, 1888-01-05
The Tariff Question

suduOMed ana outlined as the great .
national political issue to be fought
ont this year. Mr.. Blaine's quick
dlscernment of this, and his emphatic.
ringing comments sent around the
world with the speed Of electricity.
and clicking across the nation almost
before ordinary thinkers had caught
their breath. shows the Maine states
ma to be pre- eminently the man of
the hour. 1t is doubtful if any
temporising legislation by congress
this winter can materially lessen the
intensity of the coming battle. Only
q compromise measure at best, if
any, can be perfected it is by
no means certain that any legislation
at all on the subject will be consum.
mated. There are so many different
phases OF the question. and so many
shades Of belief and conviction, and
political parties are so divided, that
practical deadlock is not improbable.
The tariff question is one that is
scarcely nearer settled today than it
was century ago. After all the
experience of the past, the best mode
OF levying duties on imports calls out
about as great divergence of opinion
as when the subject first engaged
the attention of the federal govern
ment. Theories on the side of high
duties, and on the side of low tariff
ranging from the extreme doctrine OF
protection TO that of absolute free
trade-are maintained with as much
vigor now as in 1883. More interest
has been displayed in this than in
any other question of material or
financial character. 1t is always
presented as subject not only affect
ing public welfare, but as involving
the bread and butter of our millions
OF citizens. A. it touches tha iinan-
cial interests of the wage workers
directly, it affects the votes OF the
greatest number of those entrusted
with the ballot. In reviewing the
landmarks of century of legislation
and experiment, we find that this
question has oftenest divided the
great contending political parties.
Sometimes one side has been in the
ascendant, and sometimes the other.
An act providing for the raising of
revenues by the duties on imports
was the first Legislation of the Z. S.
Government - prepared neGrly a
month before President Washington
was first iDaugurated; before treas
. ury department was created, or 4
secretary thereof was appointed Ii
was passed before the first secretary
of state was nominated, to announce
to other nations the organization of
our government. That act declared
specifically that it was for the pur-
pose of raising revenue to support
the government - and .for the eG-
courugemeEt and protection of man
ufactures." Alexander Hamilton's
famous report Oh manufactures, sub
mitted at the request of congress in
December, 1870, vigorously sustained
a protective tariff The high war
tariff following the second war with
Great Britain was supplantrd in 1916
by low tariff. Tho change occa-
stoned interesting debates in congress
Daniel sWebster leading the free
trade sentiment, and John c. Cal
hoHn leading the extreme protection
sentiment. A period of business de-
preston followed, and, in 1924, un-
der the influence of Henry Clay,
leader of the wings, and then
speader of the House of Representa-
tives, protective tariff law was en-
acted. Since that time, while neither
political party has ever been an ab-
solute unit on one de or the other.
the whig party and its successor, the
republican party, have in the main
champloned the principle of protcc-
ton. while the democratic party has
in the main championed free trade.
Exciting political events of 1928 80
resulted in Clay's famous compro~
mise act of March I'd, III the last
named year, which was substantially
an abandonment of the protective
system. Another period of financial
depression followed. which ended IN
q revolution against the democratic
party and the election of General
Harrison as president in 1910. The
wing congress that calne into power
at the same time enacted the protect
i've tariff of 1912. Friends OF pro
lection have always referred with
pride to the prosperous years follow
ing as conclusive proof of the value
OF protective tariff IN the great
national contest thereafter, howe, eT,
resulting in Mr.. Polk's election to
the presidency, free trade scnli
ment predoninated, and the free
trade tariff of 1916 was enacted. This
in turn was followed by whig vic
tory in 1875 but General Taylor
was elected without a platform, and
the majority was not large, and no
attempt was made to change legisla-
49, From tins on there was no
leasure enacted embodyinS
ture of protection until the
an party came into power in
hat party found the national