The record-union., 1892-10-21

Z
Constitution, is all in this tenor. we
have had the tariff laws of 1894, 1928, 1912
and 1861 and tleir constitutionality is abb
solutely settled. Andrew Jackson, the
ancient idol of the Democracy, III his an
nual message to Congress in 1880 made
studied defense of the constitutionality Of
a protective tariff. The platform for the
National Democratic party adopted at the
meeting for the ratltication OF the second
nomination of Andrew Jackson in 1882
contained three planks, the first OF which
was as follows:
ReSolred, That an adequate protection to
American industry is Indispensable to the
prosperity of the country, and that an aban-
donlnent o1 the policy at this period " ould be
attended with consequences rulnous TO the
/ pest interests OF the Nation.
On that platform Jackson was elected
President and Martin Van Buren, Vice
President OF the United States. Not only
IS IL the platform upon which Jackson was
elected, but when President he fought
bis great battle against notification in
South Carolina i'll behalf of a protective
tariff.
The ordinance of notification of the
State of South Carolina, November %,
1852, is as follows:
WHEREAS, The Congress OF the United
States, by various Acss purporting to be Acts
Dut ia reality for protection OF domestic man
fractures, hath exceeded its Just powers IN
der thc Constitution, we, therefore, the people
OF the state Of South Carolina in convention
assembled, do declare and Ordain. and it is
hereby declared and ordained that the sew
eTal Acts and parts OF Acts Of the JungIess OF
the United Sta es purporting to be laws for
imposing of duties aad impOsts on TIE ifa-
portailons OF foreign commodities are untu-
thorled by the Constitution OF the United
States and violate the true meaning and in
tent thereof and are null, void and no law
These are the words of the ordiuanc3 OF
nulilhcation OF the State Of South Caro-
| lima. l make that statement thus posi-
| lively III order that you may not be mis-
! led into imagining that they are the
/ words OF the present Democratic plat
! form. And yet it was this very ordinance
! that Andrew jackson used all the force
! OF Als intense personal nature, and all
| the power of the Executive arm of the
/ Government to crush out, and did crush
out, an act for which, until this campaign
! at least, he has received tie reverence
and ldolization of every Northern Demo
/ crat in the land.
/ TARIFFS TO PROTECT AMERICAN LABOR
And American industries have come and
gone Throughout the whole course OF the
! history of this nation. Prosperity has
| folloWe ed their enactment, and hardship
/ followed their repeal, and still men have
! dlHered upon the question of their policy
| and their eXpediency; but in later days
the question Of their constitutionality has
| never been mooted, and it has remained
for the Democratic National Convention,
IN moment of thoughtlessnesS and in
considerate haste, now to raise il again.
! There was a Constitution once under
Which, without question, a protective
tariff would be null and void, but that
was no. the Constitution of the United
| States OF America. The Constitution of
| the Confederate States of America and
| the resolution of. the National Democratic
party adopted at Chicago are as much
/ l,oxr !, 4 Al
| same hand. For the purpose Of compar-
lson l shall draw the deadly parallel and
| read them side by side. The COnstitu-
| tion of the Confederate States SAYS:
The Congress shall have power to lay
and collect taxes, duties, imposts and ex-
clSeS for revenues necessary to pay the
debts and provide for the common de-
Tense and to carry on the Government of
| the Confederate States; but no bounty
shall be granted from the treasury, nor
shall any duties or taxes on impOrtations
from foreign nations be laid to promote
! or foster any branch of industry"
The Democratic platform says: 1--WE
declare it TO be a fundamental principle
| of the Democratic party that the Federal
| Government has no constitutional power
| to impose and collect tariff duties, except
for the purpose Of revenue only, and we
demand that the collection OF such taxes
! shall be limited to the necessities of the
! Government when honestly and econom-
| cally administered.
| Where is the difference between the
! two? The man who introduced that reso-
luton and the five-eighths of the conven-
ton that crammed it down the throats of
| the other three-eighths, in spite of the
vote of the solid California delegation
simply mistook the Constitution to which
they had been appealing. They had
learned nothing and forgotten nothing
since the war.
STUBBORN DEMOCRATS.
Mr.. Davis then dismissed as absurd the
question of the constitutionality of the
Democratic party idea of the tariff ques-
| ton, and went into the merits Of the
| question III broader sense. He said
there was little use talking to stubborn
| Democrats, and he illustrated with a
! laughable anecdote. 1t was about an old
lady who wanted TO get married. She
could not see or hear, her hair and teeth
were false, and she was generally de-
cayed. Her son protested, but she was
determined. He finally determined to
test her powers Of sight, so as to convince
her that she was too far gone. He stuck a
| darning- needle in a barn door across the
/ road and told her if she could see it he
would not object further to her matrimo-
nial intentions. The old lady strained, and
| finally declared that she could see the
needle, but could not see the barn" That
| was the way il was with Democrats. You
can talk to them all day on the tariff
question, and at the finish they will see
needle, but not the barn.
| Mr.. Davis argued that protection, as
carried out by the Republican party, had
been expedient in building up a diversi-
| tication of industry. This was shown by
| historical examples. The Democrats adj
nit this expedient, but make certain OBJ
! jections On the alleged ground that the
cure is worse than the disease. Mr. Davis
| then took up these objections and argued
| them down i'll a mastery and convincing
manner. The Republican partys tariff
| policy had built up great home market,
| which was worth great deal more than
| foreign markets. Still the reciprocity
idea encouraged foreign trade, too, with
out disturbing the great protective policy
OF the Government. Protection had built
up great diversitication of trade The
| Democrats admitted that reciprocity was
really free trade on a small scale, and that
| they only intended to extend it further
| The Republican party would extend it
| just so far as it could 90 without endan-
/ gering the foundation of protection For
! thirty-two years the Democratic party
| had been an obstructionist partv The
records up to the last Congress would show
| that.
| In referring to reciprocity, the speaker
referred TO James q. Blaine, and brought
out storm of applause from the large as
semblage.
A good example of the condition of
America was shown recently during the
| cholera scare. People for the first time
/ became informed OF the enormous immi-
4 grafton that was going on. Only few
/ steamers were stopped and quarantined
| yet these few steamers were found to con-
| tain thousands of foreigners who were
anxious 10 get into this country What
would this amount to in year? was a
! question that arose in every DOd y,S mind