Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1892-07-14
THE FREE TRADE PLANK

Scriiun =. We ~IcuuuncC ~ErpIhirTn pro-
~trriiun as = fraud; At rubi.ry of the great
maJnriiy al the American people fer the
benefit al the fcu. We declare it Il"
he a fundamental principle of the Demo
cratic party that the federal govern
mcut has no constitutional power to
impose aud collect tariff duties except
for purposes al revenue only. aud we de
mand that the collection III such taxes
shall hc limited tn the ncccssitirs al the
government when honestly aud economic
ally administered. -Dcmucratir Platform.
The above declaration means free
trade, pure and simple, and VAS substi-
tuted for Il plank moderately fIvoring
protection. The section VAS supported
by Henry Watterson, who declares that
the democratic party is Il free trade
party or nothing"
To dcnounce protection aS a fraud,
surprises no one. The party has done
nothing for thirty years but d%en"unc"
Republican measures and policies.
Someuf the same men met at the same
place in 1S6I Ia declare the war u fail
ure /; yet at the very hnur the derlara-
ton was made the confederacy was
lettering to its fall, with Grant and
Sherman mast, r. of the situation. Ii
is the same old party, singing the same
old song of negation and enmity to the
best interests of the United States. The
people distrusted the party then and
have no more faith in it now. 1t Is
properly described as "A conspiracy
against human rights and could as
truthfully he designated a conspiracy
against industrial progress. 1t is one
thing to denounce and make declara-
tions, but proof is quite another matter.
The author of the above was appealing
to ignorance and prejudice IN denounc-
ing protection and declaring that the
er to impose and collect tariff duties
except for the purposes of revenue
only. When the Democracy cannot
find another argument To pre- ent they
hide behind the constitution. IS though
that instrument was of divine origin
AMI infallible. But even in this decla-
ration modern Democracy asserts a
principle directly opposite tn that en-
~tertained by Washington, Jefferson and
Madison, who recommended the
passage of laws for the protection of
American industries. But these men
We're patriots, not political tricksters
fishing for spoils. That protection bene-
fits only the few, is another assumption
utterly devoid of truth. There is scarce
ly any class DR. industry in the United
States but is benefited by protection !;
not always direct perhaps, but easily
traceable Indirectly. What benefits the
majority III II country Is felt by the
whole. IL any one industry is prosper
GUS, the distribution of money from
that industry gets into the channels of
trade, employs labor and distributes its
benefits broadcast. Protection has done
this very thing and has built upa home
market hat is the envy of the world
especially of Great Britain, which is an
ally of the Democracy i'll its assaults
upon the system. Ii requires one mil
lion dollars every twcnty-fuur hours To
run this government, yet the Democ-
racy would have the people meet this
expense 10y direct taxation, instead Of
making the foreigners pay a portion of
it,. \ revenue tariff is always a tax.
There never Vas IA time in the history
of the country when manufactured arti-
cles of every kind were as cheap as they
are today, and every prophecy against
the Mckinley bill has proven false.
This is the reason why the people will
repudiate Grover Cleveland and his
party on the Sth of next November.