The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1897-07-30
by diminished, and, under the excessive

tnS ieNShueS' WHICH mas since caused so
much trouble, first appeared.
CONFLICTING PRINCIPLES DEFINED.
Thus have the antagonistic principles
OF the two political parties become clear
~ and sharply defined. They may be
stated as follows:
The Republican party maintains rha;
under the power 10 regulate commerce
and the general welfare" clause OF the
Federal Constitution Congress has the
right to exercise the taxing power for
the purpose OF excluding partially or
wholly importations o; the products OF
foreign industry, in order to foster and
protect our domestic manufacturers
Holding this view they claim the right
70 SO adjust tariff schedules as to check
imports" With them protection is the
object OF the exercise OF the taxing pow
er, revenue only the incident Their
policy is, in practical effect, to let the
tariff wall OF prohibition down from the
top only low enough to admit sufficient
lmportations to raise the necessary rev.
enue. a
The Democrats, on the other hand,
deny the Constitutional right OF Con-
gress to exercise the taxing power con
terred by the Constitution except for the
pubic purpose OF raising the necessary
revenue for the support OF the Govern
ment, and they therefore uncompromis-
ingly CHALLENGE the right to restrai. I'M
portatlonS to any greater extent than the
necessary revenue from imports re-
CURES; but they have always admitted
that the incident OF protection which
necessarily results from raising the nee
essary revenues by tariff taxation ought
to be equitably distributed among the
different domestic industries. The Dem
ocratic policy is TO encourage not to
check imports. With the Democrats
revenue is the object OF tariff taxation.
protection only the incident Their pol
icy is to raise the tariff wall up from the
bottom only high enough to produce the
necessary revenue from import duties.
TARIFF FOR REVENUE ONLY"
The proper and only reasonable mean
ing OF the term tariff for revenue only"
as sometimes used in Democratic plat
forms and often perverted in un-Dem-
ocratic circles is tina; the only legitimate
object OF tariff taxation is to raise the
necessary revenues, and that there is no
constitutional warrant for ,evying more
taxes upon the people than is necessary
for that purpose. This as already shown.
is distinctive Democratic doctrine This
phrase never appeared in Democratic
platform prior to the civil war. Its first
appearance was in the platform OF 1876
In that campaign the tariff was only a
subordinate issue, and it did not attract
any attention. The same phrase was re-
peated in the platform OF 1880, and then
1t,,. - g. Il.
attack OF the Republicans who claimed
that it stood for the extraordinary prop
osition that the nearly 100000 900 OF
protective benefit, which necessarily re-
suits from revenue tariff. was to be
distributed without any regard to Amer
lean industry. A certain small but ultra
school OF Democrats, led by Henry Wat
terson, encouraged this stupid and sense
less construction, so utterly at variance
with the antebellum record OF the party,
and the result was that General Hancock
lost the support OF the labor organza-
tons, the electoral vote OF the State Of
New York and his election
But when the Democrat, convention
OF 1884 came to make up its platform for
the successful campaign OF that year, it
carefully quart against a repetition OF
that construction by inserting a long
and explicit declaration neeativing the
idea that the party was inimical in its
tariff policy to American labor, from
which the following is an extract:
But in making reduction in taxes
it is not proposed to injure any OF the
domestic industries, but rather to pro-
mote their healthy growth The neces-
sary reduction in taxation can and must
be effected without depriving American
labor OF the ability to compete success
fully with foreign labor and without i'm
posing lower rates OF duty than will be
ample to cover any increased cost OF
production which may exist in conse-
quence of the higher rate OF wages pre-
vailing in this country"
This identical plank was again inserted
by endorsement in the platform OF 1883,
after strong contention with Mr.. Wat
terson, President Cleveland having per-
sonally requested Senator German OF
Maryland to attend the convention for
that purpose. Again, in 1892, as will ap-
pear by the stenographic report OF the
proceedings OF that convention, which is
presumably in the possession OF every
Democratic editor the friends OF Mr..
Cleveland who controlled the resolu
tions committee presented this same tar
if plank for adoption. But the anti
Cleveland forces in the convention, un-
der the lead OF Mr.. Watterson, presented
a catchy substitute plank which took the
convention by storm and was carried
over the protest OF Senator Villas and
other Cleveland leaders. Then for the
third time the phrase tariff for revenue
only" was written in a Democratic plat
form, but Mr.. Cleveland very promptly,
in his speech and letter OF acceptance,
gave his authoritative Interpretation OF
the phrase in accordance with the deh
milton given at the commencement OF
this paragraph, and -eaffirmed the sub
stance OF the platform OF 1884
AS ExEMPLIFIED BY LEGISLATION.
All the tariff legislation OF both OF Mr..
Cleveland's administrations was based
upon the principle of the platform OF
1884, The Mills bill, which passed the
House in his first administration, was
skillful and fair exemplification OF the
principle, and the Wilson bill, which be
came law in Cleveland's second admin
istration. as clearly stated by Mr.. Will
son in the report which accompanied II,
was drawn upon those lines, The Nor
rison horizontal reduction bill, presented
to the House in the FIRST Cleveland adj
ministration. was the only measure
which disregarded this principle, and
that was never endorsed by the Presi-
dent and was never even considered by
the House. although LARGELY Democratic.
The Wilson bill, as finally passed, is a
model tariff law from the Democratic
standpoint. There was no contravention
OF its original principles in the Senate
amendments. however vigorously that