The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-11-21
WEDNESDAY. NOVEMBER 81. 1894.
The NEW YORK sun MUST DO THE
TIMES JUSTICE.

umnS 10 an euiiDIidi itfiN" " 49,"
cratic party's utter failure to keep the
promise of its last platform TO the peo-
pie I'm connection with the tariff. IL
admits that there is a shadowy reference
In II to free raw materials but 1t
argues that the overpowerins mandate OF
the convention was that tarlf taNauoh
was TO be confined to producing the
revenue which the Government wanted
when economically administered, which,
OF course includes. II says, the ldea Oh
a tariff that shall bear equally upon all
importations, and il then claims that no
Democrats in the nation were true 10
that idea, except the Cleveland Pam
Dealer, the Louisville Courer-JournaI
and Itself. 1t says:
Thus it is evident that the vast ma
jority of the Democratic leaders, thlnk-
ers and statesmen, as well as OF the
rank and file, opposed 10 free lrade'
and this they have shown in their news
papers. their speeches, and thelr pllis
introduced and passed. They are pr
tectionists, and all their thoughts and
desires, all their politics, lie In the oil,
rection of protection, whether exercised
through the imposition OF special duties,
or the admission OF raw materials Oh
manufacture free Of duty: Thus pro-
tectionism runs through all the factions
OF the party: President Cleveland Is
prOtectiOnlSt; senator ttIll Is d piOtSN-
ZIONIST so1s Senator German; SO is Mr..
Carlisle: so is Professor Wilson; SO is
Governor Flower, and so on, through al
most the entire list of conspicuous Demo
Gratis. They will vary as 10 details ana
special points, but generally what they
want is lower duties than Mckinley ana
the Republicans have imposed. That is
phe difference between the two parties.
1t Is a question of degree, not OF pr1n-
ciple. 1t Is war cry, not an idea. IL
is only in the application of protection
that they differ from Mckinley himself.
But, as for the great, noble and fruitful
doctrine of revenue only, II is difficult TO
determine that anybody connected with
Democracy Is in favor OF II, except the
Plain Dealer, the C0urier-Journal ana
the Sun. and we add with satisfaction
that these three are not in any degree
responsible for the fraud and imposture
that have been exhibited in the honored
name of a tariff tor revenue only.
We agree TO every word of this
cept the statement that the Plain Dealer.
the Courier-Journal and The Sun are the
only newspapers that have preached the
true faith. The Times has preached the
same doctrine. in season and out Of sea-
son. and The Sun has paid The Times the
compliment to copy scores of it's articles
preaching that identical doctrine. 1t had
the evidence, therefore. before it that
The Times has all along been its earnest
TO award The Times its due share of the
honors that belong to our common de-
feat.
Mr.. Cleveland is in much so essential
ly d Democrat that we are completely at
loss TO understand how he can depart
so radically from tnIe Democracy as his
ideas about free raw materials" carry
him. There is no Democracy If there is
lack of equality, and free raw ma
terials" means taxation of one mans
property and exemption from taxation to
another mans property. This cannot be
Democracy. 1t is the deadliest enemy TO
Democracy. 1t kills the whole Democratic
idea dead as soon as il IS accepted as
the rule
Mr. Cleveland has never had many ad-
vantages In the way of education. His
teachings and speeches prove that he
has read some, but his reading has been
plainly sporadic and accidental, and with
out that sort Of system and instruction
necessary for getting d clear and com
plete idea of a subject in all its round
ness and bearing. He has read enough to
know that free trade was adopted in
England measure proposed and
forced through Parliament by Sir Robert
Peel when he was Prime Minister, and
he has also learned that free raw ma
terials' was one Of the ideas upon which
Sir Robert Peel first brought forward his
proposals for remodeilng the protective
tarin. But he has not read enough to
know that free raw materials was a
part OF Sir Robert Peel's philosophy when
he was still protectionst, and that he
wholly discarded ii when Richard Cob
den had succeeded in enlghtening his
mind and showing him that the only
true principle was that Of absolute free
dom 10 all imports alke-that all i'm
ports were 10 stand upon exactly the
same footing
II will take little space, but il is as
well to describe this Whole movement as
1t took place in England.
William Pitt seems 20 have been the
first English statesman whose mind
opened wide enough TO conceive the idea
OF free trade in its broad comprehen-
siveness. His busy life made too many
exactions IN him. however, for him to
be able TO do much more than master
the subject himself. William Huskisson
was the next English statesman who
thoroughly grasped the whole idea and
his work in behalf of free trade for some
ten years. beginning with 1876, produced
great effect IN the kingdom. But
though the idea continued 10 spread. moth
ing of moment came from II until it
was taken up as his lfe's work by that
noble and sincere patriot and giant OF
political economy. Richard Golden. When
Golden threw himself body and soul in
TO the work. say In 1910. protection had
brought England TO pitiable condition
indeed. The aristocratic landlords who
owned the soil had kept up a prohibition
duty on grain. in order that they might
force ali the rest of the people OF Great
Britain to buy the grain they raised at
prices that gave them oaronial incomes
until an enormous bulk of the population
was at the verge Of starvation.
In one or his speeches In the House
q Commons at this period Golden said.