The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-08-11

nal taxes, and abolishing the system OF
protection,"-that system which It claims
was approved by the first congress of the
United States and which Thomas Jefferson
endorsed.
The tariff approved by the first congress
OF the United States WAS the one prepared
by Alexander Hamilton, and was undoub:
eddy intended by him to cover the Repub-
lIcan doctrine Of today, Of protection" ss
It's prime object without regard to revenue
Hamilton was almost superstitious In bis
alteration Of the British constitution and
Its arissocratic system, and as he strove &c
have the U. 8. senate modelled on the aristo'
cratic plan OF the British house Of lords,
80 he aimed to build up a business aristoc'
rscy as an important part Of his projected
government Of splendor and corruption
maintaining therefore that congresslmight
under the name Of a tariff ON imports, In
directly subsidize manufacturing indus
tries at the expense Of the public.
So far from ever approving, this doctrine
was combatted 10y Thomas Jefferson from
Its first snunciation with all the vehe-
mence Of his nature. Congress under the
constitution, he maintained, could levy
taxes and imports only TO raise revenue for
the economical support of the government;
but this Hsmiltonian doctrine defeated the
object OF taxation by involving the right to
levy q tax which conveyed nothing into
the treasury but drew money from one
mans pocket and put II Into the pockets OF
another. 1t was the same as granting lar.
gesses from the public treasury to build up
and enrich certain favored classes at the
common expense-a pretense as repulsive
TO the constitution % II was 10 common
justice.
Familiar history tells US that In the
great contest Of 1900 between Jeffersopian
Democracy, or "Republicanism," a. II
was then called, and Hamiltonian Federal
Ism, jefferson won, and from that day I'm.
I'll 1852, no party and no congress pretend
ed that under the constitution tariff could
be levied for any other but revenue purpo.
SOS. As all the tariffs, however, on goods
manufactured abroad as we'll as In this
country must necessarily to some degree
be protective, the only latitude allowable
was, as to this Incidental" protection
moderately and judiciously to discriminate
In favor Of certain infant" industries, but
never to the extent Of departing from the
revenue principle.
The Republican tariff foisted on the
country during the war, however, Ignores
the Jeffersonian principle entirely, and
makes protection the prime object, and
revenue the Incidental In the extensive
bargain and sale and log,rolling opera
lions to which the building up of such a
tariff system naturally led, go vast number
of interests and objects were crowded In to
share the bounty, that the revenue was
swelled inordina.ely beyond the needs Of
the government. The Mills bill is very
modest attempt so to reform and readjust
the tariff as TO bring down the revenue to
the government wants-in short, to return
to the constitutional principle of making
revenue rather than protection the prime
object. The changes In the present tariff
system to bring this about are compare
lively small. They involve an aggregate
reduction of but 7 per cent of the entire
tariff-that Is, from AZ to 40 per cent-nd
this reduction is mainly on raw materials
In the interest of manufacturers them.
selves.
II is not true, then, as the Inter Ocean
tells Its Aurora correspondent, that the
Democrats are In favor Of abolishing, and
the Republicans of retaining protection
So far as the principle Of protection is con-
cerned, the Mills bill recognizes 1t as fully
as the Chicago Republican platform does
But the great and cardinal difference be-
tween the two parties is, that the Republic
cans adhere to and contend for the old
Hamiltonian principle of protection for the
sake of protection alone, while the Demo.
Gratis adhere TO the JeffersoniaD constitu-
tional principle that protection shall be adj
justed to the revenue needs of the govern
ment,
The congressional democratic convention
meets In this city on Tuesday next. 1t
does not appear at this writing who will be
the candidate for congressman. The office