Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1892-09-20

portant subject or federal taxation. A dIvislon
upon the tariff question was inevitable. The
Republican party advocates the doctrine that
the government has Il constitutional as well "a
amoral right TO impose tariff duties for the
purpose OF encouraging the building up OF
private industries. by the imposition OF duties
sufficiently large 10 prevent foreign oompeti-
tion. irrespective of the needs Of the treasury,
while the Democratic party believes that the
government has only constitutional and
moral right 20 impose such duties - may be
necessary 20 raise sufficient revenue 70 sup
port the government economically, admfnis-
tered.
Both parties cannot be right; ono o. the
other must be wrong. There are son1e hfngs
which must be conceded because they ~ too
plain for argument, and one OF them 10
that the government has no constitutional
power 20 enter into private business directly,
and what It cannot do directly, 1t cannot, or
ought not, 10 do indirectly. The correct
theory Of government excludes the idea that
one citizen may be burdensd TO foster another
citizens private schemes
The Democratic national platform gives
forth no uncertain sound upon this subject,
and correctly states the
True Position OF tho Party.
II denies the constitutional power Of tho gov
ernmcnt 90 i'm )ose taxes for other than public
puIVIntn dllA aware Inht ~ tonttTteu thort
Is being made by our opponents TO make IL ap-
pear that new departure h0 been entered
upon and that our party had abandoned its
former conservative position upon the tariff
question and assumed another and bolder at
utude leading absolutely toward free trade.
do not 50 regard il. Some of US might have
preferred "A little different phraseology, but, as
whole, II sufficiently expresses our position
with remarkable clearncss and accuracy. In
every essential particular this plank was EN-
bodied iu the Democratic national platform OF
ltib, uppn which Samuel j. Tilden was elected
president sld having once been ratified by .
majority of tho people, IL is believed that 1t
will iC satisfactory TO them now.
/ realize the difficulty OF presenting the
question of tho cohstitutionslity of . protsc-
tive tariff lav 10 the courts, and in that view
IL may have been unnecessary OF not dssirar
ble 90 have C'''oHCcd It's Legality. We need
not have Laced our obje ion upon that
ground while 30 many fatal objections existed
TO the system itself, but that course was Q
mere mat'erof discretion. The fact remains
that We have always insisted and now insist
thaf no warrant can be found I'm the constitu-
tioI FOR the imposition OF tariff duties to aid
private industries, but whether such tariff is
constitutional or not, or whether IL IL prac-
ticghle to have the question properly raised or
decided. the ~ stem itself is vicious in the ex-
trcme, unjust to tho people and contrary TO
the spirit OF our free institutions. There is
fp. 1880 elementary law writer anywhere whose
tr4'' 70 On The constitution Is regarded as
stand ,rd authority. who ventures 10 affirm the
constitutional right OF congress 10 levy duties
for any other direct purpose than revenue for
the support ~ the government
Republican Protsctisn
docs not constitutionally exist, but is Imposed
upon the people by fraud, false pretenses,
evasion and gross abuse Of the taxing power.
10. q. 4 IA
furnishes "A hazardous precedent which will
surely return 60 plague Us. IL the government,
under the pretcase Of raising revenue, can i'm
pose rrohlbtory duties and thereby protect
domestic industries from competition, then,
NJ ~ the saiae pretense, IL can by taxation
ess"n "ntially usurp mpst OF the functions OF the
state governments and virtually regulate mar
riage and dy rec. the rate OF interest on
money, the purchase OF property, the forma-
ton OF corporations the making Of leases and
contracts of every description.
| have real with caro- all the arguments
urged by the two very able apostles OF pro-
tec' ion, Governor Mckinley and Senator
Aldrich, but : fail to discover that they pro-
sen single feDahle ground upon which pro-
lection, pure sud simple, can bs constitution
a'y defend"d Incidental protection 10
NJ 'Ntt. .Nic. Tariffs should be imposed
for nc oAyryss purpose ~ revenue and not for
an. "rivatc purpose In so far ~ the tariff
e. scssaly go meet the necessities OF the
govrr. suoptN, may be imposed and any other
l"nt @ which may he legitimately derived
flo' it- inro.ition may and docs necessarily
az r'uauy it.
rho democratic Position
is q s9'n lugic9'. conservative and Just posi-
ton with the constantly increasing expenses
of 4" eumant and the enormous amount Of
money, annually augmenting, required by the
grow ing pension list, the tariffs which must
necessarily ip 'yac'ed 10 meet these expend-
itures VIII lie for many years to come amply
ins l'ici,nt 80 atFord, incidentally, all the pro-
tee. 'On which 81 To.t ardent ad vocate Of the
syti I'D can rca .anably ask. In the imposition
~ necessary TARIFF there should be exercised
a N F.. 'iscriminnrol in the amounts exacted
and tln articles taxed. What should be placed
unou 'hc free list ard what should he the most
heavily Durdened, are questions not free from
diN'culty, and require the most careful con-
sid,rltiUn.
The Mills bin Of 1888 and the separate tariff
bill passed by the present Democratic house
indicate In a general "ay the Democratic posi-
tiOu. They how that the nccosSlries of life
should be uhs'antially free; that luxuries
should bear H. heaviest burdens; that there
should ho FREQ raw materials for the benefit
Of ma Hfa-t r,rs' chat the tariff upon manu-
factu.ed articles should. - general rule be
larger whero similar articles are manufac-
turcd In this country than where they are
not; that the jariH upon all manufactured
articles other than those for good reasons
placed au Ice tree list should equal the diff
ference bet ,'n the rate Of wages paid in
t'l- and foreign countries so far as labor en-
tor- into tla cost ot their production.
President l'rrison, in his letter Of accept
1urc, cail attention 10 ihe fact tha, while our
platform in l.-1, roadopted in 1883, contained
au express plank upon this question OF the
equalization Of wages, yet II. wa. omitted in
lH. and asserts that we have changed our
go ition. ! beg 60 differ with him. There was
no necessity or the repetition OF that plank,
rs Che party's position upon IL had been evil
dcnced by the Mills bll.
Mr. Hill as.u'l That "Republcan pro-
lection" wa- fraud "a IL was secured by
au abuse Of the taxing power, benefited
The few ~ the expense of the many and
tended to crpate fictitious prosperity,
while the importuuities OF its benefciaries
for governmental aid led to public scandal
and d"moraliZIt,un. IL said President
Harrison and other advocates Of protec-
ton sought IN vain 20 craate the impress
s.un that the Democratic party had be-
come an advocate OF free trade II did not
follow that because the party opposed an
unreasonable tariff ii favored free trade
The senator said that II he believed the
Democratic party favored absolute free
trade he should not advocate its cause.
Tariff reform, he declared,
Docs Not Mean Free Trade.
r. 'he famous tariff message OF 1887, our
Dl didate expressly rcpudiatcd the sug-
q tion that he was entering upon any
crusade ~ fee trade. The senator, con-
f.ulEg. s.. .':
.f,a Nfrftf. .H Dana. tuor.a.ed Tho hprdon.