Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1896-02-19
Grafton of Major Mckinley at a
Chicago Banquet.
HERO OF THE 18TH CENTURY
On Every Issue the Martyr President
Was Right, and History VIII
Further Prove 1t.

men cheered the Ohioan with the vehe-
mence OF enthusiastic admiration.
The occasion was notable as the first
public appearance of Onlo's famous son
in another state since the return of the
governor to the position of private cit
izen. Among those at the speakers
table besides Mckinley were the repub-
lican governor of Wisconsin and the re-
publican senators from Nebraska and
North Carolina At every reference to
the name of Mckinley or the word
protection" an outburst of cheering
followed.
Mckinley said;
MAJOR M'KINLEY OPENED.
After giving comprehensive sketch
and tribute to Lincoln, in which allu-
sion is made to the principal events in
his life, Major Mckinley devoted him
self to a consideration of current politi-
cal questions, as exemplified by the
speeches and writings of Mr. Lincoln.
He said:
A profound common sense is the best
genius for craftsmanship, and there is
no substitute for 1t. Lincoln is certain
ly the most sagacious and far-seeing
statesman in the annals of American
history. His whole life justifies this
estimate of him. 1t is notable that his
stand on all public questions in his
earlier as well as his later career stamp
him as the wisest exponent of political
truths we have ever had.
witnessing the government as we do
today with it's debt increasing, bond
issuing, gold-depleting, labor-destroy-
ing, low-tariff policy, with what mighty
force the words of Lincoln, written more
than half century ago, come to us in
this hour and emergency! They read
as IL written for the living present not
for the past Why, do you know that
as far back as March /, 1S43, at wing
meeting in Springfield Mr.. Lincoln Of
fered series of resolutions relating to
the tariff, which could well be accepted
here tonight? They were then instantly
and unanimously adopted, and Mr.. Lin
coin was himself appointed to prepare
an address to the people of the state
upon the subjects which they embraced,
Let me read from this address his pro-
found observations upon tariff and tax
alton and their relation to the condition
of the country.
LINCOLN AND TARIFF.
THE first of our resolutions said
ties upon foreign importations, produc-
ing sufficient revenue for the support
of the general government and so adj
justed as to protect American industry,
to be indispensably necessary to the
prosperity of the American people; and
the second declares direct taxation for
a national revenue to be improper.
For several years past the revenues
of the government have been unequal
to its expenditures, and consequently
loan after loan, sometimes direct and
sometimes indirect in form, has been
resorted to. BY this means new ma
tional debt has been created, and is still
growing on us with a rapidity fearful
to contemplated rapidity only reason
ably to be expected in time of war.
This state of things has been produced
by prevailing unwillingness either to
increase the tariff or to resort to direct
taxation. But the one or the other must
come. Coming expenditures must be
met and the present debt must be paid;
and money can not always be borrowed
for these objects. The system of loans
is but temporary in its nature, and
must soon explode. 1t is a system not
only ruinous while ii lasts, but one that
must soon fail and leave us destitute.
AS an individual who undertakes to live
by borrowing soon finds his original
means devoured by interest, and, next,
no one left to borrow from, so must II
be with the government.
1--WE repeat, then, that tariff suffic-
lent for revenue or a direct tax must
soon be resorted to, and indeed, we be-
lieve this alternative is now denied by
no one. But which system shall be
adopted? Some of our opponents, In
theory, admit the propriety of tariff
sufficient for revenue; but even they
will not in practice vote for such tar
if; while others boldly advocate direct
taxation. Inasmuch, therefore, as some
of them boldly advocate direct taxa
ton, and all the rest--or so nearly all
as to make exceptions needless-refuse
to adopt the tariff, we think 1t doing
them no injustice to class them all as
advocates of direct taxation. Indeed
we believe they are only delaying an
open avowal of the system, till they can
assure themselves that the people will
tolerate it, Let us then briefly compare
the two systems. The tariff is the
cheaper system because the duties, be-
ing collected in large parcels at a few
commercial points will require compar-
atiyely few officers in their collection
while by the direct tax system the land
must be literally covered with assessors
and collectors, going forth like swarms
of Egyptian locusts, devouring every
blade of grass and other green thing.
"By this system (the protectiYe) the
man who contents himself to live upon
the products of his own country pays
nothing at all. Surely our country is
extensive enough and its products
abundant and varied enough. to answer
all the real wants of its people. In
short, by the protective system the bur-
den of revenue falls almost entirely
upon the wealthy and luxurious few,
while the substantial and laboring
many who live at home, and upon home
products. go entirely free.
by the direct tax system none can
escape. However strictly the citizen
may exclude from his premises all for
eign luxuries-fine cloths, fine silks.
rich wines, golden chains and diamond
rings-still, for the possession of his
house, his barn, and his homespun, he is
to be perpetually haunted and harrass-
ed by the tax-gatherer. With these
views we leave 1t to be determined
whether we or our opponents are the
more truly democratic on this subject"
PLATFORM OF 1860
Perhaps it was not entirely accidental
that these views of Mr.. Lincoln found
a 81 N, no