The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-04-20
4 sHoRr REVIEW.

Some of the Republican newspapers and |
speakers have the hsrdihood to speak of /
the prote5tion principle as illustrated in |
prohibitive tariffs as an old doctrine of the
Republican party. whereas it is an innova-
ton Of thepast few years. 1t had no part
nor lot in the creed of the Republican party
prior TO the convention of 1855, which nom
mated BENJAMIN HARRISON. 1t never had
any practical application until the passage
OF the MCKINLEY bill. Tariffs there had
been, but all were ostensibly for revenue.
incidental protection was finally engrafted
on this, but as modern eXpedient
DANIEL WEBSTER denounced the idea of
tariff prohibition as early as 1922. HENRY
CLAY favored such incidental temporary
protection as revenue tariff would afford,
but ne had no idea OF it ever being perpet
ual. All the leaders of the Wing and Dem
ocratic parties were equally guiltless of the
idea of permanent or prohibitiye protec-
ton. And so of the platforms OF the Re-
publican party, after the death of the Wing
organization. Protection was not even
limited at in 1856. In 1850, when LINCOLN
was nominated there was an expression
favoring such an adjustment of government
duties asswould encourage industry. The
Republican platforms Of 1864 and 1865 said
knot a word about tariff. In 1876
and 1880 the resolutions favored revenue
duties SO levied as TO discriminate IN favor
Of American labor, but were silent about
protection. The platform Of 1854, on which
BLAINE was nominated, used the word
protection, but referred to incidental"
protection only. 1t was not till the year
1888 that the Republican party demanded
duties levied for the purpose of protecting
American Industries, and without refer
ence TO revenues.
President LINcoLN, President GRANT,
President GARFIELD and President ARTHUR
all favored reduction of the war tariff, as
did Senators SHERMAN, LOGAN, ALLISON
and others. President ARTHUR appointed
g commission to revise and reduce the
tariff, which recommended an average re-
ducton of not less than 20per cent. Presi-
dent GARFIELD twenty-five years ago, said
duties should not be so high as TO drive out
foreign manufactures and enable home
manufacturers to enjoy a monopoly of
trade and regulate the prices as they
pleased.
Such was the ruling Republican faith of
representative leaders up to few years
ago. In speech in Chicago, MCKINLEY,
the same who afterwards reported the act
now in force, first preached the doctrine of
protection with incidental revenue, thus
reversing that which had before prevailed,
and to-day it is the written law OF
the high tariff wing Of the Republican
party. There never was any popular
demand for it, but on the contrary through
out the west the agitation of the subject
was viewed with unconcealed alarm. The
country had been promised reduction IN.
stead of an increase in the tariff, and they
felt that this was scheme to take some
thing away from them and transfer it tt
the monopolists, as bribe for their mater
ial and Indispensable support at the polls.
AS soon as Congress met after the manu-
facturers had put prohibitive protection
into the party's platform, the Hobbies were
besieged by the monopolists aud theil
agents. And then began the work, first O.
STRENGTHENING a weak and precarious ma
jority by routing Democrats and filling
their places with Republicans who wer
elected, and then of sitting the freedom O
4 speech of the minority. The MckINLE,
! bill was then brought in. 1t covered 20
printed pages, raising the duties On NOR
}, than seven hundred articles Of use an
necessity. Yet when one-ffth of the bil
had been read and debated. further dis
cussion was arbitrarily cut off and the &C
railroaded through. BY similar methods
: passed the Senate to go to conferenc
committeeman through such means wa
this unrepublican, non-American meaaur
foisted upon the people. And are we to b
d told that Republicans should feel bound
by,party ties, to follow the behests of tn
monopolists and bind themselves to TIL
tyrannical innovation2