The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1892-09-29
HILLS Masterpiece.
The Greatest 0ratOriCal Effort of His
Life,
THE TARIFF AND THE FORCE BILL.

THE TARIFF AND THE FORCE BILL.
A Clear and Mastarly Exposition of
These Leading Issues-The Pro-
vince of True Government-The
South is Loyal-"CleveIand and
Stevenson Our Great Standard
Bearers
Senator Hill opened the campaign
in Brooklyn before 5000 Democrats.
He received an ovation. In closing
his mastery effort, he exhorted to
follow cover great standard bearers,
Cleveland and Stevenson"
If l were asked to define the funda-
mental difference between the two
parties | should state that one believes
in strict construction of the federal
constitution and the other in a loose
one. One party believes that the gen.
eral governments powers should be
confined to those which are specifical-
ly granted, and that nothing can be
done under the general welfare of
clause except the exercise of those
functions which are incidental and
necessary to the carrying out of the
expressed powers while the other be-
lieveS that under that clause the pow
erS OF Congress are substantially uu-
restricted and limited only by it's wise
discretion. This radical diversity of
views cannot well be reconciled: it
cannot be wholly decided by the courts,
as it involves the spirit more than the
letter of the constitution, and in the
end it must be determined largely as
matter of policy by the people them
selves in their sovereign capacity.
Starting out with different views of
the constitution, the two parties nat
urally have enunciated different theo-
rieS of government, especially upon
the all-impOrtant subject of federal
taxation. A division upon the tariff
question was inevitable.
THE TARIFF QUESTION.
Concisely stated, what is the posi-
tion of the two parties upon this
question? l desire to state it fairly.
The Republican party advocates the
doctrine that the government has a
constitutional as well as moral right
to impose tariff duties for the purpose
of encouraged the building up of pri-
Yates industries, by the imposition of
duties sufficiently large to prevent
foreign competition, irrespective of
the question of the needs of the treas
ury, while the Democratic party be-
lieyes that the government has only a
constitutional and moral right to i'm
pose such duties as may be necessary
to raise sufficient revenue to support
the government economically admin
1stered. This is the precise issue
squarely started.
Both parties cannot be right; one or
the other must be wrong.
The consideration of this subject
leads to an analysis of the true func-
tlOnS of government. There are some
things which must be conceded be-
cause they are two plain for argu-
ment, and one of them is that the
government has no constitutional
power to enter into private business
directly, and what it cannot, or ought
not to do Indirectly. This is the cor
rect theory of government, and it eX-
| cludes the idea that one citizen may
be burdened to foster another citizens
private schemes,
PROTECTION UNCONSTITUTIONAL
A protective tariff is unconstitutiOn.
al. The Democratic national plat
form gives forth no uncertain SOUND
upon this subject and correctly states
the true position of the party 1t de
nieS the constitutional power of the
government to impose taxes for Other
| than public purposes.
| Whence comes the power to protect
| private induSties? What clause o1
| the constitution can be invoked fol-
| such a purpose? There is none. II
must be conceded by every intelligent
| citizen that the constitution does not
| grant any such express power. There
is not an elementary law writer any
| where whose treatise on the cOnStitu
| tiOn is regarded as standard sauthori
ty, who ventures to affirm the consti
| tutiOnal right of Congress to levy du
| ties for any other direct purpose thar
for the support of the government.
| Let us see where it will lead us. L
| the general government, under th'
| pretenSe of raising revenue, can i'm
| pose prOhibitOry duties and thereb.
| protect domestic industries from tn,
competition which the laws of trad,
would otherwise provide, then unde
| the same pretenSe-the raising of rev
enue-it can by taxation essential.
usurp most of the functions of tn,
State government, and virtually regu
late marriage and divorce, the rate o
| interest of money. the purchase o
property, the formation of corpora
! tionS, the making of leases and con
tracts of every decription, all of which
are matters heretofore properly con
sidered under the jurisdiction ant
regulation of the States.
PROTECTION A FRAUD.
Our opponents profess to be mucl
disturbed because we have in ou
platform denounced Republican pro
lection" as fraud. What else is it
1t is fraud for these conclusiv
| reasons:
First-It is secured by a palpabl
abuse of the taxing power of the gov
ernment.
Second-It inures to the benefit o
the few at the expense of the many.
Third-It is based upon favoritiSn
of tine worst species,
Fourth-It tends to create ficticiou
prosperity, to be followed by subse
quent business depression.
Fiith-It is deceptive in it's promis
es and unsatisfactory in its results.
/ Sixth-Its principal beneffciarie
constitute privileged class, anC
their opportunities for governments
aid lead to public scandal and demor
alization.
1 INCIDENTAL PROTECTION.
Incidental protection ON the othe
hand is unobjectionable. Tariff
should be imposed for the express pur
pose of revenue, and not for any pri
| vate purpose. We believe in revenue
with incidental protection, and not il
| protection, with incidental revenue
Insofar as the tariff is necessary tl
meet the neceSSarieS of government il
may be imposed, and any other benefit
which may be legitimately derived
from its imposition may and does nee
| essarily accompany it.
The Democratic position is a safe