The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-03-21

1t is not often that our neighbor, the
Journal. has anything to say in the way
of politics that The Sentinel cannot an
swer. or at least believe it can answer
We therefore print. as an unusual speci-
men of this character the following
from its issue Of Yesterday:
While half q dozen democratic sena-
tors are clamoring for protection TO the
interests OF their constituents. and while
the senate finance committee is trying
to decide just how much protection it
will give this, that and the other in
terest. il may be we'll enough to recall
the tariff resolution of the Chicago plat
form. II says:
We denounce republican protection as
a fraud. robbery of the great major
ity of the American people for the beue-
fit of the few. We declare it to he a
fundamental principle Of the democratic
party that the federal government has
no constitutional power 10 impose and
collect tariff duties except for the pur-
pose of revenue only
If republican protection is a fraud and
robbery of the great majority of the
people for the benefit OF the few, what
is democratic protection?
How can any democrat answer that?
If our platform means anything. if our
repeated declaration Of principle mean
ton" or any other kind of protection
but fraud and a robbery? No man
can draw any distinction. No sensible
man would attempt to draw any dis
tinction. Democratic protection would
be not only fraud and a robbery, but
it would be barefaeed and shameless, be
cause it is in direct conflict with all
democratic professions. Republicans can
make some show of excuse for il because
they have maintained that it was right
but democrats can make none whatever
country that has not denounced the Nc
Kinley bill donation to the sugar trust.
and now comes this senate report with
bonus quite as great in any event, and
probably three times as great. There is
not a democratic paper that has not de-
nounced Attorney-General Miller's fail
ure to prosecute the whisky trust, or
failed to rebuke the dismissal of the
prosecutions instituted against it under
Cleveland's former administration, yet
here comes this senate report with an
unheard of, inexcusable, unjustifable
grant of five years time to this trust
on it's taxes. There is not a democratic
newspaper that has not denounced the
infamous iron-coal-railroad combine, yet
here comes this senate report with spe-
cial, useless, unwarranted donations to
this band of thieves. There is not a
democratic paper that has denounced
the oppression Of cigarmakers by the alb
surd Mckinley duty on Sumatra leaf.
yet here comes this report with a duty
of 81 per pound on Sumatra leaf and an
increased internal revenue tax of 50 per
thousand.
What answer can be made when re-
publicans point to these violations of
our declared principles? How can any
democrat face an audience and say any
thing about trusts and combines? How
can he meet the jibes and jeers that will
be hurled at him? How can he talk
about the iniquities of republican legis-
lation with any such open iniquity as
this confronting him. If republicans
were debating this legislation they could
not more completely put the democratic
party i'm the hole than the adoption of
this report would.