The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-04-09
mn TsguE roR feo4.

Mir. Root, Secretary of War and mentor of the President in matters appertainine
 to the Party policies to be pursued by l the Administration. announced in his | speech at the annual dinner of the Home Market Club" at Boston last Thursday evening that the principle of protection should be maintained" He said: First, that the principle of protection should be maintained. am not going to argue the ,duestion of protection and free trade. The second administrations of Cleveland Is not so completely forgotten yet that that question needs to be arr gued in this country now. M Next, I assume 1t to be true that the
 United states are nov enjoying a period of extraordinary and unexampled pros prosperity to end. A
 Proceeding to argue these propositions. Mir Root said "a revision of the tariff is great and difficult task, not to be undertaken except for grave and serious reasons " because the moment the neces- sary discussion to effeet revision begins "unteftainty begins with the manufac- furef. the farmer and the merchant" and, therefore, "the process of revision is an evil in itself of no small propor- tions;' that a second consideration is that ''you cannot get rid of trusts by revising the tariff unless you are ready to reduce the duties in the classes of manufacturer in which the so-cailed trusts are en- saged.", that is to say, Fin all the prin- cipal kinds of manufacture, to such an extent as to put an end to all American manufacture" In other words, he said: Tt Is impossible that reduction of du- ties should wipe out trusts except as 1t wipes out American manufacture" sena- tor Lodge followed the Secretary of War upon the same line of argument. Mir. Lodge is the closest friend Mir. Roosevelt has, and the policy thus marked out by them to be pursued in the campaign next year no doubt has the approval of the President.
 Certainly, the Democratic Party could not have chosen q more promising field upon which to fight the great battle of 1904 than this one to which these leaders so deiantiy challenges 1t. The>campaigns of 1876. 1884, 1888 and 1892 were fought upon this field and three of them were won at the polls by the Democratic Party. The signal victory of 1892 was won when the battle cry of the Republican Party was Home Market-America for, Ameri- cans" while that of the Democratic Party was '"The Open Door-Tariff >fcr Revenue only.'' the issue being sharply presented by the glaring protection fea- lures of the Mckinley tariff.
 Suddenly. however, fear and financial distrust sprung tip on every side in 1893, notwithstanding. as Mir. Cleveland said, '"rhe country was blessed with plentious crops, with abundant promise of re- munerative production and manufacture, with unusual invitation to safe invest rnent anu with satisfactory assurance to business enterprises The fear and distrust and the alarming condition re- sulting thereforfn, were principally chargeabie to the Congressional legisla- ton touching the purchase and coinage of silver by the General Government and known as the sherman silver law" This law was the continuation of much agita- ton and vicious legislation upon this question by the Republican Party during its long lease of power. The fearful
 financial situation caused Mir. Cleveland to postpone temporarily the consideration of a revision of the tariff by the Con- gress and give precedence to the money question. He called the Congress to- gether and after much unnecessary and disastrous delay. the law of November 1. 1893, repeating the purchasing clause of the Sherman silver law. was passed and approved by the President. This action was In compliance with the pressing de- mand of the Democratic platform. The enactment of this law, notwithstanding it afforded only partial relief, was the first and most important step taken. in the movement for the establishments of the gold standard now in force, and that step was taken when both the Executive and Legislative Departments of the Gov ernment were in the hands of the Demo- cratic Party.
 During Its next, or first regular, session that Congress enacted the Wilson tariff law. MT. Cleveland. in his message. De- cember 2, 1896. said of this tariff the fol- lowing:
 Those who insist that the cost to our people of articles coming to them from abroad for their needful use should only be increased through tariff charges to an extent necessary to meet the expenses of the Government. as well as those who claim that tariff charges may be laid upon such articles. beyond the necessi- ties of Government revenue, and with the additional purpose of so increasing their price in our markets as to give American manufacturers and producers better and more profitable opportunities must agree that our tariff laws are only primarily justified as sources of revenue to enable the Government to meet the necessary expenses of it's maintenance. Considered as to Its sufticiency in this aspect. the present law tthe Wilson Act) can by no means fall under just con- demnation. During the only complete fiscal year of its operation, 1t has yield ed nearly ss GOO 900 more revenue than was received from tariff duties the preceding year.
 Mir. Cleveland further said:
 believe our present tariff law, if al- lowed a fair opportunity. will fin the near future yield 6 revenue which, with req sonabiy economical expenditures, will overcome all deficiencies. In the mean time no deficit that has occurred or may occur need excite or disturb us To meet any such deficit, we have in the Treas ury. in addition to a gold reserve of one hundred million dollars. surplus of more than $l2s,0oo.oO0 applicable to the