The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1892-03-19
A STRAIGHTFORWARD COURSE.
The Democratic Party Has Steadily On.
posed Protective Taxes.

AhS PfupOoi1tOu buht the demOerR0lc.
party shall abandon revenue reform
and take to the woods is one of those
preposterous suggestions that come
only from men who are ignorant Of
political history or devoid of political
principle. Mr. Crisp and Mr.. Springer
could not If they would, and would NOT
It they could, abandon revenue reform,
or reverse the position Of the party.
From the time Of jefferson 10 cievss
land the party has been consistent in
its opposition 30 protective taxes, The
declaration Of independence was the
tormulation of a demand for free trade.
The first democratic platform adopted
by the party called republican to dis
unguish it from the federalist came
from a congressional caucus ut Phila.
deiphia in 1900, the year when Jefter.
SON was first elected PRESIDENT Its
second resolution is as follows.
Free commerce with all nations,
political connection with none, and lit
tie or no diplomatic establishment"
In 1901 Jefferson, in his first annual
message, declared; Agriculture,
ufactures, commerce and navigation,
the four pillars of our prosperity, are
most thriving when left free to indi-
vidua4 enterprise" In our early his
tory, when no nation feared our
strength or regarded our rights, every
reasonable effort was made to develop
our resources in order to make us indes
pendent OF all nations This was done
in some cases by small import duties,
cnTnh 49,. - ar--11
ruinous. Jefferson, Madison and
Monroe ever manifested a disposition
to encourage agriculture, manufacture,
commerce and navigation, as the
means OF Increasing cur war resources,
but jefferson was particular to say in.
1905 that "the remaining revenue on
the consumption of foreign articles is
paid cheerfully by those who can afford
to add foreign Injuries to domestic
comforts" In 1906, referring to Ger.
tain duties, he insisted they be re-
tanned, because they are levied chiefly
on luxuries. F."
The war of 1912 caused an increase
of duties, interrupted and destroyed
foreign commerce and called for war
tariffs.
Then, as now, the benehciaries Of
the war tariff were reluctant to sur.
render their war privileges, but, in
1929, jackson insisted that revenue
was the first consideration, and all in.
terests should be equally favored. In
his inaugural he said: "With regard to
q proper selection of the subjects of
impost, with a view to revenue, it
would seem to me that the spirit of
equity, caution and compromise, in
which the constitution was formed, re-
quires that the great interests of agri-
culture, commerce and manufactures
should be equally favored, and that
perhaps the only exception to this rule
should consist in the peculiar encour
agement of any product of either of
them that may be found essential to
our national independence"
In 1882, Jackson, in his veto of the
bank bill, said that most of the diff
culties surrounding the government
and most of the danger threatening
the union came from the abandonment
of the legitimate objects of govern
ment. "Many of our rich men," he
said, shave not been content with
equal protection, but have besought us
to make them rich by acts of congress-"
In 1882, in his annual message, he in
sisted Shat Americans might be willing
o awhile to pay higher prices, in
order to encourage the establishment
of factories, but, at the same time, he
emphatically repudiated the idea that
such a policy was TO be permanent.
''But," he said, 'for this purpose, it is
presumed that a tariff of high duties,
designed for perpetual protection, has
entered into the minds of but few of
our statesmen. The most they have
anticipated is a temporary and gener-
ally incidental protection, which they
maintain has the effect to reduce the
price, by domestic competition, below
that of the foreign article"
jackson, in his other state papers,
was consistent in his opposition to all
class legislation, denouncing every at
tempt to build up one interest at the
expense of another, insisted on relief
of such necessaries of life as salt and
coal from tariff taxation, and in his
farewell address said: 1.-THE govern
ment has no power to raise a revenue
or impose taxes except for the purposes
enumerated in the constitution"
The vigorous intellect of jackson,
his determined character, his broad
sympathies with the people, left their
impress on the democratic party.
In 1910 the democratic convention
met at Baltimore and adopted a plat
form declaring that Justice and sound
policy forbid the federal government
to foster one branch of industry to the
detriment of another" and the fifth
resolution was emphatic in the demand
that mo more evenue ought to be
raised than is required to defray the
expenses of government"
In 1914 the fourth and fifth resolu-
tious of 1910 were reaffirmcd.
In 1S4s the party platform declared
that 'the fruits of the great political
triumph of 1874 have fulfilled the hopes
of the democracy of the union in the
noble impulse given to the cause of
free trade by the repeal Of the tariff of
1S42, and the creation Of the more
equal, honest and productive tariff of
1886"
These principles were reaf6rmed
every four years until 1884.
Here is a record so simple, so direct,
so consistent that no man need mis-
take it. From the beginning until now
the democratic party has been the OPP
ponent of the principles underlying
the whole system of protection. On
the other hand Hamilton, the federal
party, the wing party, and now the re-
publican party, have been its advocates
and defenders.