Los Angeles daily herald., 1884-10-12
A False Issue.

turn upon the tariff. There has prob
ably never been finer instance of
impudence in the world than the at
tempt to obscure the force OF that
luminous plank OF the National Dem
ocratic Convention at Chicago which
deals with the tariff. Although We
have frequently published il for the
benefit OF our readers in its place in
the platform, we cannot resist the
temptation to reproduce il now 1t is
as follows.
The Democratic party is pledged to
revise the tariff in spirit OF fairness
to all interests, but in making "a re-
duction in taxes il is not proposed to
injure any domestic industries, but
rather to promote their healthy
growth. From the foundation of this
Government, taxes collected at the
custom.house have been the chief
source of Federal revenue, and such
they must continue to be. Moreover,
many industries have come to rely
upon legislation for their successful
continuance, so that any change OF
the law must be at every step regard
full OF the labor and capital thus in
volved. The process OF reform must
be subject to the execution OF this
plain dictate OF justice, All taxation
shall be limited to the requirements
of an economical Government. The
necessary reduction in taxation can
and must be effected without depriv-
ing American labor of the ability to
compete successfully with foreign
labor, and without imposing lower
rates of duty than will be ample to
cover any increased cost of produc-
ton which may exist in consequence
of the higher rate of wages prevailing
in this country. Sufficient revenue to
pay all the expenses of the Federal
Government, economically admin
istered, including pensions and inter
est and principal of the public debt,
can be got under our present system
of taxation from custom-house taxes
on fewer imported articles, bearing
heaviest on articles OF luxury and
bearing lightest on articles of neces-
sity. We therefore denounce the
abuses of the existing tariff, and, sub
ject to these limitations, we demand
that Federal taxation shall be exclu-
sively for public purposes and shall
not exceed the needs OF the Govern
ment, economically administered.
We have no hesitation in claiming
that never in the history of political
conventions has there been wiser or
more conservative utterance on the
question OF protection to American
industry than is contained in the fore
going. 1t is a square and explicit
pledge to the workingmen that no
legislation will be countenanced by
the Democratic party which will in
any manner have tendency to
throw him out OF work, or to embar-
rass the business interests of the
country. 1t contains, besides, and
this the people who love fair play
and good government earnestly desire
to see done, pledge that the
gross inequality and injustice of the
existing tariff shall be remedied. In
face of such an honest and ringing
declaration in favor of the American
workingman by the Democratic party
it requires all the demagogic audacity
of Blaine to enable him to go round
Ohio telling the wage-earners that
their livelihood is in danger ii the Re-
publican barnacles are scraped off the
bottom of the ship OF state.
The anti-Blaine Republicans OF
Pennsylvania have met this sophis-
teal and artificial argument in very
trenehant and convincing way. In
the late address issued by them to the
voters of the Keystone State they say
on this question:
With respect to the tariff we in no
way recognize that protection is at
stake in the present canvass in the
sense in which the Republican mana
gers would have us believe. Many OF
the members of this association are
pronounced proteetionists, whose in
terests are largely dependent, as they
believe, on the continued prosperity
of the manufactures fostered hv the
tariff, and they can recognize no dan
ger TO these interests from the success
of the candidate OF party which in
the last session OF Congress only
showed in its efforts at tariff revision
its own hopeless division on the sub
ject, and was forced at Chicago tC
adopt an expression OF policy so near.
ly akin TO that of its rival.
Mr.. Blaine and the Republican edi
tors and stump speakers are very
careful to ignore the fact that while
the Morrison bill was introduced by d
Democrat its defeat was made posi-
bile by the circumstance that forty.
one Democrats, headed by Samuel j,
Randall, voted against it, That the
sentiment OF the Democratic masses
even in the South is not hostile 10
protection is shown by the fact that
not one OF the representatives from
Louisiana who voted for Carlisle for
Speaker was re-nominated, the fight
being made on this issue.
In its aspiration to rid the tariff o.
the gross favoritsm which was en-
grated on it during the war the PEG
pile go with the Democratic party i
is not a pleasant thing to know that {
few Democratic editors and free trad,