The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-06-20
WHAT DEMOCRATS WILL DO.

The platform adopted by the Ohio Con-
vention viii compel the Democrats either
TO abandon the tariff issue or TO adopt a tar
if for revenue platform. There is not any
room for them on a halfway protection
platform. The principle Of the Mckinley
bin under present conditions IS wise or
otherwise. That principle is to impose
heavy duties on foreign products that come
III competition with our home industries,
and to give free admission to articles we
cannot pr0ftably produce. The Republican
party has been some years in working out
this problem. and the present tariff is the
result. The Democrats may oppose tariff
based upon this principle, or they may
tacitly admit that they have been on the
wrong side of the tariff question. The Er-
ou,uer. recognizing the force of the Repub-
lean position, says: The Democrats of
Ohio should meet this issue boldly" That
journal admits, however, that there are
Democrats who favor platform to which
Mckinley himself would not object. Such
a course would be an abandonment Of the
tariff issue by the Democratic party. While
such an abandonment might be wise, we are
yet in an early st age of the campaign of
education that will ultimately reach such
i
be necessary to work the enlightenment
which will convince the Democratic leaders
that protection to American industries is On
Indispensable con ditiOn to national pros
perity. Opposed to the principle of the
present tariff is the tariff for revenue
only policy. which imposes duties on
articles Of foreign product in which we do
not compete. A tariff for revenue only means
rIrr
and the most chesDly produce the required
revenue. In pursuance Of such policy
duties would be laid on tea, coffee, sugar,
spices, dyestuffs, etc, since the revenue to
be derived from articles Of this nature
would be the most certain and the most cas-
lily collected. On articles of both home and
foreign product less accurate estimates can
be made, and the cost Of appraisement and
collection will necessarily be greater. DEM
ocrats who are not prepared to accept an
outright tariff for revenue platform contend
that duties should be laid both on articles
OF foreign product which compete with our
industries and on articles which do not COM
pete, but that the rate should be only suffi-
Gent TO produce the required revenue But
experience has shown that low rats on COM
peting articless do not afford American man
ufactureTs the protection necessary to COM
pensate for the greater cost of labor in this
country. Consequently, the present tariff
taxes the duties from all articles which we
do not produce and increases the duties on
articles of foreign product in which we can
compete. The Democratic party is to-day
under the leadership of Cleveland. Carlisle.
Mills and others of their way of thinking.
The protective element in the party disap-
peared with Randall, its great leader. While
there are some Democrats who fear the re-
suit Of a campaign in which the lines on the
tariff issue are closely drawn, there is not
much doubt az the present time of the ability
Of the Cleveland Carlisle Mills wing to die
tate the national platform.