The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1892-07-28
Democratic Change from Protection
to Free Trade.

The first vote taken IN the American
Congress showed that New England
stood almost solidly opposed in protect
ion, while the other States, including
the South, as it then existed, stood op'
posed to free trade.
The Democratic party under the lead
Of Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and Jack.
son, all Southern men, stamped out the
sentiment of free trade in New England,
and the New England men sold their
ships and went into manufacturing, and
have since favored protection. 1t is the
second origin of freetrade sentiment, that
which shifted the Democratic party from
the side Of protection to the side OF free
trade, that is of most interest and inn
portance now. The scene is shifted from
New England to South Carolina. We
know the cause that led to the advocacy
of free trade in New England as an effect.
1t was sectional selfshness. The New
England men then had their money in
ships, and it was to their interest to have
the American people buy their goods of
other nations to be carried in their ships.
This policy was not in accord with the
craftsmanship Of the founders of the
Democratic party, and did not long sur.
vive the supremacy of that party.
Years after this the sentiment of free
trade originated in South Carolina.
What was the cause 1t is an historical
fact that the agitation of the slavery
question in New England and the
advocacy of the policy of free trade in
South Carolina were about contempo.
raneous; the one followed the other. AS
the agitation of the slavery question in.
creased in England and extended west.
ward, the sentiment of free trade was
extended in the slave States. The Demo.
cratic cotton planters OF the South, ang-
cred at the course of New England in
agitating the slavery question, determ-
ined on the policy of selling their cotton
to old England and buying their goods
from old England in preference to pat
ronizing New England, and the cotton
States of the South wanted free trade.
Looked at from the standpoint of Jack.
Sonlan craftsmanship, this is cutting off
the noise to spite the face. A policy that
originated in the hatred OF one section
of the country against another section
is certainly not safe policy for the M.
ton to follow, especially quarter Of
century after the cause which originated
the hatred has disappeared, and its dis.
appearance acquiesced in by all sections,
inciutiing the original slave States OF the
South. AS soon as the South dominated
the Democratic party and dictated its
policy, the change came, born of the
hatred of the Southern cotton planters
against the people of New England, and
Democracy, ABANDONING the policy of
protection which it had charnpioned
under the lead of Jefferson, Madison,
Monroe and Jackson, became the ally of
England in an effort to force free trade
on the American people.
Old Democracy was dead and modern
Democracy lived and yet survives, main
tanning its position as the ally OF Enc
land, insisting that the American people
should feed the paupers and laborers of
Europe instead of feeding their own.
The Southern cry of ante -bellum days
that "Cotton Is King" had a significance
never understood and appreciated by the
American people outside the ruling class
in the cotton States. With the English
market for cotton produced by slave
labor, and exchange favored by free
trade, there would have been wealthy
aristOcracy in the South and poverty
ard distress in every other section of the
Union. Before the war modern Donoc.
racy had the courage to embody its free
trade doctrine in its State and National
platforms.
As has been well said by Mr.. Denslow,
"the armies that met on the Rapidan
and at Vicksburg represented opposing
economic theories. The constitution of
the attempted Confederate States sol.
emnly provided that no protective tariff
should ever be enacted in those States
or by that government. The Confeder-
acy was only to differ from the Union in
making slavery the normal condition of
labor, and freedom from protective du.
ties the natural right of commerce."
and Mr.. Denslow adds "It is an i'm.
pressive truth that the free trade theory
contended for destroyed the Confeder.
acy."
Since the war modern Democracy has
not had the courage to embody it's doc
trine in any State or National platform.
It has constantly been confronted by
conditions resulting from the policy of
protection inaugurated by the Repub.
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