The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-10-29
MR.. CURTIS LETTER.
Tho Great Lawyer Demolishes
Free Trade FallacIes.
1T is VERY STUPID OF Mr.. WELLS
Ho Should Not Have Quoted One
of Mr.. Cleveland's sentcnces-.New
style Dcmocrats-.aow Their Plat.
form Compares With That of Jack
son.

In a single article of about two thou
sand words, George Ticl;nor Curtis, the
eminent constitutional lawyer and life
long Democrat, who cannot go" the
tariff plank IN the platform OF the party
which he honored for 80 many years,
dissects Tariff for Revenue only" and
incidentally pays his respects to David
A. Wells, the free trade theorist. The
article is the fifth in the series Of
politco-economic letters written by Ir.
Curtis during the campaign.
He acknowledges the receipt OF a
copy OF Mr.. Wells article on "a Taril
for Revenue; What 1t Really Means"
and says:
~ agraewi.h much that he says about
taxes, hut hs confounds taxes with
duties, and this is entirely inadmGsible.
Tho Constitution OF the United states
is the beat dictionary to which TO r6sors
for tho meaning Of the terms that it
usea. Its phraseolo2y was ultimately
settled rs Gouverreur Morris, great
master Of political language andpoIi'ic1l
science"
he quotes the constitution, which
says;
''Tks Congress shall have power to
Law and coilec. taxes, duties, ilEposts
and eXciscs.
Each oi these Words said Mr. Cur
ito, "mcans something distinct from all
the others. Taxes means an exaction
by government OF portion OF a cIti;
2ens property or income. Duties
means assessments imposed upon mer-
chandise imported from other coun.
tries. imports means tribute i'm
posed By authority. Excuses means
irlaud duties LAID OH commodities con-
su,ued, or oil the retail, which is the last
stage before consumption. There ia
one thing TO be observed in interpreting
the constitution OF tho United States:
II contains no tGutologies. /. does not
call different things By the same maine.
When it says taxes it means one thing;
when il says duties it means another
thing"
Mr.. Wells quotes sentence from Mr..
C!s.eland's tariff message of 1855, and
referring to it, Mr.. Curtis says: with
all due respect Tor Mr.. Wells, must say
that this sentence is the most stupid
ltterance that lhave known TO be made
BY man pretending to be statesman.
Let the reader try 10 analyze it, and he
will find that he can assign to it no SEN
tible meaning. Who are the mass OF
our citizens Unfortunately burdened for
the benefit OF the favored few? And
who are the favored few?
"There are some sixty millions OF
people in the United States. 1t is lair
10 say that at least one-third Of them
are engaged in manufacturing indus
tries OF some kind; that another third
are engaged in agricultural pursuits,
and that the employments Of the re.
naming third consists OF the diversified
pursuits OF highly civilized people.
What one OF all these millions is not
benefited by having and keeping the
country in state OF prosperity? And
how can the country be prosperous II,
In levying the duties necessary to pro-
1uce what is needed for the expenses OF
the government, no regard is paid to
the protection OF our own manufac-
lures and agricultural products? And
what does Mr.. Cleveland mean when he
says that the government. under pre-
lext OF an exercise OF its taxing power,
enters into partnership with these ia
vorites to their advantage and to the
misery OF a vast majority OF our people?
When the government levies duties on
foreign products it does not exercise or
pretend to exercise its taxing power.
It exercises its power 10 lay duties,
which is distinct power OF the consti-
tuition, entirely separate from the tax
Ing power"
Mr.. Curtis asks the pertinent ques-
ton: "flave both the political parties
been wrong on this subject from the
year l7SS down to the new lights OF the
Democracy OF 1922? lie also asks ii
Grover Cleveland is greater man or &
better Democrat than Andrew Jackson.
He places the Democratic platform on
which Jackson stood as a candidate for
the presidency sixty years ago aside by
tide with the uttorance OF "the spurious
Democracy lately assembled at Chicago. ;"
The tariff plank OF the Jacksonian plat
form was:
Resulcci, That an adequate protection
Of industry is Indispensable to the pros
perity OF the country, and that IN aban.
ionmeEt oil the policy at this period
would he attended with consequences
serious to :hc best interests OF this
nation.
In conclusion Mr.. Curtis says:
II have been voter since tho year
1888, and although / waa bred n Wing,
ard although there we're fundamental
differences between the Democratic and
Wing parry all along, never under
stood tina. ono OF those differences was
on tho subject OF protection. Yet,
when now declare my adhesion OF
faith that have held all my life csr.
tain pGpers are pleased to speak OF my
political aomersault!!p Why should
] turn somersault at my time OF life ?
What have to gain by passing cut OF
one party into anotherf II any one
will tell mo perhaps will pay him q
nrstDiO,r