Show PRODUCE THE LETTER A chanco charco made that cleveland Cle reland I 1 a hank free hon john E kassell ssell the cant bo elected governor of massachusetts re bontly informed bis friends at dinner of the new england freo trade league that we ore tariff reformers and such reform has arco trade as tho final out bomol mr russell has always been plain spoken in bis advocacy of freo trade benco his overwhelming defeats in massachusetts elections colonel thomas wentworth biggin also made a speech at the same dinner said wo have planted ourselves upon tho the only ground that is possible that our object is a matter of moral principle at a banquet to president clove land in his first administration I 1 took this ground and I 1 was never more proud of anything than to receive a note afterward from him saying I 1 had struck the right note ever since then I 1 have known it was a matter of principle with mr cleveland aha colonel speech was most interesting because of tho information concerning tho position of president cleveland it has often been claimed that mr cleveland did during and prior to tho first term of his presidency openly advocate free trade but in the carefully edited copies of his speeches eliat have been published subsequently there is no evidence to the claim now however wo know to bo true colonel thomas higginson has received from president cleveland a letter to that effect As colonel thomas was never more of anything ahna to receive a note from mr cleveland the colonel has doubtless preserved the noto among bis sacred treasures colonel thomas wintworth should produce hint note than which ho was never proud of anything the history of tho united states is incomplete without it |