774 



UNITED STATES. 



betrayed when, by unnecessary taxation, trusts and 

 combinations are permitted to exist, which, while un- 

 duly enriching the few that combine, rob the body of 

 our citizens by depriving them of the benefits of natu- 

 ral competition. 



Every Democratic rule of governmental action is 

 violated when, through unnecessary taxation, a vast 

 sum of money far beyond the needs of an economical 

 administration is drawn from the people and the chan- 

 nels of trade, and accumulated as a demoralizing sur- 

 plus in the national Treasury. The money now lying 

 idle in the General Treasury, resulting from superflu- 

 ous taxation, amounts to more than $125,000,000, and 

 the surplus collected is reaching the sum of more than 

 $60,000,000 annually. Debauched by this immense 

 temptation, the remedy of the Republican party is to 

 meet and exhaust by extravagant appropriation and 

 expenses, whether constitutional or not, the accumu- 

 lation of extravagant taxation. The Democratic policy 

 is to enforce frugality in public expense and abolish 

 unnecessary taxation. 



Our established domestic industries and enterprises 

 should not and need not be endangered by the reduc- 

 tion and correction of the burdens of taxation. On the 

 contrary, a fair and careful revision of our tax laws, 

 with due allowance for the difference between the 

 wages of American and foreign labor, must promote 

 and encourage every branch of such industries and 

 enterprises by giving them assurance of an extended 

 market and steady and continuous operations. In the 

 interests of American labor ? which should in no event 

 be neglected, the revision ot our tax laws contemplated 

 by the Democratic party should promote the advan- 

 tage of such labor b'y cheapening the cost of necessa- 

 ries of life in the home of every workingman, and at 

 the same time securing to him steady and remunera- 

 tive employment. Upon this question of tariff re- 

 form, so closely concerning every phase of our na- 

 tional life, and upon every" question involved in the 

 problem of good government the Democratic party 

 submits its principles and professions to the intelli- 

 gent suffrages of the American people. 



Resolution presented by Air. Scott, of Pennsylvania : 



"Resolved, That this convention hereby indorses 

 and recommends the early passage of the bill for the 

 reduction of the revenue now pending in the House 

 of Representatives." 



Eesolution presented by Mr. Lehmann, of Iowa : 



" Resolved, That a just and liberal policy should be 

 pursued in reference to the Territories ; that right of 

 self-government is inherent in the people and guaran- 

 teed under the Constitution; that the Territories of 

 Washington, Dakota, Montana, and New Mexico are 

 by virtue of population and development entitled to 

 admission into the Union as States, and we unquali- 

 fiedly condemn the course of the Republican party 

 in refusing Statehood and self-government to their 

 people." 



Resolution presented by . ex-Governor Abbett, of 

 New Jersey: 



" Resolved, That we express our cordial sympathy 

 with the struggling people of all nations in their effort 

 to secure for themselves the inestimable blessings of 

 self-government and civil and religious liberty, and 

 we especially declare our sympathy with the efforts 

 of those noble patriots who, led by Gladstone and 

 Parnell, have conducted their grand and peaceful 

 contest for home rule in Ireland." 



Repnbliran Convention. The place and date of 

 the Eepublican National Convention were fixed 

 at a meeting of the National Committee held 

 late in 1887, Chicago being the choice of a 

 majority of the committee, and June 19 the 

 time agreed upon. On February 12 a letter 

 of James G. Blaine, from Florence, Italy, to 

 Chairman B. F. Jones, of the committee, was 

 published, in which Mr. Blaine said that, as 

 personal reasons would prevent him from en- 



tering the contest, his name " would not be 

 presented to the convention." No serious 

 efforts in behalf of any candidate had hitherto 

 been made, except for Senator John Sherman, 

 of Ohio, who had been recommended for the 

 nomination by the Ohio State Convention in 

 July, 1887, and who, during the autumn of that 

 year, had delivered speeches in Southern cities. 

 Other names were now mentioned, and as the 

 various State conventions were held, in April 

 and May, to select delegates to the National 

 Convention, candidates were formally present- 

 ed. The Indiana Convention recommended 

 ex-Senator Benjamin Harrison ; Iowa recom- 

 mended Senator William B. Allison ; Michi- 

 gan, ex-Gov. Eussell A. Alger; Wisconsin, 

 Gov. Jeremiah M. Rusk. Judge Walter Q. 

 Gresham, of Indiana, attracted earnest sup- 

 porters in many parts of the country, and the 

 Eepublican Convention of Illinois instructed 

 its delegates to vote in his favor. In New 

 York, Chauncey M. Depew was a popular can- 

 didate, although the delegation from that State 

 was unpledged. Senator Joseph E. Hawley 

 was the favorite of Connecticut, Congressman 

 William Walter Phelps of New Jersey, and 

 Senator John J. Ingalls of Kansas. The pos- 

 sibility that Mr. Blaine might finally be in- 

 duced to accept the nomination was a disturb- 

 ing element, which apparently prevented many 

 of the delegates from earnestly supporting any 

 other candidate. On May 30 a second letter 

 from him was published, which set at rest all 

 reasonable doubts. In this letter, dated at 

 Paris, France, he said, unequivocally, that he 

 could not accept a nomination without show- 

 ing bad faith toward those candidates who, 

 relying on his former letter, were already in 

 the field, and therefore he could not accept at 

 all. No one of the candidates was assured of 

 the support even of one third of the delegates. 

 The convention organized by choosing John 

 M. Thurston, of Kansas, for temporary chair- 

 man and M. Estee, of California, for perma- 

 nent chairman. Three days were occupied in 

 the work of organization, in the preparation 

 and adoption of a platform, and in the presen- 

 tation of candidates. Nominating speeches 

 were made in favor of Gresham by Leonard 

 Swett, of Illinois; in favor of Harrison by 

 ex-Gov. Albert G. Porter, of Indiana; for 

 Allison by William P. Hepburn, of Iowa ; for 

 Alger by E. E. Frazier, of Michigan ; for De- 

 pew by Senator Hiscock, of New York ; for 

 Sherman by Gen. Hastings, of Pennsylvania; 

 for Eusk by Senator Spooner, of Wisconsin. 

 The names of Senator Hawley and ex-Mayor 

 Edwin H. Fitler, of Philadelphia, were also 

 presented in brief speeches. On the first bal- 

 lot 830 votes were cast, a majority being 416. 

 Of these, Sherman had 229, Gresham 111, 

 Depew 99, Alger 84, Harrison 80, Allison 72, 

 Blaine 35, Ingalls 28, Eusk 25, Phelps 25, Fit- 

 ler 24, Hawley 13, ex-Secretary Eobert T. 

 Lincoln 3, and Congressman William McKin- 

 ley, of Ohio, 2. The vote of Senator Ingalls 



