The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1902-01-11
A TwO-EdGed Sword.

A TwO.EdGe0 Sword.
New Orleans States.
1t may be possible that in the years to
come the products of the Philippine archip-
elago may come into serious competition
with those of Louisiana. We say ii may be
possible that this will take place, though
there is nothing to indicate that any
thing even approaching serious competition
will occur with industry for years yet to
come. The production of sugar and rice is
pitiably insignificant, and if there exists
poss Utility 1T development to threatening
proportions it will require the work of years
to bring it about.
In the meantime we must face either one
of two alternatives: this government, must
either hole. a subject colony and Cypress it
with prohibitve tariff laws, it must abide
by the fundamental Democratic principle,
that wherever our authority extends and our
flag floats the winds the emblem of
tina; authority. there will our laws protect
the equal rights and privileges of the citi-
zen. 1, is not an American principle to hold
colonies subject our authority, and al the
same time to deny them the equal protec-
ton of our laws. Such action is imperial
ism in it's most baneful form; it is worse
can find no justification save in the theory
and to plumber the weak. And yet this is
exactly what the Payne tariff bill does to
the Philippines, and it is this monstrous en-
bodiment of despotc oppression that Con-
gresham Robertson and the morning press
of this city seek 10 defend as a Democratic
measure. The Payne tariff measure is, at
before the industry of the Philippines can
be organized upon any sort of settled basis,
it will be superseded by whatever measures
this government may determine upon for the
permanent government of the islands.
There were ample votes on the Republican
side of the House to have passed this des
Potic bill without the aid of single Demo-
cratic vote, yet, Notwithstanding this, we
see four Democratic congressman from Lou
isiana breaking awav from the settled policy
of their party and throwing themselves. as 1t
were, at the heads of the Republican lead
ers, unsolicited and unexpected, and then
trying to convince the Democrats of this
State that this action was Democratic.
1t must be remembered that their support
of this bill was purely gratuitous. The Re-
publlcans did not expect them to support it,
the measure would have passed by large
majority even had they actively fought it,
and the statistics show that there was no
emergency which might be reasonably con-
strued into a necessity for voting against the
settled doctrines of the Democratic party.
Recent decisions of the Supre me Court, sus-
tanned by but bare ma jority of that court,
declared that Congress has the legal right to
levy import duties upon the products of do
mestic territory, but decisions of courts, nor
acts of Congress cannot alter the funda-
mental equities in the case, and what may
be legal right may at the same time be
monstrous moral wrong. That the levying
of practically prohibitive tariff duty upon
the products of the Philippines at the very
moment that are forcing our authority
and our laws upon them, is one OF those
monstrous wrongs from the standpoint of
Legislative morality and national honor, no
Democrat who is unbiased in his judgment
will attempt to deny. 1t is SO pronounced
by every prominent Democratic newspaper
in the nation, outside of Louisiana, while
even among the Republican press the atti-
tude of the Louisiana Democrats who voted
for the Payne bill, has excited only derision
and contempt.
But, indicated by the caption of this
article, this is not all there is of it. If we
should grant the contention of our friends to
the effect that the sugar interests of Louisi-
ana will be benefited by this bill--which
are by means ready to concede-there is
still another count which will weigh heavily
against them. How about the cotton inter
ests of Louisiana, against which this bill
aims heavy blow? 1t must be remembered
that the Payne tariff bill 'scuts both comm
and goin',' was observed of the cross
cut saw. Under its provisions the Dingley
tariff bill governs in SO far the products
of the Philippines entering the United States
are concerned, but on the products of this
country going into the Philippines the regu-
lations of the Taft Commission adopted.
One of the items of these regulations refers