The Aberdeen examiner. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1866-current, 1883-06-14
"A DiscOrssant Note"

trust and believeit is but one. Under
the head of "No tariff fight in the
Democratic caucus-the Aberdeen
Examiner says:
"The Tariff of question is a local
issue, and must be met and disposed
OF in the various Congressional Dis
tricts in accordance with local inter"
ests. Where population is chiefly
employed in iron, lead and copper
industries, and manufacturing, the
ioters will be practically unanimous
in favoring the SO called "protective
system, while agricultural districts
will gravitate towards a "revenue
tariff with incidental protection, and
the congressman thus cbosen-each
representing the policy, or interests,
or prejudices Of his constituency
will when assembled compromise
their differences to as great an ex
tent as possile in the interest OF the
consuming class.'
This means that the Democrats
must abandon their well chosen
ground of a"Tariif for revenue only, "
''If they are to stand or that ground,
the tariff can not" be considered as
a mere "local question" The very
object of the Tariff antagonises such
a position. 1t is to raise revenue for
the maintenance of the government,
not to promote any branch of indus
try nor to advance the interests Of
any locality or section. The occu-
patton of the latter position by the
Democracy involves the abandonment
of the former; and then the party
will be on high tariff, or protective
ground. Ii would then be Demo,
cratic party with Republican princi-
ples--a situation which, with defer
| ence to the Examiner, we do not
think it is willing to accept, --Jach-
son Go?i0n
Our friend of the Gaiom must
excuse us for saying that it does not
mean any thing of the kind. 1t
means just exactly what the platform
of 1882 meant, when it said:
"Recognizing that there are in our
midst irreconcilable differences of
opinion with regard to tho respective
systems of Protection and Free
Trade, we remit the discussion OF
the subject to tho people in their
Congressional Districts and the do
cison of the people thereon, wholly
free from executive interference or
dictation -
Aud it means that when the
people Of the various districts of the
Republic, holding in relation to each
other "lrreconcilable differences of
opinin' on this tariff question, shall
have discussed the subject and sont
their Representatives up to Wash,
ington as exponents of their various
creeds--still differing widely-they
shall not, like crossroads politicians
or ward bullies, wranglo forever " +
the question, each class Of thinkers
claiming al or nothing.' But that,
as we said in the paragraph the
Clarion quotes: "the Congressman
thus chosen--each representing the
policy, or interests, OF preiudices of
his constituency-will, when assem-
bled, compromise their differences to
as great an extent as possible Ia tie
interest of the cOusDmjug class"
What more than this can the Clar
rion demand or expect? Does it ex,
pect tame surrender on the part of
statesmen bred in the belief that Il
protective tariff is not only right
in itself but absolutely essential to
the welfare of those who elected
them? If it does its faith in the in
nate generosity and self abnegating
philanthropy of the men of the
mines and mills "passeth all under
standing
"a tariff for protection is the
creed born of their education and
fancied necessities; "a tariff for reve>
nue. only" is the doctrine dear to tho
heart of the agriculturist. Now if
each shall resolve to stand firmly
and unyieldingly for all that his creed
and his noed suggests, there is little
chance for change save in the trans>
fer of the fight to other fields than
those of legislation, where batallions,
and squadrons and batteries arbi-
trate, and the heaviest columns usu-
ally WIN.
Whatever is accomplished must be
achieved by mutual concession; what
is demanded must be asked in spirit
Of fairness; what is given must be
accepted in The spirit of compromise
The advocates of revenue tariff will
demand reduction Of taxes but do
not hope in any single Congress to
reach the revenue standard, and the
wisest among them have long since
accepted as the guage of compromise
the plan Of so laying the duties upon
imports That the tariff shall imcide',-
tally protect the American manufac-
turer and mechanic without unduly
burdening the farmer.
If that is ga discordant note in
the tariff question in this State" as
the Clarion denominates it, we will
have to make the best of it, for we