Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-07-09
PROTECTION THE GREAT ISSUE,


the general drift Of public senti'
ment render it certain that the
policy of Protection to home indus
try is to be the leading issue in the
coming Congressional campaign
The Republican party is unreserv'
edlg committed to this policy. An
important wing Of the Democratic
party, under the leadership OF Mr.
Randall, is also favorable to Pro-
lection, with the reservation thatit
would reduce such duties as it be-
lieves are higher than are necessary
TO maintain good wages for Ameri-
can workingmen. A larger and
more powerful wing OF the same
party, with Mr.. Carlisle and Mr..
Morrison at its head, believes, or at
least asserts, that Protective du-
ties are burdens upon consumers,
and should be repealed where pos
sible, and where this can not be
done that they should be so re-
duced as to make them duties Tor
revenue only. This is the wing
which tried to pass the Morrison
horizontal reduction bill Of two
years ago and failed, and which
tried to pass the Morrison bill ofthe
present year and again failed. 1t
is this political element in our
country which all PrOtectiOnists,
whether they be Republicans or
Randall Democrats, must meet and
overcome next autumn in the Con.
gressional elections. Its own posi-
ton has Just been clearly defined
in Its leading newspaper organ, the
Louisville COHrier-,jOWrR0l. That
paper says:
"Further federation of the meth
DDS Of Mr.. Randall by the Demo
cratic party means simply the
abandonment of party Organiza-
ton. The Democratic party, as its
national platforms show, has al
ways been for as near an approach
to Free Trade as the condition of
the Treasury would permit. There
is no longer need for any difference
of opinion on this question in the
Democratic party. Either the Pro
tectionists or the Revenue Reform
ers must 60.
"Now for a combined, organized,
relentless war on the tariff. The
question is to be agitated in every
Congressional district in the coun-
try. Every man, even the Presi-
dent, must define his position. No
quarter will be given or asked
Never again will such weak, de-
fenseless measure as the bill beaten
last week be introduced in Con-
gress. The next bill will turn
white the hair Of every Protection
list in Pennsylvania in night. The
Democratic army will move steadi-
ly on from one point to another I'M
til we have indeed and in truth a
tariff for revenue only, or, as Mr..
Manning says, until we raise all
needed revenue from a few score
articles. There is music in the
air."
With the gauntlet thus thrown
down, the Protectionists of the
country, without regard to party
affiliations, have offered to them a
great opportunity. Never before
within our recollection has the ques-
ton Of Protection as a political is.
sue been so completely removed
and set apart from other political
issues as it is sure to be in the COM
ing campaign. The aggressive
Free Trade wing of the Democratic
party has made the issue, and made
it paramount to all other issues
There need be no apprehension
concerning the result. There will
be larger proportion of PrOtec-
tiOnists in the next Congress than
has existed IN any recent Congress.
We look for our friends to mold
every district they now hold and to
make gains in many districts that
are now represented by their OPP
ponents.
We base our hopes of success
not alone upon the righteousness
of our cause, and the fresh interest
that is being taken in it by all
wOrkiugmen, but also upon the rea.
sonable presumption that all who
value Protection for its own sake
will freely aud literally make use
of the means that may be necessary
to educate the waveriDg and the
uniformed to believe as they do.
The South is a great missionary field
for the incubation OF the truths of
Protection, and there are a few
Western States which are yet 700
strongly welded to Free Trade her.
estes to be overlooked when educa-
tiOnal work is to be done. Plant
the seed aud the harvest will be
generous. If the people Of this
country who do not now believe in
Protection can only be made to I'M
derstand that this policy is the /
policy of patriotism, of our own
country against those other coun.
tries which would rob American |
workingmen of employmentand fair
wages, they will cease to send Rep |
resentatives to Congress who will
vote for such destructive tariff bills /
as Mr.. Carlisle and Mr.. Morrison |
may approve and the Courier