The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1882-01-05
The South Solid-for Protection.


ton. The Courier Journal is almost alone
in clamoring for a tariff "for revenue
only" without reference to protection );
and this in face Of the fact, as asserted by
a leading Southern paper, "that the Ken
lucky Democracy of to-day is leavened
with the American policy Of Henry Clay"
The same paper emphatically denies the
claim of the Courier Journal that the
Democratic party and especially in the
South, are committed to its views. The
Mobile Register has not only published
several strong articles in favor of protec-
ton, but has undertaken to prove that
the Democratic party has never been a
free trade party, although "there was
much diversity of opinion as to the
amount of protection needed" The lat
ter statement was and is true of North
ern Democrats, possibly; but before the
war, when the Southern interests were
purely agricultural, the Southern element
dominated, and the party was anti pro
lection by profession and practice. But
the war has changed all that, and we now
find the Register advocating ''incidental
protection of home industries, to our iron
furnaces, our cotton mills, our rice and
sugar fields, and to the various other la
bors now growing up abundantly all over
the South" The Macon, Georgia, Tele-
graph advocates similar policy, its edi-
tor declaring that ''under the changed
condition of affairs at the South our peo-
pie will hay to change front upon many
issues upon which they were once
straightly and solidly aligned" The
New Orleans Times prints letters in ia
vor Of protection. and heads them Strong
Arguments" and the Pcayune of the
same city argues for protection, and eX
horts the South to be solid for the power
which is their support and for the legis-
lation which is their strength. \ Wash
ington correspondent of the New Orleans
City Item intimates that ''partes must
change their policies or the (Southern)
people their politics." He says.
The Bourbon Democracy of the country in
scrbed their own ep,taph, far as the cam paign
of 1880 was concerned, upon one plank of their
platform in those dreadful words "a tariff for rev
enue only" and it requires inspiration of pro
phecy to predict that Notwithstanding the slough
ing off OF fragments like Voorhees,, of Indiana,
Randall, Of Pennsylvania and some lesser lights,
the old party Will 20 into battle in 81 cheering on
its followers with the cry of free trade
AS this policy threatens the large sugar
interest Of Louisiana, the correspondent
says "the forecast Of her rejecting men
will be protitably directed to the question
as to with which Of the two national par
ties her interests should seek the closer
alliance"
Editorially the City Item, which is a
peoples and not politicians paper, is
outspoken in favor Of protection. 1t con
cludes one article as follows: "American
workmen are resolved not to degrade
their freedom and imperil their independ
dence by a direct competition with the
enforced or but half-paid labor of com
manities in which the masters pocket all
the profits. AS to any excess of tariff
| revenue, that can readily be disposed of
| for years to come by much needed inter
nal improvements And in another ar
ticle the Item calls upon those who are
interested, directly or indirectly, in the
cultivation of sugar in that State, to put
themselves in the strongest possible state
Of defence. TO this end it advises the
| forming OF political alliances with friend
| " statesmen in other commonwealth
"TeXas wants protection for her wool ;
Pennsylvania and Alabama for their
iron; New England and Georgia for
their manufactures of cotton: South Car
DINA for her rice. Louisiana for her sugar,
and so on The Item thinks that some
Of the public men of the State need stir
| ring up, and il does a little business in
that direction on its own account by
charging that they are attached to the
distraction Of free trade because it was
once the rallying cry of great party,
which had to abandon the principle in
practice, though they continue to lumber
their platform with a conventional atfir-
nation Of attachment to it," And it fol
lows this thrust with the bold declaration
that, The politician in this State who
does not stand squarely upon the platform
OF a protective tariff would be worse than
useless in Congress- Altogether it looks
| as if the South has kicked clear out of
the old Democratic traces and means to
set up for itself. The free trade Demo-
Gratis of the North will have to catch on,
as Voorhees, and Hendricks have done,
and pretty soon, too, or they will get left.
Hon. l.. \. Emery, of Ellsworth, has
prepared an interesting article on the
proposed extension Of the Bucksport and
Bangor railroad to Ellsworth He says
/
present year, purchased largely controlling in
terest IN the first mortgage bonds of the Bucks
port and Bangor Railroad Company which mort
gage is expected to be fully foreclosed next Feb
ruary, and the railroad to come into the posses
sion Of the bona holders In making the purchase
these gentlemen had in mind the early extension
of the railroad to Ellsworth, if sufficient encour
agement should be met with OF course their
primary object was to make a fair investment for
themselves They are satisfied with their invest
ment in its present state The present railroad
earns enough to pay them small but increasing
interest on their investment They are under no
sort of compulson to extend the road and of
course will not venture to do so at any great risk
They have already put into the road as much of
their own money as they care to, and any extern
sion must be built entirely by the proceeds of a
loan
Careful surveys by competent engineers
| and close estimates show that the cost of
the extension will be fully $500 900, ex-
elusive Of right of way, station houses,
etc. If the project is carried out the
present road will be bonded for that
amount To pay the interest on that
loan tho road muSt oarr, not Clio OnO 49,,