Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1884-02-09
Hoa. CASEY YOUNG.
HIS Views on the Tor,f Question Set Forth
Naxv York Sneeial


HIS Views on the Torif Question Set Forth
New York Special.
Casey Young, the member from
Memphis, has views OF his own on
the tariff, and declines to train In
either the Watterson or Morrison
Drigat!e
II don't know, "he said to Com.
Emercial Gazette correspondent, how
our men in congress propose to con
front this question. There Is Morri.
sou going ON the horizontal theory,
and Hewitt on another theory, and
| / presume Frank Hurd standing
| ready to hold up the radical free
tradesfiag. Suppose they bring in a
horizontal reduction bill. There
will be music along the lines, for
some industries will be comprO-
missed which are not strong enough
fyet to stand successfully against out
ksisle competition. If the horizontal
principle is deviated from at all, as
for instance, in wool, of course that
will be AN opening wedge, and the
line will be stormed at a hundred
points. As understand Mr.. Morri.
sons position, he proposes to make
a bill that will bid for the west and
south, as against the east; but this,
il strikes me, would be a short
sighted policy, for measure
that would estrange the great
eastern financial centres could
scarcely be redeemed by scattering
and uncertain recruits of the west.
We must remember that in this
case we should have to combat or
ganized capital and strength with
theory, experiment and blind
hope ?" e.
"What would your policy be 2"
"Im insfavor of tariff changes,
but not of the kind that now seems
fashionable with our committe
friends. In my opinion there could
be a readjustment, for instance, that
need not imply any decided reduc
ton. That is, decrease the duties
on necessities wherever 1t can be
done without direct or incidental
damage to any of our industries,
and then increase the duties on lux
uries. s.
f"But what, then Of your surplus"
"Let it stand; what harm isit do
ing? II dosen't scare me worth a
cent; sometimes it makes,me laugh
TO hear people moaning and groan-
Ing over a big surplus, as If II was a
Il personal calamity and inteffered
with their sleep. When we owe
two thousand millions, and the
country IS needing various internal
improvements, why be stampeded
with surplus in the treasury We
can get away with it either by the
payment OF the debt or on public
works, aud l believe the great ma
jority of the people will be found
opposed 10 any serious reduction IN
the revenues till that debt at least Is
out of the way. AS is usual in such
cases, the people who groWl the
loudest about the tyrany and oppres-
sion OF a heavy surplus are the ones
who pay little or none of the tax.
Youzwill always find in state poll
tics, that those who make the most
noise for meeting bonded obliga-
tions own nothing on which tax
could be levied, and in the same
way, those who groan loudest
against the surplus, never did a
thing to create it. We might rs well
display some courage on this ques-
ton, and brand this hypocrisy as it
deserves. ~ |
"phen you stand for protection ?"
"Most certainly. So does my dis
trict, and so does the entire south.
don't mean to say by this that
there is satisfaction everywhere
withthe schedule as it stands, but
as between protection to American
industries and the free trade or APP
proximate free trade doctrines Of
certain radical democrats in con-
gress, the south is iunquestionably
for spl election. 1t will fight any re-
peal of internal revenue till the debt
is paid. and, oppose any and all an;
tagonisrn to the interests or Ameffs
can labor.
"Why, take a recent case in point.
The terms of the Mexican treaty,
which the senate came near ratify-
ing, proposes to admit tropical
fruits free of duty. Can we stand
by and see Florida thus turned into
bowling wilderness and her orange
groves wreck? The treaty made
sugar free. This would wreck mill
IONS of capital in louisiana, and
open our markets to a foreign In
vasion of cheaper goods"
"Can the democrats agree on a
policy ?'
mo human wisdom can answer
that. 1t will take very sharp en-
gineering to bring about harmony
in the ranks. Whatever IS done,
courage Is called for quite as much
us anything else. Our people have
no use for towards. Better die with
our face to the foe than turn tail be-
fore an ISSUE"