The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-08-06
EXIT FREE TRADE.

Inc somewhat surprising utterances by
two prominent Democrats on the question
oil protection, when have recently been
published. show that the pulse of free
trade Is beating very low. When South
ern Senators prepare to abandon the
doctrine we may expect it soon to pass
out OF the political life OF this country and
become merely u matter of history
The telegram from New Orleans that
Senator McEnery had, in that stronghold
OF Democracy, made a lengthy speech,
contending that free trade was not an
essential plank of the Democratic party,
is one OF these proofs. The Senator de-
Tended himself for his vote in favor of
the Dingley bill, for doing which an at
tempt had been made to declare his
course undemocratic, by avowing Lousi-
ana's need of protection for her sugar,
rice and other products The meeting at
which he spoke is said to have been one
of the largest and most influential gath
cred in New Orleans for years, and it mel
for the express purpose of giving him a
welcome that would be protest against
the effort 10 condemn his Democracy.
The most prominent Democrats OF the
L
meeting, and the Endorsement of his &C.
ton by his own party at home was COM
plete.
The other surprising statement comes
from the Texan, Bailey, whose leadership
of the Democrats in Congress makes it
most notable. In his closing speech on
the tariff bill in the House he said: II
never ventured to denounce the raw
material theory until l had first appealed
TO the supreme tribunal of the Democratic
party, which reversed the doctrine of free
raw material and gave me a commission
to denounce it here and elsewhere, and
mean to do it." Mr.. Bailey further stated
that the last Democratic convention at
Chicago deliberately omitted the COM
mendation of free raw materials which
had held place in the platform of 1892.
The willingness thus shown to admit
the principle of projecting free raw ma
terials is so strong an entering wedge for
the splitting up of the Southern Demo-
Gratis that we may reasonably expect that
further protection will soon find many
counselors in their camp, and the old con-
servatism in this matter will be COM
pletely broken up.
The St Louis Globe Democrat gives some
curious history about the expression ''ior
revenue only, = used so much by the Dem
ocrats as rallying cry. 1t originated in
the Tilden cam paign and was placed in
the platform drawn by Horatio Seymour,
which was considered political master
piece. This was in New York in 1873
when Tilden made his successful run Tor
Governor. In 1876 the st. Louis conven.
ton that nominateA Tilden for President
took up the idea "for revenue only" and
in 1875 w. r. Morrison had made use Of
the expression as motto to pamphlets OF
his speech in Congress for tariff reform.
The Democracy has alternately used and
dropped the "only" in their platforms,
and the late one at Chicago was SO fixed
as to let protectionists stand on it.
1t is not long since Senator Bacon of the
stancb Democratic State of Georgia con-
tended for protection to the industries of
his sect on 1t is evident that Bailey is
watching out Tor the wool interests of