The Portland daily press., 1871-08-18


commends itself alike for its general high
character and well known fidelity and ability
and its well known devotion to the party in
the past. With SIDNEY PERHAM at its head
it will bring out the usual well assured ma
jority of the party in the county.
The Tariff Question i'm the Maine Cam
vass.
The Democracy are feeling their way eau
tiously toward making free trade prominent
feature in the present canvass in this State.
They may well evince considerable dffidence
and hesitation about it, 81 ice their position is
decidedly equivocal. In their platform, in
stead of declaring for free trade, pure and
simple, they merely denounce "a high pro-
tective tariff" The inference is, then, that
they favor loao protective tariff. Nor is it
at all difficult to divine what they mean by
this. They mean about the same as all free
traders who are personally interested in the
subject mean-protection for the special in
terest in which their money Is invested, and
free trade for all other Interests. In the pres
ent state of the national finances it is of
course folly for any sane man to talk of abso-
lutte free trade. Any compromise between
protection and the absence of all restriction
on trade amounts to about what we have in
Dictated above-a struggle among protected
interests to see which shall be compelled to
give up its special privileges for the benefit of
the rest. There is no subject in the whole
range CT political discussion which brings to
fbo Incl; A.
who argue for or against it as the tariff The
theoretical correctness of the free trade doc
trine, aud the broad and generous recognition
of the human brotherhood on which it is
founded, would be sufficient to give it practi
cal success in Congress, il it were not for the
selfishness of mankind. But there is not a
ranting free trade Democrat or Republican,
North or South, now matter how many times
Or how earnestly he may have denounced
"the iniquities of the tariff" who will not in
stantly wheel into line With the protection
lists and vote with them on any question in
volving the well-being of the people
OF the district he represents. And that
is the way high protective tariff
is kept up, The member who wants some
special interest protected will reluctantly con-
sent to the protection of other interests if it
be necessary for the success of his own
scheme. There is absolutely no difference in
the action of members of the two parties in
this respectfully all act in the interest of
thelr constituents. The Democrats of the
South and West, having few industries thar
need protection, are free traders. and SO are
the Republicans. But as you come North
and East you find Pennsylvania and Connec-
ticut Democratic Congressman acting in
harmony With the ultra protectionists. and
Democratic conventions declaring for a low
protective tariff The position they really
hold is not different from that held by Repub-
llcans. Being the minority party, and being
called on only at rare intervals to take the re.
sponslbility of acting, they are of course at
liberty to avail themselves to a greater ex.
tent of what ever advantage there is in pro
mitigating doctrines that seem broad. gener-
Gus and essentially democratic. But, as we
have seen, this privilege does not amount to
much to the Democracy of Maine. They will
hardly be able to get much credit for such
platform as we have quoted and fairly con-
strued as recognizing the necessity of protec-
ton. And they dure mot take any more a.
vanced ground. For whether protection is
right or wrong as general principle, and
whether or not it is advantageous for the
people OF the united States as whole, there
is no demagogue in the State sufficiently ex-
pert to impose upon the agricultural popula-
ton of Maine the idea that protection is not
for their advantage. You may prove to the
Maine farmer that the cost of much that he
consumes is greatly enhanced by the duties
he is obliged to pay-you may show him
that his clothing, his agricultural implements
and such provisions as he is obliged to
buy cost him large sum above the cost of
production and fair forft-you may even
show him that large part of tie excess oy-
er the normal price goes into the pockets OF
monopolists instead of into the government
Treasury-but you cannot show him that, as
the TARIFFS at present adjusted, he does not
get more from the sale of his oacn protected
agricultural productsthat he loses in the pa,r-
chase of other mems products. Uuquestiona-
bly, there are people who are lmfavorably at
fected by the tariff, but the people of Maine
are, in general not among them. The ship
builders and some Others are exceptions, bat
they would accept relief in the shape of some
special provision for their benefit, like that of
fered by the bills framed by the special Con
gressional committee, more gladly than anv
more general remedy, like the repeal of the
tariff
The time may come when you can appeal
to men in behalf of the race at large; and
when you can exhort them to ignore their
own narrow, selfish interests and act in the
interest of mankind. In coming years, not
doubt, when the truth that the interests of all
men are identical and that generosity is en-
lightened selfshness is generally recognized.
you can induce the Pennsylvania iron miner
or The Maine farmer to let in foreign ccmpeti-
ton, because one man is as good as another
But that time has not yet come, and, when i,
does come the Democratic party is not the
ma In ma Ia he.