Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-12-20
SATURDAY. ....DEcEMBER 20. 1884.


Theory We. Practice.
Our good friend Of the Charleston Ne'os
and Courier will excuse us for quoting 10
him the following:
.Em. On. mankind sre ,mso weak
And little 10 be trusted.
n elf the wsvering balance shake,
IT'S rarely right adjusted"
Apropos Of what is this quotation mades
We reply that DAWSON declares himself to
be In favor Of protecting the rice industry
Of South Carolina. The planters OF the
Palmetto State do not wish TO be brought
into competition with the ricc-growers
Of Asia, and so our Charleston contem-
porary demands that they shall be protected
from these Asiatic competitors. DO not
lose sight Of The fact that this Asiatic rice has
10 bear q freigbt-cbarge for trausporta-
fion Of thousands upon thousands OF miles.
The cost Of these thousands OF miles Of
transportation ought to be sufficient pro-
lection, one would suppose, for even
Pennsylvania pig.iron maker. But not so.
Our Charleston contempofy assures us that
prime foreign rice can be delivered at
American ports at cost OF about $500 per
100 pounds, whilst the cost OF growing rice
on the Carolina and Georgia coasts Is esti-
mated by Mr.. JOHN ScREvES at S4.S3 per
100 pounds. The duty on rice Is p
cents per pound. So that our Charleston
anti.protectionist contemporary actually
advocates protective tariff that makes rice
cost the consumers about seventy per cent.
more than the lowest price they could buy
Il for but for that duly. The rice can be
delivered at New York for 0-10 cents per
pound. and the tariff is 2t cents per pound.
We see how tits. Ensign srEBBrSs was in ia
vor Of the Maine liquor law, but opposed TO
ITS execution; and SO Captain DAWSON Is In
favor OF law doing away with protection.
but opposed to its execution. He Is
theoretical anti protectionist, but a practi-
cal protectionist. As the best place for a
boil IL on somebody else, so the best place
for multiplication laws TO be put into
operation Is outside Of South Carolina.
Our Charleston friend foresaw OF course
that his Inconsistency would be pointed
out by the Nashville american. the Macon
Tsieqroph, the Atlanta Constitution, the
New Orleans Picdp1ne or Times. or some
other protectionist Democratic paper; and
so he defends himself in advance. We con.
slider il but fair to allow him to be heard IN
justification Of what he will allow us to call
his desertion from the ranks OF the Waiter
sonians. lie says:
1--WE shall he told. Of course, that It Is
inconsistent for newspaper which advo-
Gates tariff revision to ask for the mainte-
nance OF the import duty on rice. There
"a no inconsistency In 10. Our position Is
that 70 loug a. the policy OF the country Is
protective In character, the rice-planters
should receive their Just share OF the local
and restricted benefits Of that one-sided
system Some rice-planters are Protec-
tionists. but there are others who are
genuine tariff.reforlners. and all that the
latter ask is that there shall be fair play
and fair dealing, and that Congress shall
not apply one set OF principles TO southern
industries and another set OF principles to
northern industries.
at IL difficult for any one who reads the
statements presented TO the Tariff Commits
sion to doubt for moment that the re-
moyal Of the import duty on rice could
have any other effect than the destruction
of rice.culture in the United States. Ii Is
bv no means easy for the rice-planters to
hold their ground, with such benefit as the
import duty Of q cents pound gives them.
Without il. they say. they cannot live, and
we believe them. The Ne,os and Courier
is revenue~reform paper. and will
not. under any circumstances, seek
10 obtain local benefit at the expense OF
broad and general principle. II Is reasona-
BILE and lust, however, that the duty on
rice shall be continued until there is gen.
ersl revision OF the tariff. In which case the
rice.planters, In the reduction OF the duty
on other articles, may lind some little COM
peusation for the loss they are called on to
bear. They should not be singled out, nor
should the sugsr-planters, to satisfy the
popular demsnd for victims, and to enable
the higb-tarif people. in that way, TO post
poue reduction Of duties ON commodities
in which they are specially Interested"
That sort OF talk might be expected
from any OF the papers we have named
above; but not from our Charleston
friend. II Is contrary to his teachings,
and his logical mind cannot fail to have
led him TO the conclusion that II the rice
planters Of South Carolina and Georgia
ought not to be the first IA suffer from n
reduced tariff. then there Is no industry In
the United States that ought to be the first
to suffer. Indeed, he admits as much
when he says that the sugar-plantcrs should
not be "singled out to satisfy the popular
demand for Victims" Recollect, reader
that II there il any "popular demand
for yictims.v DAWSON and wATTERsoS
are more responsible.for II than amy Other
two men. But the closing words OF The
above extract cap tAe climax: TO post
none a reduction Of duties on co'amod't'e'
IN ,chich they are specially interested" y.
The very offence Of which our Charleston
contemporary Is guilty.
Aeain: who after reading the above
extracts would suppose their author TO b.
one ~ those who ridicule protective tariffs
.ra cav that protection does not protect
lie does not appear to have single donb
on that point when rice and sugar are thu
articles to be protected. He declares hi
helief TO be that without protection th'
rice planters "cannot live!
hut, after all, we endorse what the Nec'
and Courier says. II teaches the true doc
trihe. We trust It will allow US to teacl
the same when any Virginia industry i
concerned. and without questioning on
Democracy. We, too, .old that "ther
ought to be fair play. and that Congress
ought not to apply one set Of principles 4
southern industries and another set Of prIu
eiples 10 northern industries"
The following paragraph from che Gu
einusti Enquirer would seem 10 iudicat
that Mr.. MCLEAN was 10 better hume
when be wrote II than he was 10 when h
penned the article from which We quotes
yesterday:
"Nr. Bayard. amer all due allowance 10
- The purity Of bis motives Ia public life. al,
dtef grsntlns that be may hesitate on nc
count d Bic belief that be can be Of creates
fervice In the Senate, must be set down as
man not without ambition. He has all ,wcs
kfsro<M IA h. .<-.fl.~.a H..