The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1897-06-23
YOu ARE MIGHTY NEAR RIGHT.

IL Is So SelUOul tudt OuI SSlSSMSu
contemporary, the "News and Cour.
ier" gives its host of readers an edi.
torial which meets our views, that we
take pleasure in reproducing its lead
Ell of last Saturday and with the ex
ception of "unbecoming comment" i
it had said becoming comment" VIZ
would endorse the entire ably writer
editorial, which is as follows
Not Protectioni>t.
Senator McLaurin's answer to thu
eager claim of the Republican press
and the suggestions of some Demo
cratic papers and politicians that h.
was friendly to the policy of higl
tariff protection, was given in hi
speech in the Senate on Thursday il
vindication of his recent votes on
some of the schedules of the pending
tariff bill, and is explicit enough tt
settle all doubts as to his position
Il am not a protectionist," he says
II have never given a vote in supporr
of that principle, nor uttered wore
in defence Of that doctrine. | lool
upon the doctrine of protection as in
defensible.o
This is to the point and is sufficient
Mr.. McLaurin is not a protectionist
and he is not friendly" to the policy
of protection. He could not bt
friendly in any way or degree to {
policy which he openly and withou'
qualification condemns as indefens
ible. Nothing more need be asked
or said concerning his loyalty to the
principles of his party.
As to his votes in favor of the i'm
position of tariff duties, and 'protec
ton" duties, on certain products O.
his State and of the South, Mr.. Nc
Laurin'S statement is equally frank
and will be equally satisfactory tc
his constituents, and 20 Democrat:
generally with some exceptions. MY
votes on the lumber, cotton and rice
schedules he said, ARE in strict ac
cord with the doctrines of Democracy
They were given in defence of the
people whom represent, and to com
pei the Republican party to place the
South on an equal footing with the
rest Of the country" They were moi
given to secure protection for the
particular products in question, but
to secure small measure of fair
dealing, of strict justice, for the peo
pie whom he represents in the admin
istration of the government which
they support. We need not explain
anew that the position Of Mr.. Nc
Laurin is the position of the News
and Courier" We cannot readily un-
derstand how any other intelligent
Democrat in his place could have
voted otherwise thans.as he voted in
the instances he mentioned. There
is a wide difference of opinion on the
question of the wisdom of imposing
an i'm port duty on lumber in the
pending bill, even if other Southern
products are so ''protected,h but the
difference relates to the eXpediency
of such duty, not to its democracy.
We think it is highly inexpedient to
encourage the already too rapid de-
of our Southern forests by
excluding or reducing imports of
lumber. The representatives of the
lumber business, however, demand
that their industry shall be protected
50 long as other industries are pro-
tected, and their demand is a just
one. 1t cannot consistently be re-
fused so long as the protection policy
is in force, and the destruction OF
our forests at the discretion of pri-
rate persons is permitted. The for
ests are not to be saved by discrimi-
nation against the numbering indus
try in tariff bill, but by regulating
and controlling that industry, di-
rectly, by proper legislation IN the
public interest.
Senator McLaurin's argument IN
support of his contention that the
of placing raw material on
the free list, while the finished prod
uct is protected by duty, is not and
never has been a principle of Democ-
racy," is very strong one and apz
pears to US to be conclusive. He
inds no assertion of the principle by
anv Democratic authority, until 1t
was asserted fifteen years ago by an
eminent New York Democrat in Con-
gress, who was also an iron maker
and deeply interested in free imports
of the raw materials of his business.
The principle appears to have owed
whatever measure of acceptance 1t
has received from the Democratic
party to the influence of President
as Mr.. McLaurin suggests,
with unbecoming comment on the
fact, and its assertion has confused
not few good Democrats, and, it is
to be feared, alienated thousands OF
them in the last Presidential cam
paisn. There is room for a large
doubt whether the Republican ma
jority in the present House, and the
preceding one, would have reached
like the proportions eXhlo-
tied but for the treatment by a Dem
ocratic Administration and Congress
Of the wool growing farmers of the
West and Northwest, who found
themselves suddenly stripped Of
every vestige of protection under a
reformed" tariff, which yet pro
sected the wool manufacturers IN full
measure They were unable TO un-
1erstand so fragrant discrimination
against them, and they recorded their
protest against it at the ballot-bo1:
The pending tariff bill is the result OF
heir action in large measure, and 1t
S scarcely surprising that some of
he Democrats, at least, in and out OF
;he present Congress, are disposed to
profit by the lesson the party has
earned at so great cost, and to avoid
ike mistakes in the future.
That is the disposition of Senators
and Tillman, and those
who go with them, we believe, and
we think that they represent the
great body of the Democracy Of the
State and the South il the course
hey have adopted. We believe that
Doth of them would vote to destroy
The policy of Republican protection.
.oot and branch, if their votes would
destroy it. Being unable to overthrow
It, however, and knowing that it will
be enforced for an indefinite time,
there is nothing for them to do but
to try to modify its evil features as
'ar as they can, by applying it as
as its essentially sectional
character will allow. And in our
opinion they are right.