Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-04-06
Andrew Jackson for Protection in
1924 and 1928.


1924 and 1928.
Below we give the letter that
Andrew Jackson wrote to Dr. Il.
II. Coleman, of Virginia, in April,
1924, also his reply to the Indiana
Legislature in February, 1923, in
which he took high ground in favor
of the protective system.
WASHINGTON, CITY,
April 2G, 1894.
SIR: | have had the honor this
day to receive your letter OF the
DIST instant, and with candOr shall
reply TO il. You ask me
my opinion on the tariff. answer
that | am in favor of q iudiclOus
examination and revision of it; and
so tar az the tariff before us EN-.
braces the design Of fostering, pro.
tecting, and preserving within our
selves the means of national de
Tense and independence, particular
ly in state of var, | would adyO
cate and support it. The expe
rience OF the late war ought to
teach us a lesson, and one never to
be forgotten.
Heaven smiled upon and gave
us liberty and independence. That
same Providence has blessed us
with the means Of national indie
pendence and national defense. II
we omit or refuse to use the gifts
which He has extended to us we
deserve not the continuation OF
His blessings. He has filed our
mountains and Our plains with min.
erals, with lead, iron, and copper,
and given us climate and soil for
the growing of hemp and wool.
These being the grand materials
of our national defense, thev ought
to have extended to them adequate
aud fair protection, that our own
manufactures and laborers may be
placed on n fair competition with
those of Europe, and that we may
have within our own country a
supply of those leading and import
ant articles so essential to war.
Beyond this I look at the tariff
with an eye to the proper distribu-
ton of labor and revenue, and with
a view to discharge our national
debt. | am one of those who do
not believe that national debt is
a national blessing, but rather a
curse to a republic, inasmuch as it
is calculated to raise around the
administration a mOneyed aristOc-
rae; dangerous to the liberties of
the country.
This tariff, | mean a judicious
one, possesses more fancIful than
real dangers. will ask what is
the real situation Of the agricultur-
Istl Where has the American
farmer a market for his surplus
products : Except for cotton he
has neither a foreign nor home
market. Does not chs clearly
prove, when there Is no market
either at home or ahro 81, that there
is too much labor employed in agri.
culture, and that the channels of
labor should he multiplied Com.
mon sense points out at once the
remedy. Draw from agriculture
the superintendent labor, employ
it in mechanism and manufactures,
thereby creating a home market for
your breadstuffs distributing labor
to a most profitable account, and
benefits to the country will result.
Take from agriculture in the
United States COO, 900 men, women,
and children, and You at once give
a home market for more breadStulis
than all Europe now furnishes us.
In short, sir, we have been too long
subject to the policy Of the British
merchants. 1t is time we should
become little more Americauized,
and instead Of feeding the paupers
and laborers OF Europe, feed our
own, or else in a short time, by con-
tinuing our present policy, we shall
all be paupers ourselves.
1t Is, therefore, my opinion that
q careful tariff is much wanted to
pay our national debt and afford
us the means Of that defense with
in ourselves on which the safety
and liberty of our country depend,
and last, though not least, give a
proper distribution to our labor,
which must prove beneficial to the
appiness, independence, and
OF the community.
| have presented You my Opin-
ions freely, because | am without
concealment, and should indeed dc.
spise myself if | could believe my.
self capable Of acquiring the conf.
lence of any by means 80 ignOble. /
am, sir, very respectfully, your /
Dbedient servant.
ANDREW JACKSON.