The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-12-26
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Berond.clRss matter
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rhe pemoeraey and the Tariff.
The election ofMr. Carlisle to the Speak
erhip goes far to make clear the party align
ment Of next year. The dominan. senti-
ment OF the Democratic party, as 1t Is rep
resented in the House, and by Its strongest
newspapers, is for free trade. Republicans
viii not decline the gage thus boldly
thrown down, but this does not help those
Democrats who do not belieyein free trade
or those other Democrats who would like
their party to go into the campaign with
some show Of succees. The New York San,
which had been insisting that "the Re
publican party must co. is telling Mr..
Watterson and his friends that free trade
won't do. The Nashville american tells
Mr.. wat,erson very plainly that his policy
will have to be abandoned, and Nh. Wat
tcrson himself, fiery as he Is, seeing what q
rrmpus has been raised, desires to modify
terms though he sticks to the original pro-
position. While the tariff bill Of last win.
ter was under discussion he wrote this very
plain statement Of bis We've:
4The Atlantic ConstitutiOH does cot Ike the
expression Of tariff for revenue only Wen,
l.E II get better. We are inclined 70 think
the line, as far as 1t goes, good one. put We
are no stickler for mere phrases. We de'
mand tariff reform, and We set our isce IN
eiva a nipeiul OF tobacco for Democratic
Sarty which should 60 back upon the reye-
f1ue record a the parry. The Democrat who
isnot a free trader should 20 elsewhere: he
stonld ioin the Republicans. No true Dem
oorat can be protectionist Tho hddle-tad-
Ola about the growing popularity OF protee-
lion In the South should mislead no one.
,rha Democratic party will make free trade
ilghtin 1884 lit loses It will make another
IN 1883. Democrats who can't 90 1t had BET.
ter PACK up and get out. The conhict
between fret-trade and protection ID nIet
prfssible and must be fought out TO the
bitter end, We spit upon compromises, ana
propose neither 10 AK nor give quarter. we
bsye int one political life and had Just as
soon lay 1t down on this issue as any other"
This being put at him now pleads that
he wrote it "when the blood was up" and
he explains that I'VE are not nearly SO hot
as we were" This is the baby act Mr..
Wstterson's Courier.Journal has been quite
as hot as tina. within week. We continue
to agree with him that "the Democrat who
is not a free trader should go else
where, In the same vein is this,
from the Charleston Netrs and Courier:
The Democratic party must look steadily
towards "a tariff for revenue only" as Its
goal. Nothing less will satisfy the people or
Justify the party. The insidious suggestion OF
the New York Sun that the choice lies be-
tween tariff for revenue only" and o
.tar.ff for revenue with incidental protec-
Hon Is misleading and nonsensical. There
cannot be "incidental protection under "a
tariff for revenue only" because the instant
that the tariff on any article becomes pro-
tectiye It ceases to be revenue tarif. There
will be for many years some meesu OF pro.
lection, but this will last only until the
tariff shall be exclusively for revenue. When
that point ahall have been reached there will
be no protective duty Of any kind.
This is direc. and frank, though 1t means
the destruction Of American industries
The Richmond Dispdtcb goes the whole
length Of Democratic doctrine until it
reaches the tariff. There 1t balks. This is
what 1t says:
Suppose, now, 1t be determined to make q
fight on the question OF protection. How
many votes can the Democrats draw from
Mahone on that issue2 So nearly none that
the number would not be worth counting.
How many Democratic votes could the
Republicans command on that issue We
will not say how many, but we will say that
nothing conld save the Democratic party
from defeat in Virginia but the refusal Of
Democrats who believe In protection 10 d.
vide upon that issue. What folly, then, To
be talking about fighting battle for tue
Presidency Of the United States upon that
issue. The men who do that sort OF talking
don't know what they are doing.
The Saginaw City (Michigan) Times is
another Democratic paper which knows
what is going on, and doesn't like it 1t
says that the election Of Mr.. Carlisle plants
ethe party Equarely on free trade plat
FORM" and that "a person who does not
believe in free trade has no place in the
Democratic party any longer" The Times
adds:
When another election occurs these men
who threaten destruction Of the So 000, 000.-
COO now invested in American manufactures,
and starvation TO the 100000 lsborere oper-
ating the same, will fad out how falsely
they represent the wishes Of the American
people.
These straws show which way the wind
blows. If 1.-THE Democratic leaders persist
in their policy there is going to be q scat
tering in the Democratic ranks-for not
all Democrats are free traders.