The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1892-10-14
IT BOTHERS THEM.

The point raised by the Democratic
platform that protective tariff i:
unconstitutional still continues tt
disturb the slumbers of the editor OF
the local free trade organ. He recog
nizes that Democracy has nothing tc
base such an assertion upon and more
than that that the Democratic posi-.
tion in favor of free trade is a most
unpopular one with the people. That
there is strong feeling against trad.
ing off the present economic system
whereby the country has grown rich
and prosperous, and our people the
best clothed, best fed, best housed,
and most intelligent of any upon the
face of the globe, for that of England,
which means reduction of one-half
in the wage roll, and wide spread pow
erty everywhere. In view of this it is
no wonder that the argument of the
Revie,o is lame, weak and half-heart-
ed
1t has produced not a particle of
proof to show that protective tariff
law could not be based upon that
clause of the Constitution which au-
thorizes Congress to provide for the
general welfare" of the country.
Sneering it down will not take the
place of argument. History has shown
that protective tariff is for the gen.
eral welfare Of the entire country,
and upon that rock it will firmly rest.
1t is not likely that Daniel Webster's
fame as an expounder of the Constitu-
tion will suffer in the least, by the as
pensions cast upon it by modern free
traders. Mr.. Webster was a profound
thinker upon this subject and he fail
ed to find any such conflict between
protective laws and the constitution
as modern free traders claim exists.
Judge Miller's decision, which is re-
ferred to, is often quoted by the free
traders, and if the protective tariff
did take property from one citizen
and bestow it upon favored individ-
uals to aid private fortunes, it might
fit the case. But it does not. The re-
cent reports of labor commissioners
from several states show that not only
is our national prosperity increasing,
but that there has been an increase
in the wages of wOrkingmen, while
the report of the Senate Finance Com
mittee, and statistics fron- other
sources show that the price of manu-
featured articles are cheaper than
ever before. Edward Atkinson, emil
nent as free trader, as he is'aS sta
tistician, in the May For,ma says that
"There has never been a period in the
history of this or any country when
the general rate of wages was as high
as it is today, nor period when the
workman, in the strict sense of the
word, has SO successfully secured to
his own use and enjoyment such a
steadily and progressively increasing
proportion of a constantly increasing
product" This is the result of inves-
CATION and shows no robbery. AS to
Judge Cooley's statement, that is SIM
ply his opinion and is entitled to no
more consideration than that of any
other individual qualified to speak
upon the subject. Against it can be
brought the opinion of that eminent
Democrat and constitutional lawyer,
George Ticknor Curtis, who declares
that protective laws are strictly con-
stitutional, and says that the party
who drafted the Democratic resolu-
lions was densely ignorant of Ameri-
can political history, or wished to win
votes by deceiving the voters. And
the fact that the United States Su-
preme Court has strengthened Mr..
Curtis position by declaring that the
Mckinley law is constitutional, gives
hlm:a little the best of the argument.
1t might be further noted that among
the first acts of the trainers of the
constitution, after that instrument
was adopted, was to frame and pass
a protective tariff law. With all the
arguments and facts against them,
no wonder the dreams of the free
traders are troubled and broken.