Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1884-07-11
Blaine's Protection Views.
CONTINUED FROM LAST wEEK.]

"There was general feeling that
the act of 1928 marked a crisis in
the history of tariff discussion, and
that it would in some way lead to
important results in the fate OF
political parties and political lea
ders. Mr.. Calhoun was this year
elected Vice President of the Unit
ed States, with General Jackson as
President, and Mr.. Van Buren, was
transferred from the Senate to the
State Department as the head OF
Jackson's Cabinet. When by his
address and tact he had turned
the mind of the President against
Calhoun as his successor, and fully
ingratiated himself in executive
favor, the quarrel began which is
elsewhere detailed at sufficient
length. In this controversy, pure
ly personal at the outset, springing
from the clashing ambitions of two
aspiring men, the tariff of 1928,
especially with the vote of Mr.. Van
Buren, in favor of it, was made to
play an important part. The quar-
rel rapidly eliminated in Mr.. Cal
houn's resignation of the Vice
Presidency, his leadership of the
notification contest in South Caro-
lima, and his reelection to the
Senate of the United States some
time before the expiration Of the
Vice. Presidential term for which
he had been chosen The result
was a reduction of duties, first by
the act of July, 1882, and secondly
by Mr.. Clay's famous compromise
act of March 2, 1888, in which il
was provided that by a sliding
scale all the duties in excess of 2(
per cent. should be abolished with
in a period of ten years. 1t was
this act which for the time calmed
excitement in the South, brought
Mr.. Calhoun and Mr.. Clay into
kindly relations, and somewhat
separated Mr.. Webster and Mr.
Clay-at least producing one o
those periods of estrangemen
which, throughout their public ca
reer, alternated with the cordia
friendship they really entertained
for each other.
during the operation of this ac
which was really an abandonment
of the protective principle-th'
financial crisis of 1887 came upol
the country, and a period of dis
tress ensued almost equal to tha
which preceded the enactment o
the tariff of 1924. Many persons
still in active business, recall will
something of horror the hardship
aud privations which were endured
throughout the country from 1S3
to 1S42. The long continued de
preston produced the revolution
against the Democratic party
which ended in the overthrow o
Mr.. Van Buren, and the election Q
General Harrison as the Presiden
of the United States in 1910. Th'
Whig Congress that came int
power at the same time proceeded
to enact the law properly know
as the tariff of 1912, which wa
strongly protective inits character
though not so extreme as the ac
of 1928, The vote in favor of th'
bill was not exclusively Wing, al
some of the Northern Democrat
voted for it and some of the South
ern Wings against it. Conspicuou'
among the former were Mr.. Buch
anan, of Pennsylvania, and Mr.
Wright, of New York, who main
tanned a consistency with their vOt'
for the tariff of 1928. Conspicuou
among Southern Wings against i
were Berrien of Georgia, Clayton
of Delaware, Mangum of Nortl
Carolina, Merrick of Maryland
and Rives of Virginia. The tw'
men who above all others deserv,
honor for successful management
of the bill were George Evans, tn
brilliant and accomplished Senate
from Maine, and Thomas NJ. I
McKennan, for many years an able
upright, and popular Representa-
tive from Pennsylvania. Johl
Quincy Adams, in a public speecl
delivered in 1S43 in the town o
| Mr.. McKennan's residence, ascrib
ed to that gentleman the chic
credit of carrying the protectiv
tariff bill through the House o
Representatives. The vote showed
as all tariff bills before had, and a
since have shown, that the loca
interest of the constituency deter
mines in large measure the vote o
the Representative; that planting
sections grow more and more to
ward free trade and manufacturing
sections more and toward protec
ton.
"The friends of home industr.
have always referred with salts
faction to the effect of the tarif 0
, 1S42 as an explicit and undeniabl
proof of the value of protection. |
! raised the country from slough o
despond to happiness, cheerfulness
{ confidence. 1t impaired to al
, sections a degree of prosperit,