The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1897-05-01
The Drawback on Tin.

The Baltimore Nc,es can crawl ont Of an
awkard position As skilfulIy as any Journal
within our knowledge. 1t attempted to state
the Democratic position on the free coinage
Of silver and gold. Its conception was faulty,
and the ADVOCATE showed its error. The
Nesrs, Of Saturday, said the ADVOCATE was
right. but that the Ne,cs was stating only one
argument that was Hsed--that if the United
States adopted bimetallism the nations Of
Europe would have to follow. In response
to this we can only say that those who used
the argument were not strictly on the s'band
wagon. z The ADVOCATE helped to start the
s.band wagon, aud was telling the people
two years before Bryan came to the front that
the trouble of the country was largely due to
the striking down Of one-half Of the money,
causing shrinkage of values and the cutting
Of prices Down one half
But enough of silver. At the close Of its
article, crawling out Of its awkward position,
the Nescs asks
..Bv the By, will the ADVOCATE kindly explain
how the exemption from duty OF the tin used IN
~-N----~
Certainly; it is the mission Of the ADVOCATE
to she'd light on the benighted, TO direct in the
paths of truth and to point the way whereby
the condition Of the people may be bettered.
Especially does it give the ADVOCATE pleasure
ia lift the veil of darkness from our Baltimore
contemporaries.
Now we suspect our esteemed contempora-
nv does not exactly comprehend the meaning
Of the word bounty it was not used IN
the sense that the News took it-like the
oavment Of cash to the sugar growers, for in
stance-but in It's broad sense OF glff a
oil, can bestowed in a remission Of a debt as
well as by the act Of giving. A protective
tariff bestows a bounty upon the industry
favored. in that it permits that industry TO
charge excessive profits upon It's products.
The clear operation Of protective tariff y TO
give an advantage gift, bounty. The
protective tariff gives a bounty 70 the Amerl-
can manufacturer Exemptng the American
Gamer from the payment Of tax upon TN to
be exported, is a remission Of a debt, and by
the remission the Gamer IS benefted-re-
ceives bounty by the operation Of the law
receives a gift Of the amount Of tax that would
be retained if the tin we're not exported.
Bounty is liberality, but iberahty cannot ex-
ist without the giving Of scmsthing on the re-
MISSION Of something owing.
The ADVOCATE is not particular about tech
nicalities The most technically drawn con-
tracts and wills are the most easily broken
and the technical journal usually succeeds IN
having itself misunderstood ornot understood
at all.
The Ne,cs has protested to be in favor Of
tariff for revenue only, with bounties or gifts
to none, and yet it favors the rebate on TN
when exported, and the SIN is in the same
category. The canning industry of Maryland
is greater than that Of any other state-in
oysters. fruits and vegetables it nearly monop-
olizes the business refunding of the tax
on tin used in canning for export is matter
ofconsiderable importance-but it rs bounty
all the same. It affects a great Maryland IN
terest. and the Ne,cs would foster that inter-
est by law at the expense of the whole people,
except Gamers just as every other section
demands protection for its chief industry
When the Louisiana Senators demanded
differental tax of one-eighth of cent, they
we're denounced as protectionists, and because
the leading Democratic Senators in making
up the Wilson bill aeceded to their demands,
they we're denounced by the Ne,cs and the
Sun as false TO Democratic principles, guilty
Of 'sperfdy. They did this, too. knowing
that had the Louisiana Senators not been sat
isied no tariff bill could have been passed,
and to have failed to have passed bill would
have been a confession Of inability by the
Democratic party to legisate for the country.
The Ne,cs and SIN, in contending for re-
bale on tin, are doing exactly what the Lou
isiana Senator did. These papers want to
foster Maryland industry at the expense OF
the balance of the people, just as the Louis-
lana Senators wanted to foster a Louisiana IN
tsrest at the expense of the balance of the
country. A protective tax and rebate are the
same in principle and practice "a gift, boun-
tv, by the operation of law; both are rnconsti-
tutional and both are un-Democratic. When
the law operates to benefit great Maryland
industry. protection is all right. When it at
fects Louisiana or any other state it is all
wrong. This is the position of the Nelcs and
SIN, but then consistency is not jewel in the
crowns Of the Kings q. the tripods in those
offices.