Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-02-14
jefferson and Jackson slandered.

Editor Morning NeUS, The New York
Sun publishes a conversation with Con-
gresham Foran, Of Ohio, in which that
gentleman endeavors to prove that Jeffer-
son favored a protective tariff, and he
quotes largely from the inaugural address
to prove his position. But it is only
another case of the wish being father to
the thought, for the language which he
quotes will bear no such construction as
he very boldly claims for it. President
Jefferson was pleading in favor of first
eXtinguishing the public debt aud then
dividing revenue to be still derived from
tariff ''upOn articles of lux aUy to the
rich" amongst the various States for pur-
poses Of internal improvement. There is
not one word in favor of protective
tariff, except in so far as it might be in
cidentally so when placed upon articles
of luxury.
From his message to Congress- in De-
Gem beT, 1906, Mr.. FOran again quotes. and
again is careful to misconstrue He
(JefteTson) distinctly says that ''on ar
ticles OF more general and necessary use
the suppression Will, doubtless, be right,
but the great mass of the articles on
which impost is paid are fOreiqn Injuries,
purchased by those who are rich enough
to afford themselves the use Of them.
Their patriotism would certainly prefer
its continuance and application to the
great purposes of the public education,
roads, etc.
Now, what can Mr.. FOran. or amy other
absolute protectiOnist, fairly make out Of
this language? 1t is purely and simply a
plea for assistance to works of internal
Improvement, which was to be met by a
tariff levied upon articles of luxury. Not
one word in support of a tariff upon the
necessities of the poor, or the require
ments OF the country's material progress.
He asks the question, "ShalI we suppress
the impOst, and give that advantage to
foreign over domestic manufacturers? p
And he replies as above, it Will doubtless
be right, except upon articles of foreign
luxury.
Mr.. Foran. with an air of great COM
placency, next turned to JGeksOn's first
message to Congress in 1924 and claims
Old Hickory as a prOtectiOnist on the
strength of this paragraph, which he
quotes: "The agricultural interests of
our country is so essentially connected
with every other, and so Superior IN inDOr-
lance to them all, that 1t is principally as
manufactures and commerce tend to in
crease the value of agricultural produce
ti0ns, and to extend their application to
the wants and comforts OF society that
bftev UCSGfDC tfl6 tOStGFtft4 care Ol govern
ment. Looking forward to the period not
far distant when a shaking fund will no
longer be required, the duties on those ar
ticles of Importation which cannot come
in competition with oar own productions
are the .frst that should engage the at
tention of Congress in the modification OF
the tariff"
Singular language for a Protectionist.
he passively endures a tariff only because
means are required to meet the public
debt. AS soon as that debt is paid he adj
Vises the abTOgati0n of the tariff. ii he
does not favor free trade in explicit Ian
gauge he certainly leaves that imppessiOn,
for he says that productions which do not
compete with our own should be The frst
to receive attention; if he speaks of q first
he must have thoughts OF q second. and
possibly of many other reductions to be
made thereafter. He does not even stop,
as Jefferson did, at the luXuries Of the
rich. He looks forward, apparently, to a
very complete blOtting out Of the tariff
schedules.
And yet Mr.. FOran quotes this language
as that of an out-and-0ut protectionist.
But when a man wishes to believe King,
he is content with grounds sufficient to
rest one foot upon, and Mr.. FOran is very
anxious, distressingly so, to believe that
Jefferson and Jackson were Protection
lists. They may have been, but certainly
he has gone a queer way to work to prove
it from their own dellverances.
ALPHA.