River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-09-08

dence they might have to affirm or dis
pute the contention that the Democratic
platform adopted at st. Louis did not
really mean what it said, but should be
taken in the light of the personal views
of the Democratic leaders themselves.
When the evening came for the adj
journed shop-talk, the Democratic spon-
sor produced some extracts from the Con-
gressional Record, going to show that
just ten years ago Senators German,
Brice, Camden, Smith Mcpherson, Muir
ply and others. all Democrats, held up
the Wilson tariff bill, which had been
passed by Bryan and his associates in
the House of Representatives, and made
it much more of a protection measure
than it originally was.
C1eve1and's Letter.
Some impression was made by this rec
ord. but it was almost completely dissi-
pated by two documents. One of these
was the letter written by Grover Cleve-
land while President of the United
States, to Gen. Catchings of Mississippi,
denouncing the action of German and
his associates as ''perfidy and dishonor.
1t was further shown that at the St
Louis convention the New Jersey delega-
ton, which was controlled in the interest
of Grover Cleveland by James Smith,
this same Democratic protection Senator.
voted soIidly on the first ballot for Par
ker, and Mr. Cleveland himself, in a
published interview before the conven-
ton, came out for Parker as the most
available Democratic candidate.
Still more important in making up the
minds of the men present at the meet
ing, was a fortunate citation of the con-
trasting planks in the two platforms of
1892. In that year, it will be remem-
bered, Grover Cleveland beat Benjamin
Harrison and the entire campaign was
fought out on the tariff issue. There
was no equvocation then. Mr.. Cleveland
stood for free trade, and Gen. Harrison
for protection.
The Republicans in their convention
adopted a protection plank which is a
clear exposition of the constant principle
of the party for the last generation, and
which reads:
I'VE believe that all articles which
cannot be produced in the United States,
except luxuries, should be admitted free
of duty, and that ON all imports coming
into competition with the products of
American labor, there should be levied
duties equal to the difference between
wages abroad and at home"
Like the tariff declaration of this year,
this plank met the approval of the iron
men who were gathered together to dis
cuss the tariff, and the Democrats among
them freely admitted that it was frank
and courageous.
Openly fer Free Trade.
On the other hand, there was some
thing of a sensation among the men when
one of their number read the straight
forward and equally courageous declara-
ton of the Democratic platform of 1892,
which openly pronounces for free trade,
and which declares protection to be not
only unjust but illegal This plank reads
as follows:
''We declare it to be a fundamental
principle of the Democratic party that
the Federal government has no cOnstitu-
tional power to impose and collect tariff
duties, except for the purpose of reve-
nue. only"
1t was this plank and the fact that
Mr.. Cleveland had been elected upon it,
which influenced the shop-talk meeting
into an informal but none the less bind
ing decision to the effect that the Repub-
lican position on the tariff, with it's con-
sistent pledge for protection, coupled
with the Democratic position on the
tariff, and it's consistent record for free
trade, made the issue a perfectly plain
one which could not be disguised by any
political appeal, and which must be de-
cided by the working man without regard
to other issues which do not directly con-
Germ their interests.
I'VE must choose between protection
and free trade" said the eldest man in
the party, for there was no chairman.
IF we believe in protection, we must
vote for Roosevelt. If we believe in free
trade we must vote for Parker, and that
is all there is about it."