The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1902-11-21
Payne On Cleveland's Speech.

Payne On Cleveland's Speech.
Postmaster G enera1 Payne, speak
ing on Mr.. Cleveland's speech at
Morristown. N. J., said:
"Grover Cleveland has done a
great service in the way of public
enlightenment. The democrats have
been aching about the trust ever
since they had to drop Imperialism
as an issue. But in the close of the
campaign, Mr.. Cleveland in New
Jersey, Mr.. Villas in Wisconsin and
Carl Schurz in New York simultane-
ously lift the mask and reveal the
same old democratic faces we saw in
1887, when President Cleveland sent
his famous free trade message to
Congress, and in 1892, when the Chi
cago convention declared a protect
i've tariff unconstitutional.
"The Democratic party is, as of
old, the party of free trade. That
is the essence of democratic reform
now, as it was when Henry Waiter
son was the democratic prophet and
the star-eyed goddess of tariff re-
form was the idol of the organiza-
ton. Watterson, in the beginning
of his campaign, desired Cleveland's
presence at the democratic harmony
dinner in New York as the death IS
head at the feast after the expert
ence of 1892. That was an apt
phrase, but Mr, Cleveland is still
the prophet of his party. He is
again leader, and his great issue is
free trade. -
''Do you think Mr.. Clcveland's
speech will aid the democrats?"
81 think that Mr.. Cleveland's
speech is the most powerful argu-
ment for republican success which
has appeared during the campaign
on either side. 1t confirms what
we have supposed from the Begin
ning-that the real issue of the
democratic campaign is tariff for
revenue only, such as wrought dis
astrous results four years ago. 1t
may be too late for the speech to
have it's full Legitimate effect on the
country. but the republican commit
tee ought to give it the widest posi-
Bile circulation. 1t is one of the best
campaign demands that
has been issued.
"Mr. Cleveland and his democrat
ic followers may think that the peo-
pie have forgotten their experiences
under his administration of tariff |
reform but / seriously doubt if the |
will forget that experience in so
short a time. If you remember,
Samuel Gompers, president of the
Federation of Labor, said
in his report for 1898, that. in that
year, after August, I'VE have been
in the greatest industrial depression
this country has ever experienced.
It is no exaggeration to say that
more than $1,000, 600 of our fellow
throughout the country are
without employment. Again, in
1897, Mr.. Gompers, in his report,
to that terrible period for
the wage earners of this country,
which began in 1898, and which has
eft behind it such record of hor-
-or, hunger and misery, practically
ended with the dawn of the year
1897. :
"It is ominous for democratic pros ,
poets that their principal champion
in this moment of national prosper
ty should be the man under whose
there was an in l
,rease of $3.50, 900, 900 in the public t
1ebt. the only increase in time of {
peace for half century. He is l
we'll called the Advance Agent of t
However, it may be {
waste of time to recall these facts |
because Mr.. Cleveland speech will
tse1f revive in the mind of almost :
every voter bitter personal memory
If misfortune. "