The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-06-03
THE PLATr INTERVIEW.

TIE interview with ex-senator THOMAS
c. PLAT, published in our dispatches yes
terday, viii make interest ting reading and
that, too, apart from the Republican row
to which the remarks of the senator, in the
main, relate. The boss enters vigorous
protest against President HARRISON ap-
propriating 10 himself all praise for the
splendid achievements" Of the Republican
party since 1889, and demands that the
honors be shared by some half dozen other
statesmen" JAMES G. BLAINE coming in
for the lions share OF the "honors' due for
those splendid achievements To him
especially is attributed praise for the recip-
roclty scheme, through means of which the
Republican party will attempt to straddle
the tariff issue. This reciprocity scheme
Senator PLAT calls ''the brightest Jewel
in the growth of this administra-
tionn He also refers to it as 1.-THE
most attractive and popular feature
Of our policy by which has
been "saved TO the people $50, 900, 600 of
taxation here, and to their exports half as
much more in the foreign country where
they are sent. Ii has extended our foreign
trade not less than S75, 600, 900 and promises
soon TO do vastly more than that" The
commercial scheme which produces these
results all concede to be good, and in
stinctively one is led to ask, "What is re-
ciprocity" We are all familiar with the
fact that hypocrisy Is the homage which
vice pays to virtue. The hypocrite recog-
nizes the value Of virtue; he observes that
honest men make way for it and respect
it; that it passes current in every land and
is universally blessed. Vice seeing this.
dares not purse his SCARED and horrid
brow and cry boldly out against serene
and happy virtue, hence he Stimulates n
q complaisance he feels not wreathes his
bleared and bloated face with smiles. and
valnly attempt TO assume the air and grace
Of virtue herself. All TO no purpose, however.
Vice praising or initiating virtue hath ever
something sinister in it. 1t is but a limp
ing virtue. It's smile deceiyes nobody. its
character is branded so deeply on it's front
that it is known and read Of all men. and
becomes an object Of universal disgust.
AS hypocrisy is the homage which vice
pays to virtue, SO is reciprocity the homage
which protection pays to free trace. II il
simply limited application of free trade
principles. 1t is limited free trade be-
tween particular countries arranged nv
treaties; nothing more, nothing less. And
if so much has been done in the vay of
freeing the people from the excessive ..tax-
alton" with which they are bur6ened by
this very limited application OF free trade
doctrine, how much more could be done bv
a wider application Of those same princI-
pies! The reciprocity treaties so far, have
been negotiated with countries which do
not demand or need our agricultural pro-
ducts, but take mainly our manufactures
This is too one sided to suffice, and NAV
well justify the Democratic convention of
New York in denouncIng 1.-THE BLAINE rec
iprocity humbug.''
VIII If not be rather humiliating for the
Republican convention at Minneapolis to
be overshadowed with the consciousness
that the "brightest ieweln Ia the growth of
the present Republican administration
owes its lnstre to a limited application of
Democratic doctrine; that tine most
attractive and popular feature'' of the
Republican policy comes from the same
sourcea Next November the people of the
United States will sit in judgment upon
the two parties. and if they possess the
common sense they are credited with, they
viii say: Moonshine is eli ve--- well tn