The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1894-03-24

Baltimore Sun

/ nc nSC
Baltimore Sun
| "PRoTEcrIoN. We denounee Re
publican protection as a fraud, s
robbery of the great majority of tn,
American people for the benefit o
the few. We declare IL 10 be a fun
damental principle Of the Demo
cratic party that the fedora; gorern
ment has no constitutional ocer ID
impose and collect tariff duties Ex
cEPr for the purpose of revenue only
and we demand that the collection
of taxes shall be limited to the neces
stiles of the government when hon
estly and economically administer
ed"
THE MCKINLEY TARIFF. We de-
nounce the Mckinley tariff law en-.
acted by the Fifty first Congress as
a eliminating atrocity of class legis.
lation; we indorse the efforts made
by the Democrats of the present
Congress to modify its most oppres-
siye features, in the direction Of free
raio materials, and cheaper manu-
featured goods that enter into gener-
al consumption; and we promise its
repeal as one of the beneficent re-
suits that will follow the action of
the people in entrusting power to
the Democratic party. Since the
Mckinley tariff went into operation
there have been ten reductions of the
wages of labor to one increase. We
deny that there has been an increase
of prosperity to the country since
that tariff went into operation, and
zoe point to the dullness and distress
the scage reductions and the strikes
in THE IRON TRADE, as the best pos
sible evidence that no such prosper
ity has resulted from the Mckinley
act. National Democratic plat
form, adopted at Chicago, June 22,
1892.
1t is well, at this juncture. to in
vite the attention of all good Demo.
Gratis, and of all men who profess to
be Democrats, whether they be Unit
ed States Senators or private citi-
zens, to these plain, emphatic decla-
rations of the Chicago Platform of
1892. Upon that platform the Dem
ocratic party went before the country
and elected its candidates for Presi.
dent and Vice President, elected
Democratic House of Representa-
tives, and secured Democratic ma
jority in the United States Senate.
The American people trusted the
Democratic party, upon the faith of
professions and the pledges embod-
led in this platform. Those profes-
sions and those pledges are positive
and distinct They are unambigu
GUS and unequivocal. They admit
of no double or doubtful construc-
tion.
According to the Democratic plat.
form, there can be no such thing as
a Democratic protectionist" any
more than a Democratic Mckinley
tie. The phrase is contradiction
in terms. "Protection" is not
Democratic doctrine The imposi-
tion and collection of tariff duties,
except for the purposes of revenue
only is distinctly declared to be
unconstitutional
Incidental pr lection, as it is some
times called, that which results from
the imposition Of any duties upon
articles of wares of foreign prodac-
tion and importation. which come
into competition with articles or
wares of the same class and kind, of
native or domestic production, is the
result of any tariff, even
one framed exclusively with a view
to "revenue only" But the imposi-
ton of duty which can be justified
only upon the ground that it is in
tended for protection, which is asked
and advocated upon that ground, is
and, according to the
party platform, unconstitutional"
Equally explicit is the language
and doctrine of the platform upon
the subject of "free raw materials"
No man can stand up In his place in
the Senate and oppose free raw ma
terials, and claim to be Democrat.
The Mckinley tariff imposed a duty
of IS cents a ton upon coal and iron
ore. The imposition of a duty of 40
cents or so cents ton upon the
same raw materials of industry, is
only McKinleyism in lesser degree.
The robust and vigorous denuncia-
ton of McKinleyism and of the RE
publican doctrine of protection" in
any and every degree, in the platform
of the National Democracy, leaves
no room or place within the Demo
cratic fold for a McKinleyite or
Democrat.
When General Hancock. who was
a muca better soldier than he was
political economist or statesman,
wrote that "the tariff was local is
sue," his words were greeted with
universal ridicul,, and, doubtless,
to his defeat as candi.
date for the Presidency. 1t appears
that there are Democratic Senators,
or rather Senators who were elected
as Democrats and represent Demo
cratic States, who are in serious
danger of falling into General Han
cocks error. Some seem to be in
further danger of utterly installing
on which side of the "local issue"
the true interests and sympathies of
their constituents lie. To all such
from the faith, we com
mend a careful study of the Demo
cratic platform, the language of
which We have quoted. Maryland
Democrats, in particular, are, as
class, plain, oldfashioned people who
are apt to believe what they say, and
who expect others, especially those
who assume to represent them, to be
true to their professions.