, 1899-11-30
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES.
Active In Their Hatred of Protection
and Their Friendship for Aguinaldo.

and Their Friendship for AguinaIdo.
In its search for light on the trust
question the Civic Federation of Chi
cago lately sent out letters to a large
number of writers and thinkers, with
out regard to their party predictions,
inviting an expression OF their views
as to the most effective manner Of
dealing with capitalistic combinations
in the United States. Here was the
American Free-Trader's chance. One
would have thought that our domestic
Cobdenites, who never cease to worry
over the wrongs suffered by foreign
producers, would have tumbled over
each other in their haste to take ad-
vantage of such an opportunity to
Ventilate their pet theory that the
more money a country sends abroad
for the purchase of foreign commodi-
tie and the less money it spends for
articles produced at home, the richer
that country will become.
But they did not spring to the front
with anything like common accord.
Far from it. Out of 155 letters re-
ceived by the Chicago Civic Federation
only three prescribed the removal of
protective duties as the proper way OF
dealing with trusts. Why only three?
Is the American Free-Trader growing
scared at the effect already produced
by he proposed abolition of defensive
duties at a time when the beneicent
effects of the prevailing economic pol
icy are so wildly impressed upon the
public mind? There is, to be sure,
some reason for the exercise of eau
ton. In the presence OF phenomenal
prosperity Of a tariff system which
furnishes abundant revenues while at
the same time piling up huge trade
balances which threaten the worlds
financial equilibrium by transferring
the financial center from Europe to
America, the American Free-Trader
may properly pause in his assaults
upon the general welfare OF his oun
trymen. Has he paused, and will he
stay paused?
Probably not. Certainly the New
England Free-Trade league shows NJ
such signs. 1t is still in the saddle.
booted and spurred. One OF its most
warlike members, Mr.. William Lloyd
Garrison. has just been firing himself
off to the following effect:
Each tariff must be more drastic
than its predecessor, calling for in
creased stimulant. Its purpose is on
stantly neutralized by the active law
OF freedom, which 1t ~disregards. The
Dingley tariff. the latest and most out
rageous OF the despotic acts of a
democracy. early develops signs of
failure, and a foreign war was pre-
cipitated largely to cover high tariff
shortcomings and Justify new edicts
for revenue. But the higher the tariff
wall. the more Internal monopolies are
fostered."
The active law OF freedom Is not
a happy phrase in this connection.
Formerly 1t had a vastly different sig
niicance. An ancestor OF this same
Garrison used it to some purpose In
his warfare against free trade in hui
man flesh and blood. Then the princi-
pie was invoked in the noble effort to
strike from 1000, 600 blacks the shack
les OF slavery. Now we find a degener-
ate scion advocating 1.-The active law
OF freedom" as a means OF placing
shackles upon 20. 900. 900 of American
wage earners. Times have indeed
changed when a man bearing the name
OF William Lloyd Garrison divides his
time about equally in shouting for free
trade and Aguinaldo-for industrial
slavery at home and for the uncurbed
revolt OF semi-barbarians in the Philip
pines. However. it must be confessed
that the combination is homogeneous.
The two things go together extremely
we'll.