The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-11-17
JEFFERSON DAVIS ON THE TARIFF.

In the November number of BetOrd's
Magazine, citizen JEFFERSON DAVIS has an
article entitled IA Constitutional Tariff "
AS was to be expected a number of those
who have nothing better in the way Of OPP
position to offer bring up the fact that Mr..
DAVIS was once President of a government
at war with the United States, and then
arrive at the conclusion that the tariff argu
ments of the Republican press and speakers
are sound since the opposite cause is cham
pioned by the noted Confederate. There
is but little effort to disprove his asser-
tions, in fact there is not much room for
argument, since he not only brings forward
abundant facts and an irresistible array CT
logic to bear upon his position, but also
shows that he has not forgotten the mas
terry of rhetorical gift which made him
conspicuous among his fellows when he
held seat in the United States Senate
although he has gone beyond his fourth
score of years, being now 81.
The article is marked with an incive-
ness of expression and clearness of thought
rarely equaled even by the younger class
of statesmen at home or abroad. uHe makes
a felicitous reference TO the period when
the high-tariff law of 1928, frequently re-
ferred to as the chill of denominations, !"
was before the House of Representatives,
and the happy sally of Mr.. DRAYToN, of
South Carolina, who moved to amend the
title by making it read IAN act to increase
the duties on certain imports for the pur-
pose of increasing the profits of certain
manufacturers" The amendment was an
exact syllabus of the purport of the bill,
and, it nigh: be added, to some extent
reflex of the subject of nearly evey high
tariff measure ever presented before or
since; the design of the member referred
to in offering it was of course to make
a case to be taken to the United
States Supreme court, and there test
the question whether the actual
objects of the bill were in accordance with
the provisions of the constitu ton. There
was at the time majority in the House
favorable to the bill, and in consequence
the amendment was rejected. That it was
unjustly rejected and that in so doing the
House acted in very ill-advised and I'M
statesmanlike manner is scarcely to be dis
puted now, even by partisans of the pro-
tective system; and Mr.. DAVIS takes ad-
vantage of the occasion to put some ques-
tons in his usual pointed manner and I'M
answ cradle matter. He asks-"Why, if it
was truly believed to be within the con-
stitutional power of Congress, should the
object not have been fairly stated, SO that,
when a case arose under the law, the ques-
ton of its constitutionality could be brought
before the arbiters appointed by the states
in their compact of union? How much bet
ter than pillage was it, and is it-for the
practice continues-to evade by elusive
phraseology an appeal to the tribunal con-
stituted for the decision of such issues!"
The writer goes on in this strain at great
length, citing epiously from the debates
of the convention which adopted the fed
eral charter in New Yerk, his object being
to show that the power to assess and col
lect taxes was permitted for the sole pur-
pose of enabling the government to meet
its obligations; in other words, that it has
right to raise such revenue as it may re
quire from customs duties and no more.
He then proceeds to a discussion of the
claim that protective tariff may be laid
pursuant to and by authority of the act Civ
ing to Congress the right to regulate COM
merce with other nations and among the
different states, and calls attention to the
fact that regulate in such connection
means merely to make rules. 1t was under