Smyrna times., 1896-07-29
Sound Money and the Tariff.
The Philadelphia Record thus ex-
presses its position:

The Philadelphia Record thus ex-
presses its position:
Several correspondents ask how
The Record, with its long continued
advocacy of Free Trade, can support
with consistency the foremost champ
ion of tariff monopoly and spoliation.
We might answer Gf we had no better
reasOn): With the same consistency
with which some Sound Money Demo-
Gratis find it in their hearts to vote for
the candidate of Free Silver. One
reader says it is choice between two
evils, Free Silver and Protection; and
he intends to vote against the candi-
date of Protection. Another holds
that the reputation threatened by the
Chicago platform is the ''logical result
of class Legislation for tariff spoliation. "
''The tariff beneficiaries, he says,
''have long been sowing the wind, and
apparently their harvest of the whirl-
wind it at hand" and he evidently
seems to take pleasure in anticipation
of the whirlwind
OF course, any man who thinks that
a new tariff reaction is more to be
dreaded than Deprecated Currency
and Reputation will vote for candi-
date who stands on the Chicago plat
form. '"The RecOrd' dissents from
this doctrine altogether. This country
has struggled on under the worst
tariffs, and could doubtless survive
even new edition of the Mckinley
act; but to every reasonable mind the
disasters which would flow from the
overthrow of the existing standard of
value and the descent to base cur
rency would be irremediable, and be-
yOnd all comparison with the evils of a
high tariff
Besides, the lesser danger of the
tariff in the election of Mckinley
would be contingent and remote, while
the reputation threatened by the
Chicago platform and its candidate is
imminent, and is pressing home every
day upon the bosOms and business of
the people. Under the political con-
ditiOns which prevail in the United
States Senate the tariff could not be
disturbed in the next Congress, even
If ProtectiOnist majority should be
elected to the House. Hence no possi-
BILE revision of the tariff such as the |
ProtectiOnists contemplate can be |
made before the meeting of the Fifty
sixth Congress, in December, 1899.
This, unless an extra session of the |
Fifty-tifth Congress should be called. |
would postpone tariff legislation until
the summer of 1900. In the meantime
the country will be likely to become so
we'll satisfied with the existing tariff in
It's general features that no party can
hope to be strong enough to disturb
t.
On these grounds Free Trade Demo-
'rats who recognize the necessity of
the country's monetary
standard, and the danger with which
t threatened, cannot hesitate mo-
nent in making their decision to vote
igainst the Chicago nominee on his
platform of Deprecated Currency and
RepudiatiOn. Protectionist Demo-
rats for there are a few such) can
lesitate just as little to vote against
i'm. AT the same time the Republi-
ans will make no sacrifice in COM
letely dropping out of sight the tariff
'sue in this campaign for the preserva-
ion of the public credit. The Re-
ublicans cannot revise the tariff ir the
ext Congress, and they would only
ndanger the cause of Soud money if
hey should attempt to keep the ques-
ion In the foreground of this conflict.
iven if the Protectionists could re-
Use the tariff according to their wishes.
hey would have no right to put the
'reat interests of the country in ieop-
rdy by persisting in an agitation over
which the hOrdes of Reputation would
ave the best reason to rejoice.