The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1897-07-31
THE WILSON LAW A MODEL MEASURE.
ENORMOUS BURDENS OF
THE DINGLEY LAW.
published by authority of the Maryland Demo
cratic Editnrs Association.


There has been so much written in an
unfair spirit in certain class Of papers
claiming to be Democratic within the past
few years solely with a view of confusing
the minds of Democratic voters regarding
the distinctive tariff principles of the two
leading political parties, that it becomes
necessary as preliminary to an exposition
of the real enormity of the tariff law just
written upon the statute books by the Re
publican party to go back to first principles
to some extent and make an honest com
parison of the distinctive and antagonistic
principles of the two parties. The present
article will be devoted to that purpose.
BEFORE THE WAR.
Prior to the civil war the Democratic
policy on the tariff had become thoroughly
embodied in the phrase tariff for revenue,
with incidental protection. The Walker
tariff bill of 1916, drawn by Robert j
Walker, Secretary of the Treasury, was
then accepted and is still relied upon by
Democrats as an embodiment and exempl-
fcation of that principle. Itlevied duties
only high enough to raise the necessary
revenues, but these duties were so dis
tributed upon articles produced by Ameri-
can labor as to give to the labor employed
in American industry an equitable distri-
button of the protection necessarily incident
to the raising of the Federal revenue, but
no more The Wing party-the then
party of protection-had also yielded a
reluctant but final concurrence in this
principle. After the compromise tariff
act of 1882, introduced by Mr.. Clay. the
Wings, following their distinguished lead
er, had yielded to the sturdy determination
of the American people, as evinced by the
South Carolina notification act, not to
submit to the exercise of the taxing power
for other than revenue purposes, SO that,
as stated by Mr.. Blaine in his book, for
many years prior to the war the tariff was
not a political issue, all interests and both
political parties submitting to ''tariff for
revenue, with incidental protection as
exemplifed by the Walker tariff.
WAR TARIFFS ON REVENUE BASIS.
But during the civil war the revenue
necessities of the Government became SO
great that the tariff had to be put up to
the very highest revenue point, and IN ad-
dition to that an excise tax known as the
ssinternal revenue tai" had to be imposed.
Although the war tariffs carried very
large incident of protection to American
industries, they were to all intents and
purposes revenue tariffs, practically apply
ing the principles of the Walker tariff to
the necessities of war revenue. After the
war was over and the diminishing revenue
necessities and resulting Treasury surpluses
began to point to a reduction of tariff tax
alton, the two conflicting policies which
today divide the two political parties sprang
into existence The protected interests
with their appetites sharpened by the large
incidental protection which the war taxes
had brought them fought vigorously
against giving any of it up They sue
ceeded in controlling the Republican party,
then dominant, and the result was the in
auguration Of the protection policy upon a
more aggressive and insolent basis than
had been dreamed of in the previous politi-
cal history.of the country.
THE NEW PROTECTIVE IDEA.
In order to have proper understanding
of these conflicting policies it is necessary
to bear in mind that the war tariff being
at the highest revenue point, l. e., the
point intermediate between the prohibltory
point and the point of no duty or free
trade, the resultant revenue could be
diminished in two ways. First, by lower
inc the rates of duty in the direction OF
the point of no duty, or free trade; second,
by raising the rates of duty in the dlrec-
lion of the prohibitive point The Demo
cratic party, true to its antebellum prln-
ciples. which had then found general ac-
ceptance, proposed to reduce the redundant
revenues by going back in the direction OF
the Walker rates of duty, while the Re
publican party, catching its inspiration
from the greed and insolence of the rich
manufacturers, who were willing 10 pay
for their privileges, espoused the contrary
policy of effecting the necessary dimlnutior
of the revenues by increasing the duties II
the direction of the prohibitive point, anc
inaugurated the doctrine which has beer
appropriately denominated protection rur
mad -
ExPoUNnEp ny MAI. MCKINLEY.
Although this idea of diminishing the
revenues by raising the duties in the di
rection of the prohibitive point is unques
tionably the essential principle of the new
protective idea, as exemplifed by the Re
publican party, they were never bold
enough to openly proclaim it in thier plat
form until the year 1888, when William
Mckinley as chairman of the resolutions
committee of the national convention, un
eauivocally wrote it into the national plat
| form of that year in the following words