Morning journal and courier., 1888-06-05
The Great Controversy.


 It becomes more and more evident that, apart from the merits or popularity of the candidates, the great issue of the coming election of President and Vice President will be the question of protection and free trade; and what is exceedingly to be desired is that the question should now be formulated and placed before the voters in such manner as to obtain from them plain, authoritative and permanent decision.
 For more than fifty years this controversy has occupied the attention of theorists, and has been maintained with the earnestness of strong conviction both on the side of the free traders and on the side of the protectionists; and now the judgment of the people, that is to say of the majority, whether that maj jori- ty be on one side or the other, ought if pos- sible to be called out and expressed in such manner as to end the controversy. By this we do not mean that, if either the pro tectionists or the free traders should be de- feated, they should be precluded from con- tinuing to discuss the subject, with 8 view of bringing the majority over to their views; but that, so far as present legislation is con- cerned, the dispute should be put to rest for years to come.
 Of course we understand that tho free trade side of the subject is not to be present ed in a frank and undisguised manner. Twelve years ago, in the St. Louis conVen- tion by which MT. Tilden was nominated, the free trade men had the control, and declared their policy without ambiguity in their cele- brated phrase of 6 tariff for revenue only; but that proposition was so entirely over shadowed by the personality of Mir. Tilden, and by the prsoccup pations of the Democracy, which cared only to elect him, to the neglect of every other consideration, that this decla- ration of free trade, though it was fully ex- pressed in the platform, passed entirely un- noticed, just as though it had not been there at all.
 Now, however, all the free traders, with President Cleveland at their head, have clothed themselves as protectionists, and propose to fight their battle at the polls with the venerable old banner of protection in their hands. There must be custom houses they say, and any duties must be protective; and labor and capital must be dealt with kindly. But such disguise cannot avail, and however they masquerade, they will be detected and judged for what they really are. His other names may be good and beautiful, but in simple earnest free trader is one who professes to reduce the surplus by re- ducing the tariff without touching the inter- nal revenue All the free traders in the country are arrayed at this moment in favor of this project, and while they are all at tempting to pass their measures off as favor able and not inimical to protection, the truth will be pretty well understood by the people. If the free traders carry the day in the cleo ton they can then go on and deal with the tariff as they like. But if they are beaten it will establish the rule that the necessary reform of the tariff must be conducted by proteetionists and not by free traders, and must maintain and strengthen, and not de- stroy, the principle of protection.
 In the interest of the country, it would be well that this historic dispute should be pre- sented more squarely and fairly than now seems to be intended by the present style of tariff reformers. Yet as it is, after it is vo- ted upon in November we shall have the sat- isfaction of knowing that for some time to come we shall be spared the infiction of those dull lessons in political economy, and those heavy debates and statistics, which are so wearisome to the mind, whether decked out by the splendid imagination of Waiter. son CT elaborated by the more severe methods of Carlisle