Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-07-09
SOME TARIFF HISTORY.
How Cleveland Came to write His
Famous TsriR reform Messnge--
The Real Attitude of waiter.

been made by Henry Watterson that Gro
yer Cleveland was not only at heart the
foe Of tariff reduction. but that he did
everything in his power to prevent his
party from taking advanced ground on
the subject, and in 1892, in particular
tried to induce the leaders OF the party
to adopt weak and meaningless plank
on the subject OF tariff reform. The fact
Is that IN the convention democratic poll
tcians were responsible for efforts to
commit the party to shifty policy
regarding the tariff. Secretary Whitney
was the stumbling block in the way
of tariff reform plank that rang true
Once he enlisted in the cause. Grover
Cleveland was a tirelessly aggressive OPP
ponent OF tariff abuses.
In this connection n little authentic his
tory is interesting. During his two terms
of service as president Of the United
states, Grover Cleveland did many high
minded, courageous. statesmanlike things,
but the greatest act Of his Administered ton
was the tariff message which he sent to
Congress in December, 1851
In the fall of that year President Cleve-
land had made a tour OF the West. He
visited Milwaukee and he spent two days
lam +. Villas, member of his abinet.
It was to Mr.. Villas that President
Cleveland preached his plan of devoting
his annual message entirely to the ex-
position of the evils Of high tariff and
10 the necessity OF rcmedying the abuses
which the protective tariff had engender-
cd. TO treat the subject adequately and
vet keep his message within reasonable
II
the idea OF emitting all mention Of de-
partmental mattcrs--a course unpa raj Hell
cd In tho history of presidential annual
messages to Congress. Ho explained his
purpose to Colonel Villas and was assured
that the members OF the cabinet would
most chcerfully abide by his decision.
Some time later. after the presidents re-
turn to Washington. he announced to mis-
cabinet his intention to carry out this
plan, Secretary Whitney of the navy adj
vscd against it. 1t would hurt the party
in the next election, he declared. and he
advised temporizing. Mr.. Villas. replying
to Mr.. Whitney strongly sided with
the president. and declared that the
right thing to do was the expedient
thing to do.
When the cabinet adjourned there was
no doubt that President Cleveland would
take the goat by the horns. He did so.
and his tariff message Of 1887 stands to-
day as the most famous of American
public documents dealing with the tariff.
In November. 1883, Cleveland was de-
feated by Harrison. 1t was not the tariff.
however, that brought about the republi-
can victory.
In the national convention of 1892 Mr..
Villas and Mr. Bayard were on SUBJ
committee to draw up a tariff plank
This plank was drafted personally by
Colonel Villas and Il was modelled in a
large measure upon the democratic plank
which the Wisconsin democratic conven.
ton had ADOPTED on the subject, n plank
that Mr., Cleveland had read and ap.
proved.
Mr.. Whitney, always tlmid. always dis
posed to temporize. went to the committe,
| and advocated n weaker plank. He got
out the tariff plank from the platform
of 1884 and urged that this be substituted
for the Villas resolution. An Ohio MAJ
advocated plank simply declaring thai
protective tariff was unconstitutional.
Henry Watterson, who has recently hac
great deal TO say about Grover Cleve.
and who was in the convention to defea
the nomination of Cleveland. opposed The
1854 plank which the subcommittee had
reluctantly substituted for the Villas draft
Whitney having represented that it woul,
cost the party New York. Wattcrsan cor
dcmned the 1854 plank, declaring that II
was too weak and did not meet the
situation.
BY this time Whitney had become
greatly alarmed over the result of his
interference. The convention was thrown
into an uproar and Watterson was DUN
founded when Colonel Villas. reading from
the proceedings OF the 1854 convention
showed that Watterson himself hat
| been the chairman Of the committee OF
resolutions Mt that time. and had ex
pressly stated that the resolutions which
he had Just condemned were strong, bu
| could not be too strong to suit him. etc
| The result Of the controversy was tina
the Ohio resolution prevailed.
| In the whole proceedings Cleveland anc
| his friends were put In q false light ant
| In his letter accepting the nomination
Cleveland took advanced ground. Al
along he had been for n strong expression
against high tariff. The facts show tina
| Watterson, who had been strongly con
| demning Cleveland's attitude toward tn,
| tariff, and who himself has been posini
as the champion of tariff reform. was II
| the 1892 convention as now the arch On
envy Of Cleveland first and a tariff reform
CT secondly.
| Afterward, in Congress, tariff reform
was dealt n deadly blow by those VIII,
called themselves Its friends and by thos
who were at heart the enemies of Cleve
land Had Roger Q. Mills OF Texas beef
elected speaker Of the house all Nigh
have been we'll but through treachery t
Cleveland. Crisp OF Georgia was elected
The result need no: be set forth in de
tail. Tariff reform was slaughtered II
the Senate and slaughtered In the lIous
and the bill that was nnally passe,
proved a greater disappointment to Gro
yer Cleveland than anything else connect
ed with his public service.
The tariff plank which the sub.commit
tee prepared. and which Whitney opposec
he declaring that New York could no
be carried with so radical n declaration
was substantially the tariff plank adopte
by the democratic State convention he'll
in Milwaukee early In 1892. This Wiscon
sin plank read as follows:
THAT unnecessary taxation !s unjus
taxation and therefore we reaffirm tn
Oft -asserted doctrine that there shout
be no tariff taxation except for revenue
And We denounce the infamous legisla
ton OF the last republican congress In
creasing the burden of taxation on tn
people at large to enhance the bountie
OF the favored few"
Not only did tho politicians try thei