Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1901-03-15
A SETTLED QUESTION.
is THE TARIFF NO LONGER OPEN
TO CONTROVERSY?
Oangers of Overconfidcnce illustrated
in the Fact that the Enemies of Pro-
lection Are Only Bidinx Their Time
for Another Attack.

Overconfidence is a more subtle but
a scarcely less dangerous evil than is
lack of confidence. 1t has betrayed
the American people more than once.
Because the country had been prosper
ots so long, because it's prosperity had
grown continually greater, the major
ity OF us got to imagining that we
would go on being prosperous no mat
Ter what We did or what policy we
adopted. The people began really to
believe that business and politics had
little or nothing to do with each other,
and so they voted for a change in 1892.
We have gotten over that folly new,
and are moi likely to make the same
mistake again. But our overcontidence
is laying another trap for us. This
time it takes the form of saying that
the tariff question is settled, that there
is no need of counting that as an issue
any more. Only a few days ago the
New York Sun said e%ditorially:
The tariff question has been remov-
ed from controversy, and practically
has settled itself. 4. . This policy of
developing American industry has re-
ceived a practical vindication so COM
plete that there remains only feeble
academic opposition TO it. Politically
it is accepted by all parties: 1t did not
provoke controversy in either of the
w last national campaigns
The Sun forgets. apparently. that
the platform of the Democratic party
adopted at Kansas City last July de-
nounced the Dingley tariff law. 1t for
gets. apparently. that Mr.. Bryan, the
late Democratic candidate for the pres
idency. is still on record as declaring
that a protective tariff is vicious in
principle, or 1t would not say that po-
litically protection has been accepted
by all parties" The editor of the Sun
must have been %curiously unobservant
of the words and writings of many po-
litical writer's besides Mr.. Bryan: he
must have skipped many things in re-
cent editions of many papers which
must be on his exchange table, his
neighbor, the Times. among the num-
her. III he thinks that the only opposi-
ton TO protection is either feeble or
academic.
There can be no doubt in the mind of
any person of sense or judgment of the
fact that the American people are. by
an overwhelming majority. in favor of
the system of protection. So far as be-
lief goes. the tariff is settled: but not
all the free traders are by any means
convinced. They are only biding their
time, and not until den%unciations of
protection are eliminated from all po-
litical platforms, both State and ma
tional; not until the leaders of all the
political parties are men who stand on
a protection record will the tariff qules-
ton be no longer a political issue. The
policy of protection is safe enough if
a little guarding is done. but no policy
and no principle is safe if its friends
forget it. Its enemies will not ID so
forgetful, and the Sun and every other
protectionist paper which is inclined to
think that the tariff is no longer an is
sue in politics and needs no further de-
Tending will do we'll to remember that
the enemies of protection are always
watchful. The tariff is settled for all
time in favor of protection only if the
protectionists of the country see to it
that they are equally watchful.