The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-04-01
PERVERTED PRoTEcTToNIsM.

BEAN EHTED PROTECTIONISM.
It is noticeable that apologists for the
Republican party, particularly new
hands at the business, are very fond of
referring to jefferson and Jackson as
great md grand statesmen and advo-
Gates of TIE policy of protection. To
their eulogles OF those eminent Demo
Gratis We add our endorsement And if
our Republican friends who admire
them so much would but drink in the
milk of their doctrine, it would nourish
their souls with political vigor, but
they would cease TO be Republicans.
Did those eminent Democratic doc
trinaires encourage the protection of
American industries? Did they uphold
the political economy of the manufac-
turer and production oil articles need
ed for home consumption? Did they
desire the increase of such self-suste-
nance until the United States could be
come great in exports? The answer to
al those questions will be decidedly in
the affirmative And the same may be
said of every true Democrat today. And
when Republican writer's or stump
speakers tell the public to the contrary
they bear false witness against their
neighbor.
But does all that stamp jefferson and
Jackson as protectionists? Not at all,
for that term has a Specification today
which is peculiar to the times. It now
means McKinleyism with all its ten
denotes to monopoly, the fattening of
rich corporations, the expenditure of
public money for private purposes, the
Interference of the national government
with the prices Of commodities and the
wages OF workmen, the paternalism
and socialistic tendencies which it en-
bodies and the prostitution of the tax
ing powers bestowed on Congress by
the Constitution.
There IS nothing in the writings and
sayings of those eminent leaders of the
Democratic party which, without wrest-
ing them from their evident meaning
and intent, can be construed as sup
porting the modern monsuosity called
protection, as set forth and made the
chief dogma Of the Republican party.
They believed in tariff to provide rev.
enue for the expenses Of the govern
ment to be economically administered.
and in the incidental protection that
would give to American industries, par
ticularlv those in their infant state,
just as the Democratic tariff bill now
under way in the Senate provides, but
not to anything like the same extent.
That was the sort of protection those
worthless supported.
When the Democratic party in It's
platform denounced protection as IN
constitutional and fraud. it was Re
publican protection that was meant and
named. 1t was the principle of impos-
ing high duties on imports for the di-
rect purpose of fostering and fattening
private corporations at the expense Wf
the masses. The Democra tic position
was and is that the only constitutional
purpose of tariff is for public ex-
penses. The constitutional pur-
pose of laying and collecting
taxes, duties, imports and excuses.
is declared to be to pay the debts
and provide for the common defense
and general welfare of the United
States" not to establish or provide sus-
tenance for any private project or en-
terprise or industry.
Therefore, when the advocacy of the
encouragement of American manufac-
lures by Jackson and Jefferson or any
otner old time Democrat. is construed
a misconception of the position taken
as an argument in favor of protection
or its constitutionality. that is either
by those fathers of Democracy or a
wilful perversion of their remarks.
The issues of today are altogether off
ferent from the contentious of their
times. Free trade is not demanded
now by any party. No one wants the
tariff system abolished. No party de-
sires free entry of foreign made goods
to the injury of the American manu-
fsctures. Those who tell the public
that the Democrats want anything of
chat kind seek squareoly and inten-