Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-25
TARIFF THE TASK
IN NEXT CAMPAIGN
Grover Cleveland Tells Democrats
That It Is the Battle Cry That
Will Bring Victory.

I and not hinder. I have observed those pas
sionate outbursts during a life of three
score years and ten. 1 trust have a fit
| ting appreciation of the justice which lies
| beneath the present popular clamor against
| corporations, and especially railroad corpo-
| rationsS but 1 believe that as frenzy it
| will pass, and that the people will demand
of the party to which they give their suf-
fragessthe-enunciation of principle rather
| thaIE the denunciation of a condition.
Tariff the Root Of the Trouble.
1T Sbehooves democrats to lose no time
in bringing to the front the, issue of tariff
reform and in focusing the attention of the
| country upon it. Tariff reform is the issue
| that will clarity the atmosphere. solidify
| the friends of democracy and bring victory
| to the party.
81 cannot believe that 1t is because the
| reform of the tariff has been a special in
/ terest of my own lifelong thought and con-
yiction that 1 deem it the reform the de-
mocracy must force. Nor do hold this
opinion because We have won our victories
I in so large degree upon Its merits
II hold the matter of the reform of the
! tariff to be absolutely fundamental This
| question of the trusts is entirely dependent
upon it, 1t cannot ever be denied, and q
| should never be forgotten, that the tar1n
| is the father of the trusts. In 1t all forms
| of corporate injustice find their origin anu
L IL
in securing to every man an equal chance
let it guarantee him first such rights as,
| for instance the right of purchasing an
American made article as cheaply as II can
| be- purchased by a foreigner abroad.
They never deny nor escape from
/ the dire significance of that fact Amerl-
| can goods are cheaper abroad than at
home. 1t is idle to- talk of surplus stock
| and the like. The simple fact is the tariH
| puts into the hands of corporations pow
erful weapon wherewith to do injustice
to Jonr own people
No Principle in Two-Cent Fare Fuss.
Doubtless the questions which the press
| keeps so persistently before the public at
| tention and in which there is indeed Keen
public interest, urgent and important.
| They must be met and solved. They Will
| be solved by common sense and Justice
! am no friend of corporations. (Mr. Cieve-
| land smiled) I am afraid 1 should wipe
| out the possibility of the existence OF the
| evil ones, but 1 see in the question as to
whether railroad fares should be 3 cents
| or . cents mile no great principle.
And on the broader ground of our en-
| large national life how ill it becomes us to
| persist longer in our policy OF childish,
selfish isolation. We pretend to be world
power. We insist upon our interest in
pretty much all that goes on on the globe
|. With what justice. with what countenance
can we thus boast ourselves a member.
and a very active member, of the family
of nations, while we shut out the other
member of that family from theirs-for so
we inevitably do-playing our little selfish
| part of deluded folly in our corner of the
fanny home?
1T is time to end the farce, and the con-
science and brain of the nation, now. efter
| its century of internal development. pulsing
with a realizing sense of it's call to higher
| life, will respond-depend upon ito the
demand to throw off this barbarous super
! sttion of Industrial isolation and gladly,
| confidently take its true place in the In
dustrial scheme of a well-ordered world.
so confident am l. Tor one, of the sue
cess that would follow the forcing to the
| front by democrats of the tariff reform is
sue that l am disposed to predict that II
we fail to do SO now our friends the enemy
| will take it out of our hands before four
| more years have rolled by.
An Opportunity for Democracy.
II am serious. The opportunities for
| democratic success were never brighter.
| once the mind of the party is clear as to
| it's mission in this supreme hour. The
| chances are far better than they were in
| 1896. There is gathering, and will still more
| swiftly gather, a realization on the part of
| the American people of the essential
| niqutty of the protection-by-tarif fraud
| of the fact that it underlies most of our
economic and political ills. 1t remains for
democrats to enter into the victory for
| which they have so long fought. 1t would
| be sad, indeed, to see our thunder stolen.
| our victory seized by political opponents
| shrewder than We in judging of the trend
| of public sentiment"