The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1890-04-04
Whs aenlattat.


There arc no fowery beds Of ease along
the lines of tariff readlustment This 10
easily accounted for. The whole scheme
Of protection. for protection sake. Is purely
selfish, and selfish only. Every man who
iavors and spends his ilne and means TO
promote this scheme does 50 from a self
lab motive or, on the contrary, because he
y ignorant Of the effect which Il has upon
he great mass Of the people. It ls this
eelfshness that makes Il 90 dificult to adj
just tariff schedules. either by raising or
lowering the duties upon a given article.
To Increase the duty on raw materials
brings out the most earnest protest from
those who manufacture that raw material
into finished p, oducts, because Il increases
the price which these manufacturers have
10 pay for this raw material and thus mar.
rows the margin they have TOR profit.
They do ncs protest that this increase Ia
the duty would actually be an increased
tax upon the great mass of the people,
though this ls the only legitimate objection
which they might use. But they are self
sh and seek only their own setish interests
without regard to the interests Of the great
BODY ofthe people. 40 low or the duty upon
raw material produces smile, ehlld.like
and bland, upon the then benign counter.
ance Of the manufacturer, but at the same
time Il calls forth loud and loAg-contin-
ued how, from the produc er of this raw
material. And why this an,lpodean effect
upon these two classes. simply because
both regard their business from a purely
selfish standpoint The producer protests
that the reduction In duties will so reduce
the price which lac will receive for his
products as 10 leave him but little or no
margin for profit, while the manufacturer
feels that his margin for profit has been
enlarged hence he Is pleased. Thus Il Is In
reference to every one of the 1900 articles
on tine dutiable list. When the McKin.
ley committee put sugar upon the free
list they are met by the protests, almost
amounting to curses, from the beet raisers
Of Californi&,a and sorghum planters of Kan
sas. Then the committee, In order
to placate these malcontents, makes only
aPartial cut on sugar, and from the people
of the Northwest. republicans and pro-
tectionists, be It understood, comes n storm
of protests that creates hideous din In the
ears of Mckinley, and shakes the whole
aystem of proposed tariff legislation. And
all this. FIR the simple reason. as we have
before said, that the whole scheme ei pro-
Election, for the sake OF protection Is pure
ly sefish, unmanly, unjust, and at a tota
variance with those immortal principles oi
free government so automatically formu-
lated, as well m c,earlv and forcibly ex.
pressedby President Jefferson In his mem
orable message to congress In which he
said: "EquAl and exact justice to all men
OF whatever state or persuasion. religion,
or political" II the protective tariff were
- adjusted as to afford "squal and exact
ustice to all citizens" alike, then that sys
EN- would soon be done away with, for
when the wool growers, manufacturers Of
wOolen, cotton, iute, and other goods were
compelled to pay back As much taxes to
the people as they now exact from them
under the protective system, they would
have no further interest In maintaining .
system that afforded them no special priv.
ileges above other citizens. The commit
Tee put hides on the dutiable list and a few
cattle men rejoice, but the great shoe and
boet manufacturers protest against the
duty as being inimical to their interests.
Thus II Is, that, though now, the tariff is II
the hands Of its friends for revision snt
reduction, yet their own committee fnd
Itself lodging here to steer clear Of Scilla
only to find themselves stranded or
CharybdIS there. Such must be the In
eviiable fate of all who seek TO legislat,
benefit selfish interests. Protection a,
aFolicy should be put in course of fina
extinction. The educational processes arc
now at work In the minds Of the people by
which this robber system will become I
thing of the pass.