Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-09-21
HILLS TARIFF sQUIRM.

The striking feature of David Bennett
Hills public utterances is generally some
stroke of logic in which reason, consistency
and the facts are spurned with sublime
mixture of ignorance and impudence.
His stroke of last winter in frowning
down the Western mems free silver COIN
age in the same speech that extolled free
bj-metallic coinage was a case In point.
But it is cast in the shade by the trium-
plant self-contradi ctions of his endeavor
to set the Democratic position on the tariff
right before the people.
David Bennett first declares that he,
with all other Democrats, stands on the
national platform. He includes in that
Endorsement the famous declaration that
for the Government to levy duties with
any purpose in view except to raise reve-
nue. is unconstitutional; and then he
undertakes the attempt to explain it
away. His first step in doing so is
to alter the language of the plat
form and refer to it as declaring
that it is unconstitutional "to impose taxes
for other than public purposes. F" This is
an important departure from the author
lied Democratic declaration. To levy
duties for the maintenance of home in
dustry is public purpose which the Dem
ocratc convention took care to repudiate.
They will have duties levied for no other
purpose than revenue, and declare it un-
constitutional to take any other purpose
into consideration.
Senator Hill next squirms away from
the platform by asserting that incidental
protection would not be unconstitutional
This is equivalent to asserting that re-
duced proportion of unconstitutionality is
constitutional. The Democratic platform
formally excludes all purposes except that
of revenue. Senator Hill swallows the
platform pro .forma and then proceeds to
add the prescribed purpose. He exhibits
his usual ignorance of economic subjects
by supposing that an exclusively revenue
tariff can provide incidental protection. A
tariff for revenue only must be levied so
as to encourage imports in order to yield
the greatest revenue. A tariff for protec-
ton, whether of the partial kind described
as incidental or of the complete degree,
must by protecting home production de-
crease imports and diminish the revenue
from them.
Senator Hill indorses incidental protec-
ton and repeats his assertion that if
Democracy meant free trade he would not
support it But that is exactly what the
Democratic convention put itself on record
as meaning. The plank reported by the
majority of the Committee on Resolutions
for merely squirting toward incidental
protection was repudiated by the conven-
ton; and plank putting the party
squarely on the free trade basis was
adopted by an overwhelming vote. And
a significant measure of the value of pub
lie professions is afforded by the fact that
Senator Hlll's supporters in the conven-
ton were found solidly voting against the
conservative position which he now takes
for no other apparent reason than to put
the candidate in tight place.
Such fabric of false reasoning and
would have no impor-
tance if it were not for its recognition that
the Democratic platform is one which the
people will repudiate. Senator Hill argu-
ing constitutional and economic issues is
only a subject for the laughter Of gods
and men. Senator Hill trying to work
the party out from the burden of its own
declarations is sign that the Democratic
party cannot bear the odium of its reck-
less and destructive utteranceS.