The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1896-06-27
CAN. TARIFF BE THE 1ssUEs

The wording Of the republican ma
tional platform and the expressions
thus far made by the leaders Of that
party Indicate that it Will be their en-
deavor to make the tariff the leading
issue in the presidential campaign.
This. sentiment meets hearty re-
sponse and endorsement from McKin-
ley managers and Mckinley organs all
over the country. # is. already pro-
nounced so emphatically that it can
not be mistaken.It means something,
but what? What position will they
take in order to make it the leading is
sue? What will they fight and what
sort of tariff will they propose? Gen.
tainly they cannot expect to fight the
present tariff law in its entirety, for,
although it was enacted by demo.
cratic compress, and allowed to become
a law by democratic president, who
though denounced it as too oatrociously
protective to receive his signature.
nevertheless it is high protective
measure.
The present tariff is one of the high
est protective tariffs ever in force in
the United States. Its. average rate
falls short OF the average rate of the
preceding tariff, distinguished as the
Mckinley tariff, by very little. A
presidential campaign waged in sup
port of the general theory of protec-
tion as against the general theory OF
tariff taxation for revenue only, is a
conceivable thing. Such campaign
occurred four years ago. But presi-
Dental campaign turning on the ques-
tion whether forty.one per cent, let US
say, or forty-seven per cent, shall be
the average rate of protection, is ut,
terly inconceiyable to the ordinary
mind. There is not going to be much
enthusiasm fired up among either the
forty oners or the forty-seveners.
Then is the fight to be for an entire
rearrangemen. of readjustment OF the
projection afforded by the schedules of
the present tariff law? That might
involve sufficient difference Of opinion
to cause controversy In the COM
mittee-on ways and means, or even oc.
casion a lively debate in the house, but
is hardly of enough importance to in
fuence. sentiment throughout the
length and bredth of the nation, and
turn the scale Of a. presidential cam.
paigu.
Or is 1t merely to contend In behalf
of the theory of protection, as an alb
stract proposition, that the warriors of
McKinleyism are arming themselves?
Do they want to smash the last demo-
cratic national platform? The enter
prise is superfuous; the democracy has
smashed the platform already. The
democrats themselves have abandoned
the position which the Mckinley re.
publicans propose to attack. The Nc
Kinley warriors may march forth to
occupy a stronghold which has been
evacuated by its garrison. but it is
strained use of the English language
to speak OF such proceeding as fight,
much less as the principal fight in a
national election.
If the tariff is to cut any figure in
the coming campaign it can only be on
the schedules affecting specified arti-
cles, such as have been carried from
the dutiable to the free list by the
present law. If not on specific articles,
then the republicans must make it
upon the democratic doctrine of tariff
for revenue, since the present law fails
to produce enough revenue to meet the
extrayagances of the last session of
congress, and on this issue the repub-
licans will be met half way by the
democrats, hence there can be no
issue between them. The tariff has
been made political football SO long,
for the purpose of hosting parties into
Office, and it has drawn the two great
parties so nearly together on this
question, that it cannot longer be
made an issue.