The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-03-04

the laws, SO that they may be the unfail-
! ing defense and security of those who re-
! spect and observe them, and that neither
| wealth, station nor the power of combina-
uons shall be able to eyade their just pen
alties or to wrest them from q beneficent
purpose to serve the ends of cruelty or
selfishness.
My promise is spoken, yours unspoken
but not the less real and solemn. The
1 people of every State have here their rep
resentatives Surely l do not misinterpret
the spirit of the occasion when
assume that the whole body of the
people covenant with me and with
each other today to support and defend
the Constitution and the Union of the
States, to yield willing obedience to all the
| laws, and each to every other citizen his
equal, civil and political rights. Entering
thus solemnly into covenant with each
other, we may reverently invoke and con-
| fldently expect the favor and help of
| Almighty God that He may give to me
wisdom, strength and fidelity, and to our
| people a spirit of fraternity and love of
righteousness and peace.
| PROTECTION SENTIMENTS.
| President Harrison then reviewed the
growth of the country in most hopeful
strain. Continuing, he said:
'sThe surrender of large meas
s, ure OF sovereignty to the gen
| Cl OIL SONGIlulculy 6ltCueu Uy Ullc
adoption fof the Constitution, was
not accomplished until the sugges-
| tions of reason were strongly enforced by
the more imperative voice of experience.
| The divergent interests of peace speedily
demanded more perfect Union.o The
merchant, the shipmaster and the manu-
facturer discovered and disclosed to our
statesmen and to the people that CONNER
| cial emancipation must be added to the po-
| litical freedom which had been so bravely
won. The commercial policy of the mother
country had not relaxed any of its hard
and oppressive features. To hold in check
the development of our commercial ma
rine, to prevent or retard the establish
ment and growth of manufactures in the
| States, and so to secure the
American market for their hops and the
carrying trade for their ships was the
| policy of European statesmen, and was
| pursued with the most selfish vigor. Peti-
lions poured in upon Congress urging the
| imposition of discriminating duties that
i should encourage the production of needed
| things at home.
The patriotism Of the people, which no
/ longer found field of exercise in war,
was energetically directed to the duty of
equipping the young republic for the de-
| fence of its independence by making its
1 people Self-dependent.
| Societies for the promotion of home
manufactures and for encouraging the use
of domestics in the dress ofthe people were
| organized in many of the States. The re-
viyal at the end of the century of the
same patriotic interest in the preservation
| and DEVELOPMENT of domestic industries
| and the defence of our working people
| against injurious foreign competition is
an incident worthy of attention.
| 1t is not departure, but return, that
we have witnessed.
THE BROAD XALUE OF TARIFFS.
The protective policy had then its op-
ponents. The argument was made, as
now, that its benefits Injured to particular
classes or sections. If the question be-
| came, in any sense or at any time, sec
| tional, it was only because slavery existed
in some of the States. But for this there
was no reason why the cotton producing
| States should not have led or walked
abreast with the New England States in
| the production of cotton fabrics. There
1 was this reason only why the States that
| divide with Pennsylvania the. mineral
! treasures OF the great southeastern and
! central moudtain ranges should have been
| so tordy in bringing to the stneltinS fur
from near opposing hillsides.
| Mill faeS were lighted at the funeral
! pile of slavery. The emancipation pro-
clamation was heard in the depths of the
earth, as well as in the sky. Men were
| made free and material things became
ment has happily been eliminated from
| the tariff discussion. We have no longer
| States that are necessarily only plant
| ing States None are excluded from
achieving that diversification of pur-
suit among the people which brings
| wealth and contentment. The cotton
| plantation will not be less valuable when
| the production is spun in the county town
| by operatives whose necessities call for
| diversified crops, and create home de-
mand for garden and agricultural product.
A PLEA FOR THE SOUTHERN NEGRO.
do not doubt that if those men in the
| South who now accept the tariff views Of
| Clay and the constitutional expositions of
| Webster would courageously ayow and
| defend their real convictions, they would
not find it difficult by friendly In
struction and cooperation to make
| the back man their efficient
and safe ally, not only in establishing cor
rect principles in our national administra-
| tion, but in preserving for their local COM
munities the benefits Of social order and
| economical and honest government. At
| least until the good offices of kindness and
| education have been fairly tried the con-
trary conclusion cannot be plausibly
urged.
/ have altogether rejected the sugges-
| tion OF speculative polIcy Ior any section
of our country, 1t is the duty of the eX-
ecutive to administer and enforce, in the
methods and by the instrumentalities
pointed out and provided by the Constitu-
ton, all the laws enacted by Congress.
These laws are general and their admins
tration should be uniform and equal.' As
q citizen may not elect what laws he will
obey, neither may the executive elect
which he will enforce. The duty to obey
and to execute embraces the Constitution
in it's entirety and the whole code of laws
enacted under 1t.
CORPORATIONS CAN'T OBJECT no THIS.
The evil example of permitting individ-
uals, corporations or communities to null
lify the laws because they cross some sell
fish or local interests or prejudices, is full
of danger, not only to the nation at large,
but much more to those who use this
pernicious eXpedient to escape their just
obligations or to obtain an unjust adyan-
tage over others. They will presently
themselves be compelled to appeal to the
law for protection, and those who would
use the law as defense must not deny
that use of it to others. If our great cor
porations would scrupulously observe
their legal limitations and duties, they
would have less cause to complain of the
unlawful limitations of their rights or of
violent interference with their opera
tions n
Those who use unlawful methods, If
moved by no higher motive than the self
ishness that prompted them, may well
stop and inquire what is to be the end of
this. An unlawful expedient cannot be-
come IL permanent condition of govern
,,,a,t II thsa efucafad and influential