St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1897-07-03
THE PROTECTIVE SYSTEM.
McIxinlcyism is Too Slow for the
H1s,nrsas,

McKinlcyfsm is Too Slow for the
People.
The protective system is subject to
one peculiar disadvantage. Its beneti-
cent effects are cut off at both ends,
while by malign peryersity of nature
the damning results of free trade ex-
tend themselves fore and aft, miracu-
lously antedating their cause and per-
sisting long after that cause has dis
appeared.
The Mckinley law was passed in Oc-
tober, 1890. The next month the peo-
pie rose up and smote ii under mis-
apprehension, as its friends explained.
caused by the fact that it had not yet bad
time to produce its intended effects.
In 1891 these effects had still failed to
arrive to a sufficient extent to mollify
the popular resentment, and in 1892
the country was SO far from recognize
ing their presence that it elected the
celebrated Grover CleveIand, then
statesman Of much e1hfnence asa tariff
smasher, to clear the protective ineum-
branee out of the way.
Tt was about this time, according to
the theories of the high tariff school,
that the Mckinley law should have been
getting fairly to work, but the mere
threat of its repeal in the future IN
volved in the election of hostile presi-
dent and congress, paralyzed its delictae
mechanism, For more than Fl months
after the presidential election the Me-
Kinley law remained in full force, but
it's usefulness was gone. The people
continued to pay the mountainous
duties, but their magical power to
compel prosperity had disappeared.
The vague shadow Of a possible but TN
was more potent than the actual work.
ings of high tariff in the present.
Thus it resulted-that, although the Me-
Kinley law was in force for nearly four
years, it never once got chance, ac-
cording to its friends, to show what it
could really do. It went to its grave, a
mute, inglorious Milton, with all its
brilliant possibilities buried under the
clods of adverse circumstances.
The Wilson tariff experienced no
such delay in getting under way. It be-
gan it's deadly work, as the Mckinley
professors of economies have frequently
explained, more than year before it
was born, and it has continued its bale-
full activity ever since.
And now there is TO be a new and
more stringently protective tariff. but
it has none of the preliminary effects
that protectionists credited to the Will
son bill when it was still without form
and void. Mr. Dingley explains that his
tariff cannot be expected to bring good
times before it is passed, or even inn
mediately after. He thinks that it will
take about a year after its passage to
get into good running order. And it
by that time we have series of demo-
cratic victories, the melancholy his
tory of the Mckinley law may be re-
Eeated. The advance agent of pros
perity works only by sample, and there
is no assurance that he can deliver his
goods in cloudy weather.
1t really seems hardly worth while to
try to build up protective system in
this country. The yicissitndes Of poll
tics are SO frequent here that a policy
whose usefulness is killed by an adverse
verdict at the polls. and which can
never begin 10 produce its promised eff
fects until after the people have had
time to blast it at the next election. is
fabric too delicate to be of any prae-
teal use. We might as well try to raise
palm trees out of doors in Canadian
winter-N. Z. Journal