The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-09-22
rv,,ocp.oy AND THE TARIFF.

Tho foolish efforts Of the Republican
nrcss and speakers so make u appear
,bot the Democratic party IS IN faVor oi
fr,o trade show the desperation to which
The Republicans are reduced Inc De.
,oocracv time and again. has announced
A., :, ;s !, favor of tariff for revenue,
indicjously laid so as to afford such en-
coura ocment 20 American Industries as
,o;,ht no doomed wise. and yet 10 be no
hichor than the necessities Of the gov
,,.,,,ont demanded. This means that
the Democratic party seeks to es'ool'Sh
q tariff for revenue with incidental pro-
tcction. instead Of a tariff for protection
viii, Incidental revenue as the Kcpubii-
c,,s would have it. and so every man OF
irtollicence understands to be the Demo
cratic position
Fven had the Democracy not so often,
and 50 clearly. made known It's POSITION
however. no man Of moderate intelh-
cence could believe that it was in favor
Of absolute free trade, and that the Re-
puhlicans seek to create a false impress
sion by procaiming to the contrary IS
direct insult to the voters Of the country
40 man who thinks for a moment can
help from seeing that free trade Is, under
ovisting circumstances, an absurd I'M
preCticability. We have an enormous
National debt on which our interest has
to be paid as well as n portion OF the
principal each year; we have TO pay
SIGOOO0.OO0 for pensions this year, and
next year this sum is expected to reach
100000, 600, and besides all this we have
the regular expenses Of the Government
TO meet which are very heavy. This enor-
nous revenue has TO be raised annually,
and as no one is in favor of direct tax
alton. all of it not provided by the in
ternal revenue has TO be raised by a
tariff. For this reason the most ardent
free-trader cannot expect the country to
get along without a tariff for genera
tons to come.
What the Democracy do want, how
ever, and will have, is tariff which will
provide for the necessary demands of the
government but will not be an unjust
and onerous burden upon the taxpayers
for the benefit of a few favored indiyd-
uals. A tariff. in other words. which
will be for the masses and not for the
classes.
We have said that when the Repuhli-
cans attempt to deceive the people by
telling them that the Democracy is in
favor of free trade it is an insult TO the
voters. because it shows that they are
counting upon the ignorance, or worse,
Of the people. 1t is an intimation that
the masses either have no sense or never
use their intelligence. 1t is trying to de-
ceiye them with falschOod which every
man Of any mind at all who thinks must
know is falsehood, and therefore the
only hope of that party of deceit is that
the people will accept what it says blindly
and be led by it by the nose.
There is no obscurity in the Democratic
position Oh the tariff. and it is so simple
that he who runs may read. Governor
Hill in his Brooklyn speech on Monday
set it forth distinctly and succinctly, and
no one who reads his speech can fail to
understand all there is in it. These are
his words, and it will be well for them to
be borne always in mind
The Democratic position is a SAFE log
zeal. conservative and just position. No
tariffs except for the purpose Of revenue
only and limited to the necessities Of
the Government honestly and economi-
cally administered, is a doctrine which
appeals 50 the good sense and sound
judgment Of every honest and thought
full man. With the constantly increasing
expenses of government and the enOr-
nous amount Of money, annually aug
menting, required by the growing pension
list. these tariffs which must necessarily
be exacted to meet these expenditures
will he for many years to come amply
sufficient to afford incidentally all the
protection which the most ardent adyo-
cate of the system can reasonably ask.
More than this ought not to be conceded
to anybody"