The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-06-02
MORRISON ON POLITICS.
A Western statesman's Views of the Tariff
and Taxes.

Lstter in n. Y. wOrld.)
The Republican party is credited with
successful war and its results.
1t may obtain and keep power and not
merit it, but the Democratic party must
deserve to be before 1t will be success
full.
tits still true that, as between polit-
ieaI parties, what the laws shall be and
how executed. is more important to the
people than who shall make or execute
them.
The Democratic party will not get
control of the Government by the use of
even more money than the Republicans
use in elections, for any party that buys
power will sell il.
The party that uses money to get Of
fee will use the offices to get the money
back, and succeed.
The Democratic party must be better
than the Republican party. u,
The political power ts still left with
the people, and its exercise Is safest
when nearest to them.
The Government should interfere
with them as little as possible, and not
at all in those things which they can do
better for themselves without such in
reference.
Without some yet undiscovered ecOnO-
mic mystery through which government
adds to the abundance OF the people by
retaining part of what is first taken from
them, they will not be made more pros
porous by its interference with their
business pursuits or greater use of the
taxing power than its actual needs de-
mand.
Such interference always leads to
legislation, benefits of which the for
tnnate owners of associate and cOrpOr-
ate wealth get more and the great mass
| of men less than belongs to them.
The danger is great that money OBJ
| tanned by legislation will be used to
procure legislation.
This will Oe avoided il we limit taxes
laid on the people to actual needs OF the
Government economically administered.
Taxes, of whatever character, ought
to be laid highest and 50 as To take most
from those things which people can
best do without, but no higher rates
should be laid than will raise the re-
quiTed sum.
A higher rate is destructive of indus
try and prosperity, though abundant
| cheap lands and resources may put off
the evil day,
The annual report of the American
Iron and Steel Association of May /,
1888, tells the country that last year
there WAS disagreement as to rates OF
wages between manufacturers and
labOTers, the result of which was that
nearly all iron mills closed and the
labOrers were unemployed for months;
| that there were more mills than would
make all the iron The country could use,
that, therefore, stopping the mills and
the men remaining idle was by no
means calamity to the manufacturers.
The calamity then fell on the labor
| ing men, and this is the effect Of the
| present system In iron and all other
Over-protected industries.
Ia lne4e industries thousands of mil
| lions are invested. Millions of men are
employed, and earn about 81 day when
they work under the present system.
The calamity of four months enforced
idleness in single year falls wholly
upon labOring men; none Of 1t on the
manufacturers, who may close four
mouths when they will.
There is such division of opinion
among Democrats as requires liberation
on the tariff question, but those unwill-
ing to repeal war rates, which were
added to a protective tariff, are entitled
| to leniency
Those who advocate incidental prOtec-
tiOn, some protection, or any quail
| fed protection probably mean no more
| Ghan IL meant by tariff only for reVe-
nue., for tariff laid for revenue only
will afford some advantage to our man
| ufacturers.
The division is perhaps more Of policy
than of creed.
There are Democrats who are profess
edly revenue tariff men, but who insist
as matter of policy, that we shall not
say so.
The only purpose of science would be
to hide our real purposes, and there is
great danger that the people would be-
lieye we were thus praeticing deceit
to obtain power, and that any party
that would mislead them to get into
power disappOint them afterwards
WILLIAM r. MORRISON.