The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1880-10-23
HANCOCK ON THE TARIFF.

I1ANSOSh yin ne ANTI
1t is exceedingly difficult to speak oi
General Hancock 5 pronunciamento about
the tariff with any degree OF respect.
Other Presidential candidates have said
things which made their supporters hide
their faces for shame. amid outburstS Of
contemptuous laughter from everybody
else. But no other candidate for the
Presidency, it is safe TO say, has ever
shown such amazing ignorance as ap-
pears i'll the language now attributed to
General Hancock by his supporters. In
deed. it seems almost incredible that any
man who was once at West Point and
has not lived ever since III solitary con-
tincmcnt, could by any possibility use
such language: and yet it is i'll many
respects marked by the Generals we'll
known pcculiarities. 1t is published.
too. by a newspaper devoted to his cause,
Tile Prter&cH GHHrGiaR. for the avowed
purpose Of recommending him to the
workers in protected manufactures of
that locality, and it cmbodieS precisely
the argument which some of the shrewd-
candidate have been as>iduouslv using.
But this argument is stated in such a
form as to disclose degree Of ignorance
that is almost beyond belief.
Here is a man who evidently feels that
the declaration of his party in favor of a
"tariil' for revenue only is hurting him
in manufacturing towns. and he is hun-
CRY to make some assurance that he will
not do any thing to iniure Manufacture
ming supporters saying that. after all.
the tariff question was one upon which
there must be differences of opinion arts
ing from local interests. so that Il Demo-
crat or 4 Republican from New Jersey
must be equally devoted to protection,
and he tries to express that ide&. But
how? He says: 1.-The tariff question is
a local question. The same question pds
br0"gh mp once in my native place in
Pennsylvania 1t is matter that the
General Government seldom cares to in
terfere with Can we believe that Gen.
Hancock does not know that the Consti-
tuition prohibits any imposition of duties
Grccpt 10y the General Government? Is
he ignorant shat tariff bills have been
discussed i'll every session of Congress
Cor twenty years, and that nearly twenty
such bills have been passed within that
time? Yet he says it is "a matter that
the General Government seldom cares to
Interfere with - What on earth can he
mean. if he is not miraculously ignor-
ant? In PENNSYLVANIA. where this queS-
ton has been a leading topic of discus
ever political meeting. in every village
and in every newspaper for many years,
he says this question Has brought up
once in my native town. Apparently
the few words which he caught OF the
subject at that ever memorable time when
the tariff question was brought up once,
led General Hancock to suppose that the
town was about to impose some duty on
products brought in from other towns.
Hence he looks upon it as "a local ques-
ton if these towns aud counties and
States want duties, why. by all means,
let them have what they want, With
hand on heart. and superb " bow, he
assures Paterson that he will never in
terterc if Paterson wants Il protective
tariff That is Paterson local affair
"a matter with which the General Gov
eminent seldom cares to interfere
Still. General Hancock has heard some
where else that the General Government
is obliged to raise some revenue by tariff.
lie really thinks the amount runs mp in
to the millions. And he has heard that
these duties do protect industries So
he says: :" Ny election could make nc
difference either one way or the other.
There ha; to be Il certain amount-mil-
lions of dollars-raiSed by Il tariff that
can be got i'll no other way, and that
must necessarily give protection to the
manufacturing interests of the country -
This may be very ignorant or very men.
dacious talk, hut the courtesy that is
due to a candidate compels us to assume
that it is not mendaciouS Millions OF
dollars can be raised by tariff on sugar.
coffee. tea. wool. hides. and host OF
other articles but those duties would
not necessarily nor by any possibility
give protection to the manufacturing
interests. That is the sort of tariff that
Great Britain has 1t is the sort of tariff
that great majority of General Han
cocks supporters want. 1t is the sort Of
tariff which British manufacturers want
this country to adopt, and hence it is not
strange if they send hither large sums,
while their agents here and other i'm
porters give large sums for the campaign
fund to elect General Hancock. His
party wants "a tariff for revenue onIy. =
That means tariff that is not for pro-
lection. But General Hancock wishes it
to be understood that he does not know
the difference.
And this is the candidate whose broad
and ripe craftsmanship has been so
loudly Wanted, If this Is statesman
ship there is hardlya ten year old school
by in Pennsylvania who has not more
of it. or who could not talk more intelli-
gently OF the g local question which
was brought up once in his native
place" No enemy has said ANYTHING
half rs severe about the ability or quail
tications of General Hancock as he says
of himself i'll this ei1usion. The work
ingmen Of this country do not care to
vote for man because he puts on great
airs of wisdom. but obey have Il strong
prejudice against elevating over them
selves. as their ruler, charged with care
Of all their great interests. man who
knows less than their own children about
those interests and the nature of laws
that affect them. Probably it will seem
Hancock is as ignorant as he appears to
be. In that case. they will conclude that
he is trying to cheat them ont of their
votes to their own harm. But thew will
do him injustice. The real troublc is
that General Hancock, the Superb and
the '.GiOriDuS - is n Soldicr--and has moi