The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1878-10-17
THE TARIFF. V,
Its Value to Pennsylvania
How the Democrats Have Assailed
at Every Opportunity.
What the Republican Party Has Done ft
Protection In the Interest Of
the Country and Its
Citizens.


| pose of encouraging and fostering the establish
ment and permanent maintenance of domestiy
production. This was inherent in the spirit
! the revolution, which was as much melted b
| the despotic repression of the colonial indus
| tries, In order 10 give the permanent control
| the American markets to British man nufactures
| as by any other cause. Among the first fruit
| of the protective policy was the American cot
| ton crop, which was fairly protected into ex
| istence. But as in the lapse of time the Repub
| lie became populous and lourishing, and tn
amazing spread of cotton culture made it th
basis of the formidable political power whic
| subsequently assumed the name of the DEMO-
| cratic party, a combination of the strong for
| eign commercial element at New York with tn
| southern agricultural force was formed, the in
terest of which lay in opposing the protection
| of domestic manufactures and favoring a low
| tariff on foreign goods, on the ground of fur
| nishing the farmers and planters with chearI
| merchandise for consumption.
| This southern school of politics was foundee !
| by John G. Calhoun, of South Carolina and
| although 1T was courageously opposed by Presi
| dent Jackson, yet under the auspices of Presi
dent Van Buren the whole Democratic part,
gradually fell into the arrangement. The rea
| son of this was that in New York, which wa Il
| the northern centre of the Democratic party,
| foreign m j
port trade. When this became fairly establisbe,
| and recognized, foreign capital and commerccI
centralized almost irresistibly In New YorkI
city, and armed with ample money supplies foI
political work from those sources, the Demo-|
| cratic leaders of New York and the south lony|
managed the whole national policy to suit the
| views of the agricultural interests of the south
on the one hand and of foreign commerce on the
other. To counteract this combination the
friends of protection sought to build up manu- ]
features in such parts of the south as were not
adapted to the planting interests, and those
movements were represented by Whig states
men of the south, like Clay, Clayton, Bell
Mangam, Crittenden, etc., while in the New
England and Middle States manufactures grew
and strengthened in consequence of the enor-
nous influx of foreign labor.
THE TARIFF NATIONAL QUESTION,
1t was not until the great Presidential cam
paign of 1910 that the tariff was fairly made
national test question. The defeat of Van
Buren led to the passage of the Protective Tariff
of 1912, under which all branches of productive
industry took an immense start and made such
progress that the plantation oligarchy of the
south saw the dawn of their policy and power
nnless reaction could be effected Upon the
plain and open issue of Free Trade this could
not be done, and therefore it was not attempted.
But by the shrewd devise of the annexation of
Texas a popular cry was raised on which the
Democrats again obtained the control of the
Administration and Congress. The immediate
result was the passage of the low tariff of 1916,
and the war with Mexico. Under this ruinous
tariff the progress made under the Protective
Tariff was mostly lost.
When, during Jacksons administration
South Carolina undertook to nulify the pro-
tective duties, q Compromise Tariff was en-
acted But when the tariff of 1912 was passed
strongly protective as 1t was, no resistance wa
offered or threatened Public sentiment hat
advanced Craftsmanship resorted to strategy
instead of menace. Extending the area of th,
Republic was but device to enable the cottor
power to recover centrol and enact low tariff
Accordingly the Tariff of 1876 was passed BY
the casting vote of Vice President Dallas anC
signed by President Polk, both of whom, whi
candidates for those offices, were heralded a.
friends of the existing Tariff of 1912. So trans
parent was this trick that even the war feve
did not prevent the decisive defeat of the Demo
cratic ticket at the Presidential election of 1Sis
During the subsequent Democratic nomina
tions of Presidents Pierce and Buchanan FIRE
trade had full swing because there was no politi
cal element strong enough to make headwa
against the Democratic party. This was cause
by the fact that the concentration of foreig
capital and commerce at New York had becom
enormous, and was wholly on the Democrat
side, while at the south the plantation oligarch
had completely crushed the Wing element an
made the south Democratic unit. Slavery q
the south and foreign capital at New York wer
the bases upon which the formidable strength o
the Democratic party was built up. In the NJ
ture of things such party could notbe expect|
, to favor the growth of domestic industry, and
| ri ErNr,.
} population at the south, it passed naturally
eHorts to make the farmers Of the north al
west believe their interests hostile to protection
But no sooner did the Republican party obta
: the power to enact protective tariff than it d
so, and has firmly maintained that policy ev
5 since. No sooner, however, had the war ende
and with 1t the vast demand for money tht
S the Democratic leaders renewed their attac
S upon The protective tariff, mainly under the il
huence OF the foreign capital centralized in Ne
York. Every successive Congress since L
9 war has been agitated by Democratic efforts
e modify or repeal the protective duties
S CONTROLLING THE SOLID SOUTH.
S These did not gather much force until t
q confederates recovered control of the sol
Il south, and since that time the efforts at fl
= trade have been open, undisguised, and de
perate In the last eighteen years Republic
Poioy hos erecteu stupenQOuS 1aDrlc OF
J. mestic industry all over the north and west a.
e in many parts of the south. The western
|. dustries have risen to colossal proportions
J. If by magic. Yet, in the only two Democra
Is Congresses we have had since 186O the m,
is laborious efforts have been made TO destroy
Ic protective system, and to enact tariff schedu
l. for the encouragement of native manufactu
and favorng the competing foreign goo
When Mr. Kerr (Democrat) was elected Speal
le of the House of Representatives, he appointe,
,p Committee of Ways and Means with a decit
4. free-trade majority, which spent It's ent
q, time in vain endeavors to mature and pas
,h free-trade tariff. Mr.. Randall (Democrat,,
OF present Speaker, appointed a similar comm
A, tee, headed by Fernando Wood, an ultra Fl
a. trade Democrat. That committee made
most outrageous tariff for the oppressio,
American industries ever yet attempted.
IT. was so intensely foreign that even the 4
as trade organs opposed 1t as stupid and foolish
he The argument presented by the broad c,
Il. mon sense of Andrew Jackson, that by dive
as flying the employments of the people, the n
n kets for agricultural produce would be
" proved, has gradually become the accepted ,
ty trine for northern and western farmers, a.
whom favor manufactures for that reason.
1t is everywhere met by the Democrats witt