Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-03-21
DEMOCRACY AND THE TARIFF,
The Rnsfou "HHerald, Justly He
butkcs the New York ssSuu.s

she ktnstnu HHferAtds Justly Re-
bnkes the New York s.sun.o
With all OF the impressiyeness that
double leads can give to an editorial
article, tho New York Sun proclaims
that the time has come for the Demo-
cratic party to seek new leadership; that
II there Is one fact which stands ont
clearly amid the wreck and ruin which
recent disaster has caused, II is that the
American people need to adhere to the
protective Asrif and to sweep from exist.
ence ths enMre internal revenue system.
Ihis, our contemporary asserts, is the
poiicy OF the Democracy az established
by Jefferson, Madison and Monroe.
That the defeat of the Democratic party
at the last national election was TO some
extent dae to the position taken by the
Leaders OF the party on the question Of
the tariff cannot be denied, but to assume
that on that account II is the part OF
good judgment and good politics for the
Democrats to take up an Issue thet the
Republican party has mede distinctively
its own is, in our opinion, entirely un-
warranted.
II the country was not prepared for the
doctrines of the Democracy in the fall of
1858, rather than attempt to entirely
shift their ground, 1t should be the duty
OF the Democratic leaders to undertake
the work of educating, and thus prepar-
ing the people for the campaign OF 1890.
They cannot hope to dispossess the Re-
publicsns Of position which 10 tradi-
tionally theirs as the residuary legatees OF
the old Whig party. The Democrats have
bsen traditionaliy tariff reformers. All
great changes In the tariff In the direc-
tion of lesseniDg its protec!ionist features
have since the frat been made under DEM
ocratic auspices.
The platform of the party in 1856 de.
clared in favor of progressive free trade
throughout the world and that Of 1860
reafirmed the position taken four years
before. In 1868 the national platform
asked for tariff forrevenue upon foreign
IMPORTS, with incidental reduction. In
1872 tho question was remitted to the
people in their Congressional districts.
In 1876 the demand was made that all
custom house taxation shall be only for
revenue. In 1880 the plank said tariff
for revenue only and In 1884 the demand
was only slightly less positive.
Here ia the record of the party and
now, because Of bad faith and trickery
In the state of New York, the Democracy
has been defeated, the Sun gravely sug-
gests to the rank and file the necessity Of
choosing other leaders and of throwing
over what has been the distinctive feature
in Democratic policy; assuming in this,
with not the least grounds for SO doing,
that the protectioniBts, who have been
year in and year out devoted to the Re.
publican party, and who now dominate
that organization, will be induced to leave
II and JOIN the Democracy il the latter
parts with the only characteristic issue
that 1t possesses. The soldiers who
should desert their flag and their officers
and in place take the flag Of the enemy
and such officers az the latter might sug-
gest would not be likely to win applause,
and could hardly hope to make moral or
material gains of any other kind. They
would, by such action, make chip
wreck even Of honor. And yet il In to
this depth of degradation that the Sun
would conduct the party to which it Is
nominally attached.