Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1892-07-14
The Democratic Free Trade Platform.

The tariff plank of the Democratic
platform means free trade, and moth
ing less. The convention Indignantly
repudiated the plank reported by the
committee, because it had a few oily
phrases in it. The delegates were not
dispose To butter the free trade pars-
nip with soft language this year. This
action al the convention WAS most
significant, and it means war to the
knife on protected labor and indus
tries.
The Democrats have made free trade
their chief and almost their only issue,
and on that doctrine they haveat last
got back To first principles.
For over ertwenty-tiv years they have
been qualifying their free trade decla-
rations with deceptive tricks and
frauds of speech, but they are done
with that now. They have caught
their true voice and talk plainly now
as they did before the war, when one
OF their leaders in congress-Garnet,
OF Nirginia-announced that Demo
cratic policy aimed ut duties Imposed
with a single eye to revenue alone, and
not an iota for protection"
Since the days when ''tarif reform"
was advocated for theeNpress purpose
OF cheapening labor and reducing wages
| the Democrats have made wide
divergence, but it is now ended in -
complete return. They are tenting on
the old grounds OF cheap labor. Once
more they even deny the government
the right or power to protect labor.
Like the tailors OF Tooley street,
who called themselves ''the people"
the southern Democrats, possessed of
cheap, "half-slave" black labor, de-
clare themselves the american peo-
ple," who are to he blessed by free
trade, while tina; protection which
sustains vast northern and western
industries is alleged to be for "the
benefit of the few" They say:
ave denounce Republican protec-
tion as fraud, a robbery of n great
majority of the people /? for the ben
eft of the few. II We declare it to
be the fundamental principle OF the
Democratic party that the federal
government has no constitutional
power to impose and collect tariff du-
ties, except for the purpose of revenue
/ only, and demand that the collection
OF such taxes shall be limited to the
necessities of the government when
honestly and economically admins
tered"
Glorious old Democratic doctrine,
this!
1t means rot an iota of tariff duties
for the protection OF labor.
1t means that the American labor
unit and standard must be that of the
''half-slave" black toilers OF the south.
1t means that the natural labor
level is that OF the voteless southern
blacks, and congress has no right to
put any labor on n higher plane than
that.
IL means that the southern Democ-
racy are determined to exploit labor
in the future as in the past, not only
black, but white as well. They demand
the right to exchange the cotton prod
net OF cheap black labor for foreign
goods and backloads the proceeds
home under low revenue duties, and
hence to sell at rates nothern white
labor cannot stand.
III there is no power in this country
to maintain duties for protection, and
to keep northern labor above the
natural Lowell" millions who known
comfort heret ofore will know only mis-
cry hereafter.
What Is "A government good for If it
cannot impose duties to protect labor
as well as to get revenue?