The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-09-03

beneath an avalanche of indignant ballots Vet
free trade-a cardinal doctrine of the Demo
cratic party-would require the government to
raise its revenues by direct taxation Here it
should be remarked that not a dollar of the
taxes levied by State, county, town and munich
pal authority ever reaches the United States
treasury. such statement would seem unne-
cessary; but the fact is that many Democrats
listening to the defamation of Democratic
speakers against taxation, really believe that
the federal government pockets q large share of
the taxes they pay over to their county treasur-
ers.
An immense revenue must be raised by the
government each year. Pensions, the army, the
navy, coast defenses, foreign diplomatic service.
civil. legislative and judicial expenses
Ffau not dollar sis sq were Of na5 money me
or principal of the national debt There are
now over three hundred thousand pensioners on
the pension rolls of our government recurring
an aggregate annual payment of about sixty-six
million dollars. Nearly one-third of the annual
expenses of the government is devoted to pen
sions. Internal revenue taxes are now reduced
and limited to three articles and will not hence
forth produce much, if any, more than enough
revenue to pay our annual pensions. Hence the
main part OF our government revenue must be
raised by tariff duties The Democratic party
now admits this The Democratic platform
says, l'From the foundation of this government
taxes collected at the custom house have been
the chief source of federal revenue Srrcu
THEY MUST CONTINUE The question then Is
upon what principle shall the tariff duties be
adjusteds Shall tariff duties be so levied as to
protect and uphold American labor and American
manufacture, American wages and American in
dustrles! Or shall they be levied regardless
of the protection of the interests of American
laborers and manufacturers England votes
with the Democratic party on this question and
says, NO PROTECTION. Is there an issue between
the two parties ON the tariff question?
From its foundation down to the present the
Republican party has steadily maintained and
will continue to maintain the policy of protee
ton to American labor, American production
and American manufacture. One of the first
acts of the Republican party when il came into
power in 1861, was the establishment of this
principle of protection by the enactment of a
protective tariff law. The Republican marty has
never advocated the passage of tariff laws foY
the single purpose OF protection, but it has al
ways advocated, and now believes in, tariff laws
for revenue AND PROTECTION. The time
will never come when the United States
government will not need large reye
nue., AS our growth and development increase
the need OF revenue increases. So long as We
have pension roll, an unpaid national
debt, unfortified sea coasts harbors to construct
and keep In repair. rivers to improve and render
nayigable, an army to maintain, navy to build
and equip, and the ordinary civil expenses of the
government to pay. it win not be necessary to
consider the question of the right orpower of the
government to levy tariff duties SOLELY for pro-
lection, because we will need an immense reye-
nue. for revenue purposes, and can readily make
provision for needed protection by the adjust
ment OF tariff duties needed for revenue. In its
adjustment of the tariff, the Republican party
has kept three principles in view First. no ad.
NIT free of duty such products and materials as
are not produced in our own country but are
recessarles of life, or needed in the arts and
manufactures Coffee, tea, crude drugs cheIni-
Gals and dye stufs are familiar illustrations of
the principle upon which the Republican
party makes up the free list Second.
To impose the duties upon FOREIGN
products, materials and manufactures
the free importation of which would bring
American wage laborers and American manu-
faeturers into direct competition with the star
walton wages, cheap manufactures and pauper
labor OF foreign countries By pauper labor is
meant the labor of that class of people who are
compelled, IN Europe in order to avoid suarva-
tlon of themselves and their families, to accept
anything as wages that may be offered them
Manufacturers Of iron and STEEL wooden, linen
and cotton goods may serve as illustrations.
Third, To still further discriminate in favor of
the laborer dependent upon his wages for the
support of his family, by imposing higher duties
upon articles of luxury, such as iewery, laces
velyets and silks, and lower duties upon the
common necessaries of life Do not these prin-
ciples of tariff adjustment commend themselves
to your judgement as wise and JUST
DEMOCRATIC OPPOSITION TO PROTECTION.
The Democratic party has always been an.
enemy to tariff protection. Once and again when
in power it repealed and destroyed protective
tariff laws, and brought disaster and bankruptcy
upon the country.
President Fillmore we'll described the legiti-
mate results Of Democratic free-trade tariff
law in his messages to Congress in 1851 and in
1852 as follows: .sPhe policy which dictated
low rate of duties on foreign merchandise, it was
thought by those who promoted and established
it. would tend TO benefit the farming population
of this country by increasing the demand and
raising the price of agricultural products in for
eign markets. The facts, however, seem to show
ineontestibly that no such result has followed
the adoption Of this policy. In the second place,
as our Misunderstanding establishments are broken
down by competition with foreigners, the capital
invested in them IS lost thousands of honest and
industrious citizens are thrown out of employ
ment, the destruction of our manufactures leaves
the foreigner without competition in our
market and he consequently raises the price of
the articles sent here for sale
That is the history of one Democratic tariff
law. After many years of hostility to protection
of American labor and industry, and the re-
peated destruction of protective trrif laws, when
ever 1t could compass their destruction, in 1856
and again in 1860, the Democratic party in its
platform declared: 1.-THE time has come for the
people of the United States to declare them
selves in favor of free seas and progressive free
trade throughout the world. ? The last Demo
cratic President that was-or will be--was elect
ed upon that platform Just before his inaugura
ton the Democratic party passed a free trade
tariff law. still further destroying and suhstan
TALLY wiping out tariff protection. But Buchan
an, in his messages tn Congress in 1857 and
1858, admitted the disastrous results of Demo
cratic tariff legislation, and begged for return
to the protective system in these sad words: lIn
the midst of unsurpassed plenty in al the pro
auctions and in all the elements of
wealth, we find our manufactures sus-
pended, our public works retarded, our
private enterprises of different kinds abandoned
and thousands of useful Iahorers thrown out of