The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1894-09-29
The Carroll Platform.

On the new tariff bill the Democratic
convention last Monday said
1.-THE Democrats of Carroll, in convention
assembled, again assert their faith in the
wisdom, prudence and iranscendent ability
Of Grover Cleveland, and stand with him in
his efforts to eradicate the last vestige of
Protection from the statute books.
while the new tariff law is long step
away from McKinleyism. and will result in
lower prices for cotton, wooden and silk goods,
for iron and steel manufacturers, for tin and
binder Irvine, and various other articles of
prime necessity, still il does not fulfil the com
plete measure of tax reform promised by the
Democratic party and exepcted by the PEG
pie, and the contest must be waged until TAX
alton shall be levied for revenue only and
be so adjusted that trusts and monopolies
shall be no more 1t was not to be expected
that policy of thirty years gro, h could be
absolutely reversed all at once, but ha, Ag
laid the basis for a constitutional tariff for
revenue only, it will be easy in the future TO
eradicate whatever of protection remains by
special legislation.
This has been the exact position of the
ADVOCATE ever since the bill passed the
Senate. 1t has always held that the bill
was good one, and every leading Demo-
crat in the country sustaining it. No zone
believes the bill is perfect. 1t would be a
marvel if it were, but as the Carroll plat
form declares, it is long step away from
McKinleyism and greatly lessons the tax
on many articles of prime necessity. The
basis has been laid for constitutional
tariff for revenue only, and it will be easy
to amend the law by special Legislation
until taxation shall be so adjusted that
trusts and monopolies shall be unable to
exist.
The Mckinley law was supposed BY re
Republican party to be the perfection of
protection, but it proved disastrous to the
very interests it WIS designed to protect,
and resulted in cur-tailing public revenues
to such an extent that there was a treasury
deficit of S5O,0OO,0OO, for which bonds
had to be issued.
The greatest, and chief, objection to the
new tariff law is that it gives protection to
the Sugar Trust. Perhaps it does, but it
also took away the sugar bounty, and it
was with difficulty that the votes of the
Louisiana Senators, so necessary - pass
the bill, could be obtained for the measure
with the bounty clause eliminated. 1t
was condition, not a theory, that con-
frOnted the Senate leaders. The Mckin-
ley law protected dozen trusts, and the
new law takes away one-half of lie pro-
lection that was given the Sug Trust,
besides saving about fifteen million dollars
annually in the matter of bounty.
As to coal and iron, the tax he's been
reduced nearly fifty per cent, and as the
South has the great bulk of both, and the
reduction can only benefit New England,
il must be confessed that the reduction is
very generous to section that has had free
cotton and free hides-both Southern pro-
ducts-for years. And viewed whole
it is very apparent that the law is good
one-not perfect-and wi" result in a re-
vival of business and great reduction n
the prices of necessities.
As the Carroll platform declares, and as
all prominent Democrats proclaim, the
contest for tariff for revenue only must
go on until every vestige of protection is
wiped from the statue books As re
actual application of the law reveals il i'm
PROJECTIONS they can be remedied by special