The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1892-07-23

otrats between now and election day
is powder which was burnt-and burnt
to no purpose-in lSSS.
No ninerence Between 1873. and 1892.
1t was in 1882 that the Democrats o.
South Carolina passed that celebrated
ordinance of notification, which moved
a rugged Democrat, Andrew Jackson
tia rnaGmss nGm ssu,ts2}. sWaar sWar ..bGy by the eternal
tried to enforce it. II was in 1892 that
a body of Northern and Southern Dem
ocrats, representing and speaking for
the Democratic party of the nited
States, framed and adopted resolution
which accords wholly in spirit and diff
fars little in form of words from the pre-
amble OF the ordinance of nullincatlon.
1t is well to compare the two utterances.
But it must be remembered that no
Democratic leader repudiates the reso-
luton of 1892.
The ordinace of nullification declared
thus:
WHEREAS. Tile CougieSs of the United
States by various acts. purportlng to be
acts laying duties and lmpOStS on foreign
imports, but in reality iHtCndCd for the
pfOtccti0tt Of domestic manufactures, and
by wholly eXcmpting from taxation GER
tain foreign commodities such as are not
produced IN the | nitcd States.
h,Hh CFceedCd its Just pOiCer under the
Constitution.
The essence of this preamble is that
whenever tariff duties are laid for the
purpose of protecting domestic manu-
factures. or upon things which this
country does not produce or manufact-
ure, the act is unconstitutional.
That is to say, duties must be levied
on tea, coffee. sugar, cocoa, rubber, and
hat a or in
quantity sufficient for our own demands,
because such duties do not afford any
protection to home manufacturer
though they do add to the price of the
articles.
ON the other hand, duties must not be
laid Oh foreign cloth, foreign iron, for
eign earthenware, nor any other foreign
article the like of which we do make
ourselves, because, although such artl-
CieS. by promoting competition among
our own manufacturers 1Or the posses
sion of cur own market, may cheapen
the price To the American consumer,
they prevent the free importation OF
toreignmade goods.
The deep logic of these at first sight
illogical propositions lies In this iact:
The Southern Democracy of 1882 dread
ed the weli-paid free labor of the North.
Even if American made goods could
have been sold rs cheaply as English
made the Southern Democracy did not
want them. Eyery-well paid American
artisan consumed more American raised
meat ami grain than his ll!-pald CON
gener in England, and lessened that
surplus which, according to Southern
ideas. should be sold cheaplv TO feed
the slaves OF the South and their mas
ters The Southern idea of ISL was
that it was the sole business of the
North to raise cheap food for Southern
slave owners and English mill owners.
Is the Democratic idea of 1892 at all
different from that proclaimed in south
Carolina in 1882? The platform OF the
Chicago convention says:
We declare il to he q fundamental nrln-
cIple OF the Democratic party that the led
eral (they never say national government
dad cotiect t0rff duties. erctpt t0f ptT-
poses of TcUCltGe DhiH
The sentiment is identical with that
of the preamble 10 the nulLifcauon or
dinanCe OF lS.}g.
The preamble of the notification or
| dinance of 1852 was followed by q dec
aration of intent to prevent by force
| of arms the collection of those tariff
duties which the Democrats of South
| Carolina declared to De uncOnstItutIon-
al. The Democratic resolution OF lS92
| declares that all tariff duties that afford
protection OF any kind or III any degree
are unconstitutional and shall be re-
| pealed as soon as the Democrats come
| into power.
| Note that in each case the HemocratiC
| leaders take il upon themselves TO de
| clare a series of congressional acts un
| constitutional In 1882 the supreme
! court had made no direct ruling upor
the constitutioEality of tariff legislation
| but in 1892 the pages of the law report:
are studded thickly with supreme cour
| decisions affirming lis constItutlonalIty
| The Democratic convention OF 1872 eN
ceeds tie convention of lSi2 IN con
| tempt TOR one of the co-Ordn nate
! branches Of the national government
| inazmuch as il declares that to be uncon
| stltut ional which the highest trlauna
| declares 10 he constitutional. The con
ven,iou Of 1>}2 was defiant OF a major
! ity in Congress only, the convention O
| 1892 is defiant Of Congress and the 81
preme court.
TIE zane Causes lie ST the bottom o