Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1883-05-24
The Tariff Question Made Plain.


stood. There have been much idle
defamation and palayer about n pro
tectipe tariff; tariff for rcrenue tcih
incidental protection tariff for
rerenue only, and free trade. 1T Is i'm.
portant, indeed essential, to have
distinct and accurate conception of
these different phrases and distinctions
on the subject.
/. 4 protective tariff is that which
makes protection the object, aud re.
venue he mere incident. This has
been illustrated by the tariff adopted
and advocated by the present Rcpub.
lican party in Congress, producing
annually from one hundred to one
hundred and fifty millions Of dollars
more revenue than was required for
the expenditures of the Government,
thus showing protection to be the otj.c'
and revenue tn be Incidental merely.
.. A tariff for rsrcmuc with mrideH-
tai Dro,cctoa. i that which makes re.
venue the object, but in which pro
tectinc home industries /, made merely
resulting iucidrat, This, limited to
the nece,sit.r, OF the Government, and
adjusted in ils detail, with reference 10
equality in the public burdens, and
also with a view to tosisr and protect
American industries and labor by dis.
examinations. is, and has ever been, the
Democratic revenue system for the
support of the Federal Government
"a tariff for revenue oHiy' Is a new
phrase, introduced clande~tinely, and
adopted by inadvertencc in the Demo
cratic platform of 1850. The special
significance of this form of expression
was to exclude and preclude the idea Of,
or attention to INCIDENTAL. encourage
ment to home productive industry aud
labor And the MOST PALrAELE ob.
lection to it has been found in the fact,
that it afforded the Republican leader.
an opportunity OF peryertiug and mis-.
representing the true and actual posi-.
ton OF the Democracy on the tariff.
/. Free trade. This, i; it means
what it says, would require the sup.
port of the Federal Government by
direct taxation. which the people are
opposed TO- The foreign producer,
aud those interested in foreign produc
tion-. including the importer, and
vendors of articles Of foreign pr1dur.
ton, would favor direct taxation. Bot
the great body OF the people arr
against il, II free trade a. revenue
policy does not mean ih,-, then 10 is an
equivocai and caba,I,,Ir phrase, galou
lated to deceive aud ml-i.aI, and j.
especially Objectionable a. Giylu. to
political opponents an opportunity OF
misrepresentiug the position Of the
Democracy on the tariff question.
These distinctions seem tp toe essen.
tial 10 a correct understanding Of the
subject. The protective tariff. or. as it
Is sometimes called, the high protective
tariff. Is USDENIABLY the system OF
the present Republican party Pro-
lection being THE OBJECT and not the
INCIDENT the amount OF revenue Is
not proportiOucd or limited to the
waits VI amount bffhfN tfNl AAlf ~"
pendiiurcs OF the Government. Here
Is the distinction between the tariff of
the present Republican party and that
of the Democratic party. That j.,
the tariff system of the former is 4
HIGH PROTECTIVE TARIFF. making
protection ITS OBJECT, aud revenue
THE SIMPLE INCIDENT, and sometimes
the mere CASUAL incident For a.
to some articles the duty they levy il
SO great a. 10 be TRoHrBITORY that
is, to exclude the foreign article from
all chance Of competition in our own
markets. And it Is matter of public
notoriety that the leaders of the op.
position to the Democracy have, for
over fifty years, past labored to en-.
large the expenditures Of the Federal
Government as much as possible for
the purpose of furnishing occasion for
high protective tariff, thereby Great.
ing monopolies and giving unjust ad.
vantages to the few over the many.
On the contrary the tariff system of
the Democracy has differed from that
Of the opposing party in the following
particulars, to wit
/. Revenue is its object, and so far
as protection is afforded it is simply an
incident to determinations made from
considerations of public policy as to
the articles of import upon which the
duty is laid
2. The revenue is limited to the
necessary rants of the Government
economically administered.
3. The duties are imposed with
reference to equality in the public bur
dens, and the encouragement of pro.
ductive industry in all its branches so
far as it can be done without creating
monopOlies.
These differences between the pro.
tectiue tariff of the Republican party.
and the revenue tariff with Incidental
protection of the Democratic party,
ora funda mental and cleorty p,orkcJ