The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-10-15
Bryan and the Tariff.

Mir. Bryan's repeated refusals to dis
cuss the tariff question are creditable
to his political discretion, inasmuch as
his record upon that question is very
damaging 10 his presidential prospects.
But 1t seems 10 us that as a candid
man who prides himself upon not seek
ing Office under false pretences he can
not with consistency hope to escape
from an expression Of his intentions in
this connection.
Men may differ as to whether the
tariff is the most important issue i'm this
campaign, but there Is no denial of the
statement that II is at least the second
most important economic subject be-
fore the American people. Our history
proves that it makes material differ
ence to the business interests of the
United States whether there Is q pro-
tective tariff or a revenue tariff. The
printed record and in recent personal
experience that the country prospers
far better under the former than under
the latter kind of tariff that the pro-
greater; that employment is more gen.
eral; that wages are higher and that as
direct consequence there is more
business of all kinds done by our people,
business and eventually with more
widely diffused prosperity and comfort
among all classes. This. we repeat, Is
fact written large in American his
tory and confirmed by recent and vivid
experience.
1t is also a fact, proved by official
statistics and freely admitted on every
hand, that the receipts of our govern
ment from its custom houses and it's
internal revenue offices, are today and
have for some time been insufficient to
supply the amount Of revenue neces-
sary to an efficient management of that
government. 1t has been vaguely pro-
posed in Mr.. Bryan's platform to rem
edy this deficiency by the re-imposi-
tion of tax on incomes, provided that
in the meantime the Supreme court Of
the United States can be so adjusted
through new appointments as to render
probable decision affirming the con-
stitutionality of such tax. But in the
natural order of things this would take
months and maybe years. In the mean
time the deficit in revenues is bound
to continue unless there shall be a re-
vision of tariff duties. The only alter
native is fresh sale of bonds and
against such a policy Mr.. Bryan is
irretrievably committed.
Should he be elected, therefore, Mr..
Bryan would, as president, soon have
to face the tariff issue in some form or
other, and if he be an honest man he
will let the public know in advance how
he would meet it. Is he still the bold
free trader of four years ago? Does
he yet believe that protection by tariffs
is fraudulent and unconstitutional?
Does he continue to hold the opinion
that every vestige Of protection ought
to be wiped off the statute books and
the ports of the nation opened at whole
sale to the manufacturers of the old
world? These, we submit, are import
ant questions. They are questions
which intimately involve the welfare
of the businessmen and the working
men Of Lackawanna county. Our citi-
zens have as good right to know what
Mr.. Bryan, if elected president, would
do to the tariff as they have to know
what he would do to the currency. He
ought not to leave SO important a mat
ter open to conjecture, and if he has
since 1892 seen the error of his free
trade ways he ought to lose no time in
setting himself right before the pub
lie.
Perhaps Mr.. Merrifield, Mr.. Boland,
Colonel FitzsimmOns, or some other one
Of the half-dOzen or more gifted gentle
men who are urging the wOrkingmen of
this valley to vote for Mr.. Bryan Will
feel called upon to answer these proper
and opportune questions for him. This
point ought to be settled. No one
doubts where Mckinley would stand.
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