The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-08-31
The Fundame ntal Issue.

The Democratic press is already
making the most of those indiscreet
Republican conventions which, in va
rious parts of the country, have made
the mistake of losing the identity of
the Republican principle of protection
in the identity Of a particular tariff
bill. They are calling up and putting
into use the old arguments against the
Mckinley bill with as much fervor and
zest as if that bill were now the issue
before the country, and as if no other
bill were possible of formulation by
Republican legislation. They seem
unable to comprehend how voter can
be a protectionist in principle and yet
advocate other and possibly better ex-
pressions of his economic faith than
that which has lately been displaced
by tariff law of Democratic origin.
And the result is that the defects of
the Mckinley tariff and it had de-
fects-are doing service today as DEM
ocraic campaign arguments after the
whole structure, defects and all, had
been cast aside.
We wish tomake the point that this
is distinctly unfair. At time when
it was the question before the house."
the Mckinley law had to be defended
by Republicans unreservedly. Those
of them who honestly believed that its
schedules, albeit we'll intended, were in
some instances unnecessarily high had
no alternative, unless they wished to
weaken projections entire case, but to
accept the bill uncomplainingly and
give it their loyal support. Today, the
situation is radically different. Re
publicans are not on the defensive;
they are emphatically on the aggres-
sive; the considerations which once
moved to silent concession where
there was honest difference of opinion
no longer exist. The tariff problem
today, the tariff problem as it will fig
ure in the next presidential campaign,
is not whether the average duty
charged on imports shall be 90 per
cent. or only As per cent; whether it
shall be the average of the Mckinley
bill or the average of the German bill.
Such question would manifestly be
an absurd turning point Of national
partisan contention.
The tariff question as it now stands,
the tariff question which must yet re-
ceive a definite verdict from the
American people, is whether the
country will entrust the detailed work.
ing out of the American principle of
protection for home industries, includ-
ing necessary tariff notifications, from
time to time, to the party by which
that principle is admittedly and
efficiently championed; or whether
it shall again entrust 1t to q
party one wing Of which wants abso-
lutte free trade, another, tariff protec-
ton for special interests, and third
some vaguely understood condition of
the revenue system whereby prosper
ity is apparently 10 be wooed by means
of deficit, depression and disaster. The
intellect and the character of this
country must choose between Repub-
licanism, as expressed in three decades
Of phenomenally prosperous rule; and
Democracy, as signalized in two years
of administration that reeks with fail
ure, partisan strife and business depres-
sion without past parallel.
This, then, Is the fundamental issue.
Other questions have merely relative
Importance. The Republican who
wants this schedule or that made
higher or lower need not feel that the
Mckinley bill was finality, by any
means. The Mckinley bill is now the
past tense ofprotection. The principle