveland is most interesting.
,sr watterson had charged that soon
after Mr. Cleveland wrote his famous lfee
trade message in 1887, which brought INC lie
tariff issue to the front, he became 1rlshe-
ened and caused to be prepared LOT pun
1ication an Interview with q New \ orA
,,e,,sr,.,,,e,. in which he virtually -epu-s
acted the views expressed in the mes
sooa qhereupon the editor Of the Nash
Vile American wrote to Mr. Cleveland 70
know if the charge was true' anu ~
Cleveland replied that he Was1s1aoie ~
more sfstonis1ed at the lengths .la He.
rA.,cbe5 by Republican mendacity, anu
.a,,,a 1,anncrat:c abuses '.Of course,
he added, ..there is not SHADOW OF 'iu1'i
in the statement referred TO IN your ny
Ter of the 10th inst
Mr.. WattersoH5 then wrote charac-
teristic editorial" in which lie TeVle"eu
Mr. t-ieye,and.s political career and re
asserted that within a fortnight of the
official promnls CATION Of the free trade
massage in 1857, stung by the comments
it aroused. Mr.. Cleveland caused 10 pc
prepared for publication in one OF the
leading New York journals a. qualiiylng
interview. an Interview undertaking TO
GOV. what he did mean and what ne did
not mean. and that upon consultation ms
i,,.aryiew was finally withheld Moreover
he declared that afr. Cleveland sent NJ
German, of Maryland, and MI SCOT ol
pennsylvania, to the st. Louis Convention
in 1ssS with a cut-and-dried platform, ls-
noring his message of the previous De-
cc1uoer. ignoring the Mills bill theh De
fore Congress- and repeating the strauule
forced upon the party at Chicago IN 1854
That after an all day and night hght III
the Platform Committee he was put PACK
upon his message and tie Mills bill. and,
h.a;ns defeated, he and his friends claimed
that this did it That with this impress
sion upon their minds they appeared IN
the National Convention of 1892 with
another cut-and-dried platform emoodEln5
good Republican tariff doctrine, and that
il was so bad that the convention rose
aghast and kicked it out, substituting a
Democratic plank of its own.
We recall that in that convention MI.
Watterson came forward and made Wig
orous speech i'll behalf of The minority
report on platform brushing the majority
report aside as stump speech anu
unworthy TO be entertained in conVen-
ton OF The Democratic party which stood
for a revenue tariff and in opposition to
the principle of protection We also re-
call that the Tammany delegation, which
was violently opposed to the nomination
OF Mr.. Cleveland, enthusiastically support
ed the minority report and 1t was an open
secret in the convention that Ta1nmany's
idea in SO doing was to embarrass Mr..
Cleyelauds candidacy.
Be it as it may, it is fact as Mr..
Watterson asserts, that the convention
did repudiate the stump speech and did
adopt straight-ouf tariff-for-revenue
plank and Incorporated it In the platform,
and everybody knows that the great light
that year was made in behalf of such a
tariff and in opposition TO Mckinley pro-
lection. 1t was a splendid fight against
protection and the Democrats won a SPLEEN
did victory We believed then and we be-.
lieve now that AIR. Cleveland ought as
soon as he was inauglcated to have called
Congress together In extraordinary ses-l
sion and sent in a message urging that
the Mckinley tariff law be repealed ana
law embodying the Democratic idea OF
tariff enacted. The people had been told
4 by the Democratic speakers and news
papers that they we're being robbed every
aday of their lives by this ubiquitous tar
it, yet when the Democrats got into
power the administration showed no dis
position to put a stop to the ROBBERY. By
his action Mr.. Cleveland said that it was
a matter of no consequence and that the
people could Well afford to let the robbery
so on until the regular session Of Con-
gress.
But that was not the only mistake which
the Democratic party made afterits VIC
tory in 1892 There was also plank in
the piatforms OF 1892 recommending the
repeal Of the 10 per cent tax on State
bank issues. There was In That contest
demand on the part of many Democrats
for the free coinage OF silver and some
OF them were disposed to kick out OF the
party and go with the Populists because
there was no provision for free silver in
the Democratic platform. But these were
told that IL the Democratic party should
be successful the tax on state bank issues
nfonld be removed and that the State
banks of the country you'd then be In
position TO supply the country districts
With abundant crrregacy and 50 remove
any necessity that might have existed
for free coIndge But Mr.. Cleveland ig-
nored this Recommendations and when Con-
ssress nst no mort VA mad to put ttlat
splank OF tho pla term into execution. On