St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-03-18
GROUND THAT is HIsToR

The Pioneer Press is again in the
throeS of its regular biennial tariff re-
form spasm, and makes itself ridiculous
by attempting to prove that tax reduc-
ton is the Republican party's most his
toric ground. History cannot be re-
versed, or even modified, by an eX-parte
statement unsupported by facts. The
record of the Republican party on the
tariff is made up, which shows that there
has never been variabIeness or shadow
of turning from the protection idea.
That is the only issue upon which the
Republican party has not vacillated at
some time or other; but in all the years
of its existence it has remained as stead
fast in its devotion to the protection
principle as the needle to the pole.
How absurd, then. it is for our down
town neighbor to claim otherwise.
The existing tariff owes its parentage
to the Republican party. 1t was that
party which nursed the protection bant-
ling through its infancy, fostered it in
it's youth, and now stands by it In its
maturer years. There has never been
a time when the Republican party did
not declare for protection for protec-
TONS sake, and certain it is that during
all the years the Republican party had
full and absolute control Of national
affairs not single effort has ever been
made by that party to reduce the tariff
to revenue basis. The Republican
party and the Republican leaders stand
as Loyalty by the protection principle
to-day as they ever did in the past, and
boldly join issue with the Democrats on
their tariff reform proposition. That
was the foremost Issue in the last pres-
dental campaign, and while the. Repub-
licans won by peculiar manipulation
of the electoral college, the Democrats
had majority Of the popular vote. 1t
is only by chicanery, fraud or corrup-
ton that the tariff reformers can be pre-
vented from coming into control of ma
tional affairs, and the Republicans do
not hesitate to resort to these unworthy
| devices to maintain the supremacy of
protection principles. In view Of these
| glaring facts, it is a surprise that a
reputable journal can so Stultify itself
by assuming that Republican is camp
ing on the historic ground of his party
| when he advocates tariff reform.
Republicans who are sincere in their
| advocacy of wiping out the war taxes
| and readiusting the tariff on peace
! basis need not lay the fiattering
| JUNCTION to their souls that these re-
forms can be accomplished through the
agency of the Republican party. Such
thing is not only impracticable, but
utterly impossible. 1t would be Just as
| reasonable for a surgeon to remove the
heart from the body and expect the
patient to recover, as for the Republi-
can party to eliminate the protection
principle from its platform. That is
the one yitalizing principle Of Re
publicanism, and it is the height of
absurdity to talk about removing it
with the expectation of the Republican
party surviving the operation. All ar
gument to the contrary is only intended
to deceive the farmers and the laboring
classes into further support of party
whose principles are destructive Of the
| agricultural industries. There is only
one tariff reform party in this country,
and it is not in the nature Of things that
there should be another. Whatever the
Democratic party fails of in the accom-
plishment of genuine tariff reform will
never be accomplished. There is no
middle ground between the Republicans
and the Democrats on this issue. One
| fayoring the maintenance OF the exist
ing high tariff, and the other fayorlng a
reduction of the tax rate to strictly
revenue basis. the fight will go on until
it is fought to flush.
The Democrats are indeed on their
historic ground when they are fighting
for tariff reform.
The Republicans have no history eX-
cept that founded on the protection
principle.
Farmers of Minnesota, choose We this
day which idea you will serve.