The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-10-21

THE DEMOCRACY AND A TARIFF.
The howls Of the Republican party
over the tariff, and at the Democratic
party should deceive no one.
The panic of 1873, and the business
prostration and ruin that followed for
years, was under Republican tariff rule
The free trade sentiments and record
of Garfield shonld satisfy every work.
ing man that Hancock is safer man
than the Republican candidate, who is a
member of the Free Trade League of old
England.
1t should also be remembered that the
Democratic party, when in power, col
leCted all the revenues Of the Govern
ment by tariff taxation, except the little
that was gotten from the Gales of the
public lands,
The Democratic party does not now,
and never did, propose to abolish tariff
taxation; and with the public debt, in.
terest thereon, pensions and the other
demands, the tariff will continue to be
enormously high to raise the money re-
quired to carry on the government.
How, then, should any sane man feel
alarm at Democratic success ? The
men that are alarmed, and have raised
this howl, are the millionaire monopo-
lists, who fear Democratic justice and
refor n.
During the last few years that the De.
moCracy have bad control of Congress,
no foolish attempt has been made to in
terfere with values and business, All
this is the work of Republican schemers
when in power, who use the govern
ment for selfish purposes, and initiate
and contract the currency to plunder the
people and enrich themselves.
The fact is specially worth remember.
ing that the Democratic platform of 1875
was much more explicit and decided re.
speCting the tariff than that of 1880. 1t
reads as follows:
Reform is necessary in the sum and
modes of Federal taxation, to the end
that capital may be set free from distlust
and labor lightly burdened.
I'VE denounce the present tariff levied
upon nearly 1000 articles, as a master.
piece of injustice, inequality and false
pretenCe. 1t yields dwindling, not
yearly rising revenue II has impover-
ished many industries to subsidze
few, 1t prohibits imports that might
purchase the products of American la
Dor. 1t has degraded American COM
merce from the first to an inferior rank
on the high seas. 1t has cut down the
sales of American manufactures at home
and abroad, and depleted the returns of
American agriculture, an industry fol.
lowed by half our people. It costs the
people five times more than it produces
to the Treasury, obstructs the processes
of production, and wastes the fruits of
labor. 1t promotes fraud, fosters SNUG.
Cling, enriches dishonest officials, and
bankrupts honest merchants We de-
mand that all Custom House taxation
shall be for revenue only"
are we not, then, justified in saying
that the idea of any radical change in
our plan of customs taxation is prepos-
terousP And can any intelligent work.
ing man, who is really Democrat at
heart, allow himself to be so influenced
by any feeling of alarm upan this SUBJ
jeCt as to vote against Gen. Hancock
The manufacturing interests of the
North will be more safe with Hancock in
the White Houue than they would be with
The tariff laws will continue
to be what the interests of the greatest
number demand and for a long time to
come the interests of the greatest mum.
Der will demand tariff that will effect
lally protect the manufacturing workers
of this country.