The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-12-08
IF ERROR, IsIT Nor ExcUsABLEe


! Cleveland is for protective tariff instead
OF a free-trader. The Constitution thinks
there was nothing In the uttersnccs which
SIR. Cleveland has made that was really
| csasulated 10 mislead us and that we have
on'y ourselves to blame for falling into
our error
THIS may be true, yet we are compelled
TO mink our error an excusable one 1t
is tue, now that we read Mr.. Cleveland
first message In the light Of his message
sert I'm a day or so back and in that OF
the bill prepared by the Wilson com
mittee, It is seen that he has orly had In
his mind the Importance OF admitting
what he calls raw materials" whatever
| they may be. free OF duty. Bur the ccun-
| try at large accepted that message as
an emanantion from free-tradei at heart.
Tsle whole subsequent discussion for free
trade and against protection started from
it and was built up on H. and DIR. Cleye-
land saw The country going on from one
step to another i'm the belief that he aimed
at free trade without saying one word to
but he accepted the Democratic nomina-
ton for President in the last election
on an ultra free trade platform which
had been adopted by the National Demo
cratic Convention with a full understand
ing Of its import. and after It had refused
TO adopt one for modified protection, be-
cause it demanded to have substituted
one for open and ultra free trade. When
We speak of ultra free-trade platform we
mean Of course, one which accepts the
necessity for imposing such duties as are
necessary to raise the revenues the gov
eminent needs, but it is ultra free trade
as opposed to all idea of protection.
But this was not all In accepting |
the nomination upon that platform, he |
addressed the committee which notified /
him Of his nomination a letter in which |
he used the following language:
"The dogma is now boldly presented |
that tariff taxation is jUstiilable for the
express purpose and intent of thereby |
promoting especial interests and enter
prses. Such a proposition is so clearly
contrary to the spirit Of our Constitution,
and so directly encourages the disturb
ance. by selfishness and greed Of patriotic
sentiment that its statement would rude
ly shock our people, II they had not al
ready been insidiously allured from the
safe landmarks Of principle"
Surely any one could be excused for
thinking that the writer OF these lines
was opposed on principle to the whole
doctrine Of protection in whatever form
it might show itself In common with
hosts of other Americans, The Times
thought the writer Of these lines a radi-
cal Democrat who demanded above all
else that the laws should bear with abso-
lutte equality and impartiality upon all.
The voters of this country then had be-
fore them for their choice Mr.. Harrison,
who was an avowed protectionst, run
ming as the candidate OF protectionist
party upon a platform that declared for
protection, and opposed TO him, a citizen
who, when President before, had sent to
Congress a message which the country
accepted as free-trade document, rum
ming as the candidate of a free-trade par
iy on free-trade platform, with decla-
ration from him in accepting the nomi-
nation, that he opposed all legislation
which could give one citizen privileges
hat were denied TO others. However the $
atlanta Constitution may view il, we say {
hat this record justified any one in think ,
ng that Mr.. Cleveland was free trader s
It heart, that he consented to the i'm /
'osition of such duties on imports as were :
necessary to raise the revenues that the :
government requires. but that ne demand I
d that they should bear equally and rat |
bly, upon all American citizens, so that ;
ach should pay his due proportion of the t
axes, and favoritism should be shown TO I
one.
But what an outcome is there TO these I
expectations? 1t is now an Il
ounced to us that the principle of legis- i
alton is not to be that salutary and Just h
ne discussed above. but a modified form il
T the Republican doctrine that govern
tent is to be so administered that some
hall receive from it blessings. while
theirs pay for those blessings with bur
ems But how can Mr. Cleveland's mes
age and the Wilson bill be interpreted | Z
D mean anything else? What is the differ I
nee in principle between saying that one
at Of American citizens shall have special o
enefits conferred upon them by receiving a
verything they use free Of taxes. when q
il other Americans pay taxes on what =
hey use, and saying that one set Of is
merican citizens shall have special bene- /
IS conferred upon them. by having the .
lws TO exclude from America all the :,
rtcles that they deal in, so that all in
mericans shall have to buy those arti- Of
les from them at the prices they fix on g
lem? But when you supplement this fea- II
ire OF the message and bill with the a
lrther fact that those manufactures Il
hich have heretofore been protected are u
ill TO have all the protection which .,
necessary 10 prevent foreign goods from e,
ming into competition with them. and a
e pray any one 10 tell us wherein the .,
eveland message and the Wilson bill ID
fer in principle from the Harrison mes NJ
ge and the Mckinley bn7 II this is p'
then we confess that we are n
rned all topsy-turvy. and are at a COM va
etc loss to know just where the Demo- III
attic party is at" ul
---- oy
he DISPATCH THE ORGAN OF THE W