New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-12-08
THE PARTY AND THE TARIFF.
MIR. SHEARMAN THINKS PROTECTION IS MI
A REPUBLICAN DOCTRINE.
rprr TRADERS DEDUCTIONS FROM THE LAIh
ELECTION AND HIS FokhOA04'
POLITICAL AND INDUSTRIAL
CHANGES TO CONE

CHANGES TO COME
TO the editor Of the Trl 1o,r . con
Sir. For more than forty years nav Noreb ad
a ao' 50 Tho Tribune. Forming oo'''" ~"
sai, r'' - .reolev founded upon a cohVlo
-. a.. horeetv and unselhshness' d''VP -
Wv. a sore points upon which eVo"'"''S "
d,so,od because his opinions aoout si"'s A,
cressive war agreed so entirely VIE" -, ,ho birth
n,o.,,, NJ coursc. ] was a kepuDli'"" - ~,
".",'0 W r beued TO form the party IN MY 'o""
OF the p@s' '". wore in 1860, almost exactly inc
NY -o to-day | a Free-IraceT INC"
sd'''V g" .snrcb NOT so radical in my views 80 wa,
,,uia, CuI,en BRYANT. who headed inc 01'
,ro,, York in 1886. so was SaIho" = - ..o,,
r,rc,s F. spinner: and so were seNeI'i "''''"'N 80, -
fi"n, 3d. ,,,,ers In 1888 Congressional COM
,.,oo reported in favor ii the to'al a'o''' ,
,arigs: and the only dissentient memoo. wa 80
t ,rbo was consistently opposed to free ir'uo'
,so n. was avowedy in favor OF reopehhS 'n0
s,oyo trade Both of the Republican meiloclN VI Wv
committee agreed in the report anu one Vi ' w.
onervard appointcd Treasurer OF thc ChlVou
Abraham Lincoln. 50 yOu see that thiS qu''' w..
,ot, omen 70 individual Judgment and not MADE 'c''
of party fidelity. s t.. ,bo first
Tbo National Republican platforms, Tor inc lrSu
,ventv wears of its history, either sNd ho'i"s "oo"
,bc tariff as in 1856, and 1864. and l7o7 or ho'',s
hpt what FrceTraders well as ProtecloiS'' 'o"i'
Endorse Not until 1850 was there anylhihE i" ''o
platform which committed the party TO the poi'S VI
protP
troll the party, one would suppose 'la' II "O'N'
any other special reason for existence
We'll the old Wing element has gained full coh'i"i'
and the Republican party. which assumed that name
avowedv because it prOfcssed to represent the lucas :"
the original Republican party foundeu Dy 'V"ci'o",
now boasts that il is nothing but the Old tedeFi ana
v,,iy Marie, restored Notice has been given to all
Free Traders to quit Notwithstanding the urgent up
meals which we're made to them in 1876 to come H.
Attachment TO the party has prevented many th"u-
sands of them from taking leave until this year p"t
now nearly all have gone, you have desired Ana
where are yOul
Tie Republican party has lost every one OF inc
thirteen original states of this Union.
II has lost Congress by the largest majority ever
known.
It has increased the majority against II IN New
York CITY to over 5000, and in Brooklyn to 2-'ooo'
figures utterly unprecedented.
1t has lost Kansas by 10000. Nebraska oS 'o'ooV
running third in the race) Minnesota by "o'ooo' ana
even south Dakota where last year you had seven
tenths of all the votes
You have passed the Mckinley tariff at the cost oil
q majority against You Of 100000; Of which the
Northern states alone give upon congressman ABOUT
100000. Is the article worth the price
And what are the prospects Of the party for the
future You try 20 look hopefully foF"aiu u i0'-'
But what have yOu 70 count upon
The result Of the last elections, according 10 uil-
mpeachablc Republican testimony. has convinced
manufacturers that the increased duties on tnplate
linens and other articles not now made mere VIII h''
be maintained; and therefore no new works VIII DC
constructed for the production of these goods Sucn
OF them as are to be used must still be imported anu
the prices will be increased by the amount OF the
duty Therefore if the country is prosperous Tor the
next two years Mckinley prices" Will prove an even
better political card in 1892 than in $500
II the country should not be prosperous and 50
consumption should fall of. prices may not advance
because people will without the things they want
But can YOU imagine that years hard times under
the Mckinley tariff will help the Republicans III l7'@
Whether business is good or bad for the next Two
wears either condition will injurc the prospects Of
Republican victory. have hurried tie admission
OF NEW Sef Control Of the Senate and you viii speedily
see those very states turn sohdly against you, lass
south Dakota has already done. Those petty states
will be pocket borOughs, sending 70 tIc senate mn
of local power without regard 10 Natlonai interests
aucnce Of New England and New FORK TO a cipher
Their Will yet pass free silver coinage OIL over
You have swallowed up the surplus and created ', an an
The Government must into debt for that amount
xs STn and therefor You viii have forced direct
taxation upon the country. Unpopular as TINS WI be
among the rich who will for the first time pay something
the poor and especially in the West because Il VIII
take the form OF an income tax eAeHpuhe al incomes
When direct taxation is once introduced, as. thank
fO Mr.
rornain gradually di,pldc!ng all indirect taxation and
carving the country irresistbIy toward Inc br"ddeSt
NV long attachment TO the party which dd such
GOOD work In its earlier DAYS makes me regret that
should be ANONYMOUSLY destroyed BY It, new masters
them most sincerely for choosing means for tat pur
Nation Just as the pro--layery policy Of ne Demo,
cratic managers in loo brought ABOUT ny az
destruction of slavery the fanatical potectioni,m
Of Republican managers t. day is bringing aDout ne
destruction Il protectionsm itself Ihahks 70 lc lnp
.I,f.r hay
thanks 10 the madness of monopoisS' we snail soon
have Nation Of free trade GGieGo;v,o r c1r,pv,y
New-York. Nov. "a 1880.
Mr.. Sherman is not trustworthy in his history
Formed in $50, without express reference TO INC
tariff question, the Republican party was beaten
in PENNSYLVANIA. Another reduction OF duties py
the Democratic party btought the ponic OF l8'''
forced the tariff question upon the country as'In
and was met blythe Republicans with TINS declaTS-
tion in their National platform of 1850:
10 That while providing revenue for the support ot
,be General Government by duties upon imports souhu
policy requires such an adusteht 81 tog c,,T
Of the whole country and We commend that pole OF
National exchanges %nGg scum no 5HG nrcs To
mechanics and manufacturers an adequate rewaro ior
skill labor and enterprise. and - the Nall0n com
merclal spcrity and Independence
Mr. Sherman best knows whether he can az
ford the obvious evasion involved in saying that
Free Traders as well as PrOtectio1ists could in
dorsc this declaration. II was openly advocated
rs intended 10 secure the support of Pennsylvania
eud other States which favored the protective
policy: il did so. and Mr.. Lincoln was elected.
Accordingly, before the war began, the Morrlll
Protective Tariff was enacted on March ., lSsl,
by a party vote The principles adopted and vic
torous in 500, and embodied in lazy in SCI, have
been those of the Republican party ever since.
Mr. Shearman's statement about the platform of
1880 is even more palpably in error, for the only
reference in that platform 10 tie tanh question
was this We rca:lirm the belief avowed in 10
that the duties levied for the purpose Of revenue
should 50 discriminate as to favor American labor"
Mr. Shcaman will have poor success in trying
10 persuade men Of that he Endorsed the
declaration ii 1850 above quoted, but could not
swallow the empty phrase of 1850. And intclli-
cent men know that il is far from the trmth 10