Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-11-21
NOVEMBER 81, 1893.
rrne Trnde nnd Protection.


". NJ. H., whose letter on the subject
n the tariff appeared Ia our last ISSUE
9as "A clear conception Of what consu-
,Ytes a Free Trader and what a Pro-
,ectionist. or rather Of the fact that the
Frco Trader and the Protectionist alike
refuse 10 put into practice the theories
which they teach.
The practical congressman on either
aide Of this question looks TO the interests
~ his constituents. and votes accordingly.
He does not suffer himself TO be forced
away from the path Of duty by every
wind Of doctrine that may blow in his
face or ~ his back.
II Is rcpu,e1 that Mr.. Wilson. OF
West Virginia, is ready, however, to
GROVE himself am exception to the gene
RAJ rule we have laid down. and will
have the courage 90 vote ror taking on
lbe present tarin on coal and iron. This
r.irnor however may be unfounded.
II has not been without some difficulty
that M. Wilson has hitherto succeeded
I'm carrying his district against the Ike
pubncaus aud Il is hardly 10 be expected
that II ~ votes for free coal and iron
ne can hereafter overcome the heavy He
publlcan vote in that district. reinforced.
as Il viii be, by the miners, who are
said 10 number "a the entire State some
elxte,n thousand and VINO. voting, as
they viii hold that they are, for their
bread and meat. will not hesitate to
vote as they eat"
W. VI. Il. Is logical. too. lie goes to
the root Of the matter. and states pro-
position the truth of which ought not
g. DO denied by anybody when he says
in effect that the advocates Of tariff
for revenue only should favor customs
DUTIES levied "for revenue only" upon
sugar. tea. coffee. and upon all articles
imported into this country. Whoever
befrtsnds customs-duties levied upon ar
ticles raised or grown OF manufactured
IN this country is 20 far forth Protec-
tlonist Whoever favors even a discrimi-
mating tariff is 80 far forth "A Protection
lat On the other hand. he who favors
custOms-duucs levied upon articles not
grown nor raised. nor manufactured in
this country Ia Free Trader; and the
Free Trader ought not 10 be caught
voting for discriminating tariff.
We have for months past been seeking
10 impress upon the minds of the tobacco
manufacturers in Virginia what they
went 10 Washington last week for the
purpose OF impressng upon the minds of
their congressm that the said
manufacturers could not successfully
compete with the tobacco manufacturers.
say Of Canada. II the law now In exist
enee levying concentrating duties upon all
the manufactures Of tobacco were re-
pealed. The tobacco interests Of Virginia
need and ask for protection. Who can
estimate the immense loss which they
would sustain II Congress should listen
10 the teachings of doctrinaires and re-
fuse TO protect their business. And here
by the way. IL an object lesson which
ought to be studied by such doctrinaires,
seeing that Virginia would be ruined In
stead OF benefited by the abolition of
the existing countervailing duties on the
articles manufactured out Of her great
staplc--her money crop
W. NJ. II. speaks OF the cutter absurdi-
ty' OF the tariff plank of the Chicago
platform. The author OF that plank was
the Democratic candidate for Governor
nj the recent election in Ohio. and was
beaten by about eighty thousand majori-
~ by Governor Mckinley himself. the
author Of the Mckinley tariff. The Dem
ocrats OF Ohio viii hereafter hardly lay
platform declaring that Congress has
mo constitutional power to levy customs
duties except for the purpose of revenue
only" Theorizers or mere doctrinaires
may attempt TO maintain the truth of
this declaration. but practical men will
say with General Hancock that the tarlff
Is local question: