The Saint Paul globe., 1897-11-06
DEMOCRATS WHO WE'RE PROTEC-
TIONISTS.

ours upon it could convey.
DEMOCRATS WHO WE'RE PROTEC-
TIONISTs.
Our esteemed contemporary, the st.
Cloud Times, asks, with all the earn
estness implied by italics: But where
is there, or has there ever been, a
Democrat who claimed that a protec-
tive tariff was Democratic?" The
question invites attention to the
growth of Democracy in Democrats;
the gradual rise to a purer conception
Of Democracy as related to taxation
and its legitimate purposes. A cursory
historical review will also suggest the
opportunity remaining for further de-
Velopment. During national campaigns
since the tariff became an issue Re
publicans have quoted Andrew Jack
son as an authority for their policy,
and not without cause. In his inau-
gural, delivered on his first induction
into the presidency, he said that, in
laying impOsts for revenue, ''the great
interests of agriculture, commerce and
manufactures should be equally favor
ed; and that perhaps, the only excep-
ton to this rule should consist in the
peculiar encouragement of any prod
Ucts of either of them that may be
found essential to our independence"
which was exactly the position taken
by Clay subsequently and urged by
Greeley. In his first message, in De-
cember, 1929, he could speak without
nations" of the preceding year Later,
of course, under Van Buren's influence.
he attained to clearer Democratic
ideas. Itis singular to note the SIM
i1arity of Jackson's idea, expressed in,
that message, that tariffs should be
arranged to place our own industries
in fair competition with those of other
countries" and the tariff plank of the
Republican national convention in
1892
President Polk declared, in his inau-
gural in 1845, that sit is the duty of
government to extend, as far as it is
practicable, by its revenue laws and
all other means in its power, fair and
just protection to all the great inter-
ests of the Union" and that, ia ad-
Justing rates on imports, beside the
production Of revenue, they should
also afford a reasonable incidental pro-
lection to our home industry 1t is
true he declared himself opposed to
protection for protectors sake, but
who has ever been able to draw the
line between revenue and the amount
of incidental protection? Certainly his
secretary of the treasury did not, for
he gave the country a tariff with an
amount cf protection in it that was
satisfactory to manufactures. The
growth Of Democracy under the ten
dency impaired by the Walker tariff
was shown by the report of the house
committee in 1857, which congra tulated
the country that the time was near at
hand when all tariffs could be abol-
ished and direct taxation substituted.
There followed q distinct reaction as
a result of the civil war. We need
only refer to the acquiescent attitude
of the Democrats to the protection in
augurated during that period to show
how tolerant Of, if not sympathetic
with that policy Democrats had be-
come, contaminated by vicious associa-
ton. The counter action that set in
in 1876, under Tilden's influence, cul-
minated in the declaration of the ma
tional convention in 1892, reaching the
most Democratic ground held since
1857. But it is well to recall that Mr..
Cleveland so Worded his letter of ac-
ceptance as to give cause to Eastern
Democratic protectionists to claim that
he had kicked the tariff plank out
from under his feet" On that claim the
Fifty-th congress acted and made
a tariff so protective that even Car
negie advised Republicans to accept
it, Mr.. Clevelands letters to Wilson
and Catchings showed that he realized,
NueH lOO ldlt, lIlS IlllSldhG lie ndQ
made. In conclusion we find no diff
Guilty in referring our contemporary to
recent instances of Democrats who de-
clared a protective tariff Democratic.
There were the Democrats in the SEN
ate in 1894, whom Secretary Morton
aptly characterized as the five Judas
Tcoario+c oOd the lesser craa tl1rec in
the house who refused to stand by
Mr.. Wilson in fight against the SEN
ate. More recently we have had Nc
Emery fighting for sugar; McLaurin
and Tillnan struggling for protection
to rice and sea island cotton; Baker
and Clay demanding protection to pine;
White standing stiff1y for protection