Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1884-07-11

hence protection ana Tree traue'
we're in many States scarcely
debated from lack of interest, and
in the States where interest pre-
vailed both parties took subStan-
TALLY the same side.
"a deception had, however, been
practiced IN the manufacturing
States of the North, and when the
administration of Mr.. Polk was in
stalled the friends of protection
we're startled by the appointment
of a determined opponent OF the
tariff of 1S42 as Secretary of the
Treasury. Robert j. Walker was
a Senator from Mississippi when
the act was,passed,a and was bitterly
opposed to it. He was a man OF
great originality, somewhat specu-
Iative in his views, and willing to
experiment on questions ofrevenue
to the point of rashness. He was
not a believer in the dOctine Of
protection, was persuaded that pro-
tective duties bore unjustly and
severely upon the planting section
with which he was identified; and
he came to his office determined to
overthrow the tariff act, which he
had been unable to defeat in the
Senate. Mr.. Walker was exces-
sively ambitious to make his term
in the Treasury an era in the histo-
ry of the country. He had a diff
cult task before him, one from
which conservative man would
have shrunk. The tariff was un-
doubtedly producing a valuable re.
venue, and as the administration OF
Mr.. Polk was about to engage in
war revenue was what they most
needed. Being about to enter up
on a war, every dictate of prudence
suggested that aggressive issue
should not be multiplied in the
country. But Mr.. Walker was not
Secretary of War or Secretary of
1 State, and he was unwilling to sit
quietly down and collect the reven-
ue under a tarid imposed by Wing
Congress against which he had
voted, while Buchanan, in directing
our foreign relations, and Marcy, in
conducting successful war, would
far outstrip him in public observa-
ton and in acquiring the elements
of popularity adapted to the ambi-
ton which all three alike shared.
i "Mr. Walker made an elaborate
report on the question of revenue,
and attacked the tariff of 1912 in a
manner which might well be term
ed savage. He arraigned the man
ufacturers as enjoying unfair adj
vantages-advantages held, as he
endeavored to demonstrate, at the
expense and to the detriment of
the agriculturist, the mechanic, the
merchant, the ship-Owner, the sail
or, and indeed of almost every in
dustrial class. In reading Mr.. Wal
kers report third Of a century af-
ter it was made one might imagine
| that the supporters of the tariff oi
1842 were engaged in conspiracy
to commit fraud, and that the
manufacturers who proAted by its
duties were guilty of some crime
against the people. But extreme
as were his declarations and diff
cult as were the distractions In his
path, he wasable to carry his point
Mr.. Buchanan, the head of the Cab
: met, had voted for the tariff of lS4l
and Mr.. Dallas, the Vice-President,
| had steadily and ably upheld the
doctrine of protection when a mem
, Der of the Senate. 1t was the posi-
, ton of Buchanan and Dallas on
the tariff that won the October
election of 1914 for Francis r. Skunk
for governor of Pennsylvania, and
thus assured the election of Mr.
Polk. The administration of which
Buchanan and Dallas were such
conspicuous and influential mem
bers could not forSwear protec
ton and infict a free trade
tarif on Pennsylvania, without ap
parent dishonor and the abandon
ment of that State to the Wings. L
was therefore regarded not only az
impracticable but as politically i'm
possible.
at was soon ascertained, how
, ever, that Mr.. Polk sympathizeC
with Mr.. Walker, and Mr.. Buchan
an was silenced and overridden
The free. trade tariff of 1916 wa
passed; and Mr.. Dallas, who haC
been nominated because of hi
record as a protectionist, wa
subjected to the humiliation
of giving his casting vote a
, Vice President in favor Of a tari
which was execrated in Pennsyl
vania, and which was honestly be
? lieved to be inimical in the highes
degree to the interest of the Amer
ican manufacturer and the Ameri
can mechanic. The act had no small
influence in the overthrow of th'
Polk administration at the election
f for the next ensuing Congress, ant
in the defeat of General Cass 70
T the Presidency in 1913. AS Sena
tor from Michigan, General Cas-
f had voted for the bill, influenced
thereto by his Southern associates
; for whom he always did so much
and from whom he always received
so little. Pennsylvania was at tha
f time really a democratic State, bu
she punished General Cass for hi
free.trade course by giving her elec
, toral vote to Taylor. If she ha'
given it to Cass he would have beel
chosed President.
: "It was in connection with tn
tariff agitation of 1916 that SimOl
f Cameron originally obtained hi
D strong hold upon the popular sym
t pathy and support of Pennsylvania
f He was a Democrat and long beel
, confidential adviser to Mr.. Buch
anan, and had supported MI. Polk
7 But he was a believer in the doc
, tr;na of ,,rotootion. on1 ha hai