The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1894-04-06

tucky. Millard Fillmore of New York,
Thomas Morris and Nathaniel Pendleton OF
! Ohio and Richard w. Thompson Of Indiana
| It passed the senate by the bare majority
| OF single vete-yeas "a, nays %. Among
It's most active supporters were such men as
Richard r. Bayard. James Buchanan, Rufus
Choate, John j. Crittenden. William l.. Day
ton and silas Wright: This law raised the
country from the depths Of financial depriya.
uon ana distress to condition of
| Confidence and PrOsperity
such as 1t had not known since the repeal
OF the tariff Of 1928. So well recognized
was this fact, and so widely popular was
the new law, that In the preside l1ial elec-
tioh OF 1874 the Democrats in the close
Northern states We're as earnest and out
spoken advocates of protective tariff as
the supporters Of Mr.. Clay. Their candi-
date for the presidency, Mr.. Po,k, to be
sure. mad voted against protective measures
candldate for vice president, George NJ.
Dallas, had been most pronounced sup
porter OF them. Largely thr ough the in
nuence of Mr.. Dallas and his friends Penn
sylvanla was kept In the Democratic COL
umn anu the election of Polk assured But
that once accomplished Mr.. Polk called
INTO his cabinet, as secretary of tie treas
ury, Robert ]. Walker, a We'll known free
trader. then senator from Mississippi Mr.
Walker at once assaled the protective law
given to the country by the Whig congress,
ana with Mr Polks active assistance not
only secured Its repeal but the enactment
OF the free trade law Of 1916. This was
not done. however. without disagreement
III the cabinet and a heated contest in CON
gress- The vote Of the house on July 3,
ls46, resulted, yeas ia. nays o. OF those
voting in the negative 21 were from the
South, including such leaders as Garrett
Davis of Kentucky. Meredith =. Gentry of
tennessee, James Graham of North Caro-
Una, John S. Penddleton Of Virginia and
Robert Toomhs and Alexander H. Stephens
OF Georgia. These able men joined heartily
vita such prominent and no less distin-
leaders
John Quincy Adams, George Ashmun and
Robert c. Winthrop OF Massachusetts,
Charles J. 1ngersoll and James Black of
Pennsylvania Jacob Collamer of Vermont.
Caleb b. Smith OF Indiana, Washington
Hunt of New York and Columbus De!ano,
Robert c. Schenck, Joshua Il. Giddings,
Samuel +. Vinton and Joseph Vance of
Ohio in every effort to retard and defeat
the pending bill.
In the senate the contest is still more
memorable. Vice President Dallas proved
recreant to his oft-eXpressed convictions
ana gave the casting vote in favor Of the
pending measure The test vote was taken
on July 2s, 1916. Twenty seven senators
voted for the bin and twenty-seven against
it. or those voting in the affirmative
seventeen were from Southern and ten
from Northern states. In the negative vote
the numbers from the different sections
We're exactly reversed, seventeen from the
North and ten from the South For the
first time In the history of tariff legislation
the country seemed to have
Divided on Sectional Lines,
yet even in this fierce struggle many Of the
strongest leaders OF the South stood side
by side with Daniel Webster, Thomas Cor
win George Evans and Simon Cameron In
eloquently upholding the cause of protec-
tion Among them were such men as John
NJ Berrlen OF Georgia, the Claytons Of
Delaware, Reverdy Johnson of Maryland,
Willie T. Mangum of North Carolina and
John j. Crittenden Of Kentucky The bill
was promptly signed by President Polk but
In direct appeal to the country in 1S4S it
was repudiated by the people in the -elec-
tion of Gen: Taylor to the presidency.
Still the Whig victory not sufficiently
decisive to secure change In the tariff.
and other questions crowded to the front
and imperatiyely claimed public attention.
legislation the subject until the enact
ment known as the tariff of 1851 By this
law the duties were reduced to lower
point than they had been at any time since
the war of 1912. The direct result of its
passage was the disastrous financial panic
which soon after swept over the country
and and prostrated Frustrated every every department Of busi-
commercial and manufacturing interests.
This was the last tariff legislation pre-
cedins the secession of the Southern states,
and brings this review to a period within
the recollection of many Of my hearers. 1t
will be seen that in the early days Of the
country the tariff was not only not sec
tionai question, but had among its firmest
supporters the leading statesmen of the
South Then this question was as broad as
our country and as national as our flag
May we not confidently hope that 1t will
be again so held In the near future?
Is history worth nothing? Are experience
and Its lessons to be forgotten? Are the
Is the national distress. the business de-
preston and the universal poverty Of the
people, which have relentlessly followed the
en actment OF every revenue tariff measure
in all our history, to be lost upon us in the
calm consideration Of this economic sub
ject: Are all these to be discarded in the
to study them without bias for they will
steady your judgment IN reaching right
eous conclusion.
The Wilson Bill
Is not like any of the early tariff measures. I
but is in which the changed condition
of the country and its marvellous growtl. /
and development are utterly ignored aud +
1orgotten. Its promoters forget that slavery
appreciate the independence and dignity Of
labor, and cannot understand that the pro-
tectiye policy under which we have had /
such a.Ia, splendid M prosperity is not to be de-
Is narrow. sectional and provincial meas
ure. unworthy the great party which pro-
poses IT. and wholly unsuited to the needs
The Wilson bill turns to the past; away
from the present. 1t is for the plantation,
not for the farm cld factory. AS it passed
the house 1t had for its foundation princi-
pie free raw material. It's authors argued
that with free coal, free iron ore, free lead
and free wool. the manufacturers OF the
United States would be placed on an equal.
ity with the manufacturers OF free trade
coM tries, and we therefore could not only
retain our own markets. but control the
markets of the world" Based upon this
argument, which I believe to be false, they
declared that with these great primary
products free, we would have steady en-
ployment for all the workingnen OF the
country at good wages. And so In this form
the bill passed the Democratic house OF
and Is now the dread sub
ject Of angry contention In the Democratic
senate.
An examination OF the bill by the Demo-
cratic members OF the finance committee Of