New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-03-23
4 DEMOCP1T[C RETREAT

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4 DEMOCRATIC RETREAT
We are afraid the Democratic party is not
| quite foolish enough to adopt free trade as an
issue. It's journals and statesmen are shy OF
| the subject, and many Of them are openly In
| favor of protectiOn-not too much protection,
| but Just enough to enable the party to hold the
votes of the wOrlingmen. The res0undIng
| Voorhees, announced some time ago that the
only salvation possible for the Democrats lay
| IN the adoption of moderate protective policy
| and i'm an emphatic remuneration of all SYM
patty with free trade. lie gave no reason Tor
| this change of front, merely observing that
what the party must have was n larger number
| of votes on election day and this was the only
| way in which to get them. Had it occurred to
hin that the late Andrew Jackson was pro-
tectionist he would probably have called his
plan ,jacksonian revival. Viewed as an Illus
trati0n of Democratic devotion to principle, the
somcrsault proposed by voorhees, Is more
characteristic than it is orally impressive, but
at the same time it is not wholly lmpOlltlc.
| The party has reached that point where 1t must
either tnrn back on 90 over the preciplce. 1t
may not accomplish anything by retreatlng,
but it certainly will gain nothing by going
ahead Its position is n good deal like that OF
the valiant Young man who came down from
Yonkers to New-York to enlist IN the militia.
Adorned with youth and beauty and new SILK
hat he presented himself TO the recruiting
officer and stated his Grand The stern,
battle-scamed veteran looked solemnly Mt HIM
and said Suppose, sill, tnat you were III com
"mand of a company that in yOnr rear was an
impossible abyss: that on either side OF you
arose perpendicular prccipices hundred feet
" in hc ght that in front OF you stood the
enemy ten times yOur number Young man,
what would Won DO ~ "General,' said the
embryonic Napoleon, without a moments hest
tation. "General, | should rcsignW We think
the Democrats would be wiser to resign, but rs
it will come to the same thing i'll the end it
does not matter
That they have decided upon retreat is
sufficiently evident. The reception given by
the Democratic journals to Mr.. Watterson
speech is proof of this. He receives rebukes
and rebuns from all sides, and no encourage
mept from any. Even the Southern journals,
which were formerly Jealous Tor free trade,
arc openly advocating protection now that
they have young and struggling industries OF
their own which t.ey wish to have fOstered. In
Congress, too, the efforts to commit the Demo
cratic statesmen to n free trade policy are
scarcely more successful. We were told
few weeks ago tn t. The Tariff Commission bill
would not he allowed to come before the House
unless the Democrats were permitted to amend
it as they chose that it could only be taken
up out of its regular order by two-thirds
vote, and that this could only be obtained by
an arrangement with the Democratic free
traders. But when the motion to take 1T up out
Of its order was made there could be mustered
only hfty-siX Democrats TO vote ID the mega
tive while thirty-siX voted i'll the Affirmative;
and tue vote was taken with the understand
ing that the right to amend the bill should be
decided by the Speaker and the House when 1t
came I'D for consideration. I.stcad of being
free trade success, this was distinctly free
trade defeat 1t is said that some OF the Demo
Gratis who voted in favor of consideration viii
vote against the bill but it is also said that
many of the leaders of the party are uneasy be-
cause so many of THEN members were put on
record in favor of free trade. The chances are
that when the final vote comes, the number OF
Democratic dodgers will be greater than the
number of those who are willing to go on the re-
cord rs being in favor of continuing the tariff
for revenue only policy. The significance of
tins Democratic lodging becomes apparent
when we remember that the Tariff Commission
bill does not present a clearly defined issue
between protection and free trade. The ex-
perience IN the last campaign has Taught the
Democratic leaders to be afraid Of the Issue in
any FORM and nothing is clearer than that they
will ignore it entirely in contests of the imrne-
date future.
But what will become of Mr.. Watterson
liz was going to "piace the old Democratic
nao-snp in line of battle; was going to pitch
the fools into the sea- and send the soreheads
below y; and with the free trade banner dying,
MAS going to " give her prayerfnlly, confidently
TO the God of Storms, the battle and tho
breeze 1t looks very much as if the fools and
the sorcheads had control of the ship, and
had headed her in the other direction. Mr..
Wattersou will have to go with her unless he
takes to the sea alone in q row-boat, and un-
rurls his tariff for revenue only" banner over
that. If he were to do that, "prayerfuly, con-
Gdently." it would be a most impressive spec
tacle.