The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1888-03-03
A False Allegation.

Free trade is the burden of the text books
ON political economy. Nearly all the writer's
on the subject, we believe, have inculcated
the principle as the best for the commerce OF
the world, and have held that trade should
be absolutely unrestricted. Say, Vethake,
Adam Smith, and other authors, have held
this principle as the best for all the govern
ments of tie world, and so it would be if all
would practice it. But the governments have
not put the principle into practice They
have preferred to.derive the necessary reve-
nue. for their support from indirect rather
than from direct taxation. Such has been
the course of our own government, which has
never practiced free trade, because the peo-
Pile have preferred to pay an indirect tax
rather than direct one. Hence the levy OF
import duties to bring into the treasury the
required revenue for public use. Congress
has sometimes made the tariff higher or lower,
to suit the exigencies of the country, but Con-
gress has no right to levy tariff higher than
will meet the wants of the government. To
abstract more than this necessary sum from
the people is to rob thep and cripple their
business enterprises. A class Of latitudina-
rian constructionists of the constitution, the
representatives of the old Federalists of the
earlier days of the Republic, have contended
for the right of protection, speciously So
called, for the encouragement OF American
labor and American manufactures, as they
allege. The Democrats have always held that
American labor and manufactures are entitled
to all the protection that can be derived incl
dentally from tariff for revenue only, but
nothing more. That tariff to protect any one
glass of men is an injury inflicted upon all the
rust. This needs no argument to prove it.
Oar laws are not equal if moneyis taken from
one class for the benefit Of another. Every
body knows that the consumer pays the tariff,
and that the tariff enhances the price of every
article on which it is levied. 1t follows that
those who pay the tariff are taxed for the
benefit of those who are protected" by it.
This is the protection that the wolf gives 20
the lamb. Agriculture is the great leading
industry of the country. 1t is not protected,
but is required to stand alone. Not only SO,
but it is heavily taxed for the protection" OF
Commerce is crippled in like
manner, because trade is restricted through
the operation of high protective tariff. Is
this equality? Is it not favoritism towards
one class to the injury of all the rest? ltcan-
not be denied, and therefore is wrong in prin-
ciple. But as the necessary revenue has
always been derived in that way, except when
war taxes had to be levied, we must have
tariff. Free trade is out of the question:; we
have never had free trade and never will have
it, Aud when Republicans charge free trade
upon the Democratic party, they are guilty of
and they know it, They
iterate and reiterate it, however, for the ppr-
pose of misleading the laboring classes and
making capital for themselves against the
administration. They presume upon the ig-
norance of the people, and all their misrepre=
sentation is based upon the supposition that
the people are unable to understand this sub
iect for themselves, but may be hoodwinked
and misled by this ad captandum cry of "pro-
tection.'