, 1888-07-26
Chs &s'etlily grglla
THURSDAY, JUL g. 1883
Tie Democratic TarsG P.atSo.m

The Democratic TarG P.atSo.m
Tho tariff. plank Of the &atioua.
Democratic Platform exhibits ID,
saline disposition 10 "straillr" tL.
taiiu question that ia" headers OF IL.
Democratic party have exhibited fa,
Il hundred yeals. TAomvs jear-aa.
the author of tho Kentucky Itcs.lu
tIoLa oi 'JS-the seeds from WurcA
Secession grew he quoted ca
both sides ot the tariff question.
John {. Calhoun. his disciple, madr
long speeches III favor Of protective
tariff Of 1916, and afterwards - olb
queutly advocated the theory OF free
trade. Andrew jackson. whose con
sistcut love for the Uuicn made him
regret until the day ol nIs death
that he had not hung the greet South
Carolina uUllIiier, expresses every
shudc Of opinion IN bis messages Oh
the tariff taxation. James buchanan
was found oftrucr at the side Of pro
lection than on the side OF free trad,
although lie csV0u=ed both sides
with equal zest. The Democratic
resolution OF 1880 in favor of Il tariff
''fOr revenue only" was frank but
preposterOus proposition, because IL
the nature Of things no such tariff
ever did or could exist, as all duties
directly or indirectly project. The
tGrIh resolution of the National Dean
ocratiC Convention OF 1854 WIS (.
stCing OF meaningless cYasiCls whici.
could be construed 20 mean anything
or nothing as the claims Of locality
might require. But the tariff issue
was iguoIed by the Presidential can
didate and all his Democratic SPEAK
ers in the manufacturing states, 50
that, to all Republican accusations,
the Democrats refused to plead
By standing mute tho patty- -cs
capped being adjudged either guilty
or not guilty of free-tTade aims.
1t IS the eVasiVe platform of lSS
that the Democracy at st. Louis
have Just rGaifirmed, with an add
tional declaration that President
Cleveland's late tariff message L
Congress Is a correct interpretation
of the ambiguous resolution which
the Democratic leadars declined Il
interpret at ali four years ago
Without the possibility of further
evasion, therefore, the whole of the
Presidents remarkable message is
made the Democratic platform 10:
the CANVASS of 1883. The party
hence, as such, must successfully de,
fend and justify all the theories nnC
doctrines OF this tariff message or q
down before an adverse public opin-
lon 1t is perhaps needless to sa5
that this contract to Justify Is one O
no small magnitude.
The first thought that strikes tbt
non>partisan mind In reading AIr
Cleveland's message is its boldnes;
and directness, in contrast with the
teDerity and indirectness Of the
platform which it is said to interpret
1t is, from its first sentence to its
last, an ingenious and rather forci'
BILE arguement against the wnol-
doctrine Of protective tariffs IS un
derstood dy Hamilton, Clay, Lincoln
and Greeley. The idea of protec
ton, which the fathers of the Repube
lie in express terms acknowledged in
their first and second Tariff Acts.
seems to Mr.. Cleveland particularly
obnoxious. Although protection is
an unavoidable, non~escapable result
of all tariff taxation, the President
Hppears to regard it as some hob
goblin or spectre to be forever shun-
ned. Instead of comprehending, as
eveRy intelligent public man should,
that a duty of twenty per centum,
Gd Cdtorera, protects just to the ex-
tent of that duty, no matter for what
purpose the duly may be levied, the
Presidents lcgic lll4s him on the
reveeue only" plank, which contain
a contradiction n terms Instead OF
defending the American system with
Henry Clay. he appears to know nc
home system or home industries, and
looks with apparently eqnal favor or
the British system or the Austrian
system. The Presidents reasoning
against protection as q policy differs
from that of Professor Berry, Pro
fesscr Summer, and other free-trade
writer's, only n this, that he con-
denses their arguments into q small
er compass and assumes tone o1
greater moderation. So deep-seated
is his dislike for the principle of pro
lection. that his proposition to re,
move the duties from raw material
which can only be defended on the
ground that American manufacturers
would thereby be benefited, is made
to rest on a totally different basis
TO place American manufacturers OF
an equality with those in England
France and Germany does not awak.
en- the Presidents interest. IL
give them an advantage over ali for
eign manufacturers, through pro-
tecting duties on manufactured fab
rics, seems to his mind abhorrent
We shall see in due time whethe.
the country agrees with him in thi
Indifference TO its great industria
, interests.