The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-03-12
McKINLEY,s PLAN FOR A TARIFF

when we wrote our comments on the
nre.sdent's inaugural address We did II
m a spirit of fairness and canoor' we
were quite ready to find all 1ne sooo'
all the wisdom, all the courageme
we could. We did not think IL abe Out
rather commonplace. 1t lacked grip
hxayery force. Tt was filled WITH siil-
FIRING generalities." It had a ap-
Droval and avoidance, and was oesu-
tute OF explicit statement as 10 RENE
os and a defining of a clear-cut poll
nv TO be persued. He voided the Gu
ban question, so uppermoS' aDe
Americans, so interesting TO all. ne
Froa,ght himself under suspicion at TIE
start, and some how appeared 10 give
assurance that a man WITHOUT JAIN
tome was in the chair when American
sn4arests are at stake, while supple'ano
arr.aabIe TO great corporations ana a
-obber principle of taxation to placate
and oblige the money power. mat Is
pvbaf a close study Of the message Will
r,r,bably reveal to any candlo' lnlel-
yseent inquirer, be he republican, true
democrat, boltocrat or pulls or silver
man We really would be glad to see
PRESIDENT Mckinley at the very begin
ming moving out on high and broad
and really patriotic grounds. We "oulo
xpioice to see him broadly AHerlcdh'
and s~ubservient to no party dlctatioh
when American honor ana interests
,re at stake. and obedient to no Grass
or section.
Mr.. Mckinley is a high prot~ectionist,
oure and simple. The most
che most unrighteous. the most OPP
rressive of tariffs eve levied upon the
American people bears his w name.
He did not make it, but helped ana IN
troduced it as chairman OF the commit
Tee reporting. He believes IN an I'LL
moral system Of taxation mat a re-
caribbean supreme court many years
ago affixed to 1T the brand OF ROD
berry" He favors a high protective tax
sevied upon the toiling masses FOR tne
enrichment of the rich few. He stands
forth as the champion of a system OK
taxation thai is really unconstitution-
al. He argues that the sure way 10
NATIONAL pTOSptIll ID w Ahoh
This is McKinleyism as a system. IL
is neither wise, nor just, nor honest'
nor fair. nor constitutional nor moral.
Robbery cannot be honest and fair
and lust and constitutional, and a re-
publican supreme court decided tnat
taxation levied upon the people for any
pur,-<e whatever save to raise the
needed revenue to carry on the govern
ment was robbery" Yet the new
president is favorable to, even an en-
thusiastic advocate of that oppressive,
rnholy, vicious and affective system.
IIo commits himself in his address to
protection. is his panacea- he
prescribes this nostrum for all the
ills that the body polite is heir to. tits
auackery in essence 1t will Kill his
patient if persisted in long enough
There is enough of poison in 1T to de-
stroy any country, and constitution. 1t
will in the end, if unchecked, bring on
a condition that can never be relieved.
President Mckinley is not "a wise
man or he would see that the condi-
ton of our country has changed much
for the worse-that the kind of tariff
SO popular with the manufacturing
lords ten and twenty years ago cannot
apply now-that it is simply impossible
TO accomplish an impossible scheme.
His plan of taxation is an im~possobil-
ity. What is it? He sees the country
needs, must have more revenue or
greater economy. The treasury is emp
ty or would be but for C1eveland's
syond selling to increase Indebtedness.
The expenditures exceed revenue by
millions each month. Cleveland's way
caused the deficit to exceed $40, OOO, 600,
or more, We think, for his last year.
There is no hope of economy. n last
congress-, with McKinley's party large
ly in the ascendant in the house, was
more wasteful, more ex~travagant n
all the other reckless, extravagant
democratic and republican congresses.
So there is no hope that way. More
revenue then must be raised. McKin-
ley opposes the equitable, common
sense plan OF taxing needless luxu-
ries vicious indulgencies. He wants
a taxation on foreign products. This is
to tickle and satisfy the rich men who
practically own him, Mark n at
she head. He must have a high tax for
h nabobs and plutocrats or else he
will be driven to the wall by their
prostituted and subsidized largely cir
culated press. Mckinley will
dare to risk that. But there comes the
trouble. The tax he would levy for pro-
lection will not fetch the increased
revenues needed under the present
spend-all and vote-all system in the
congress.
This is the embarrassment. 1t is a
great one, one impossible of solution.
We will turn to a republican newspa-
per-the very ablest of it's kind-.the
great weekly Philadelphia American,
TO show you o this is-what difficult
.aY Tho edition aud wa onnv If