The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-04-24
THEE rARrFF AND FRIENDs.


 The great question in the coming cam psign it. is now certain will be the tarifr. There will be other issues, Roosevelts high horse character for one thing, but a victory to be significant and lasting must be won by a direct assault upon the protection doctrines of the Republican party. There is no need to mince words. The present tar.ff should not be revised by its friends: 1t should be revised by its eremies. The Democratic Party m pro- posing revision must bear any and all odium attaching to q revision policy. They need not pretend they are the friends of protection in any guise. They will not win any support or deserve any by attempting to masquerade in politics They might as well declare openly and fire nkly that if they can capture the gov ernment they have a fixed determination to proceed instantly and as rapidly as can be reasonably done, to put the taxing system of the United States upon reve- nuo basis. This does not mean free trade. but it is not because the Demo- crats need fear being dubbed free traders that they will disclaim the title It will bc because they think large proportion Of the national revenues will continue and ought to continue to be taken in at the custom houses; that import duties will aiways be levied It will be the purpose for which such duties are laid that as policy win distinguish Democracy from Republicanism. These should be levied for the public and not the private behoof and herein consists the ancient and deep seated difference between the two organi- zstions.
 We are aware there are great many Democrats who are protectionists. The party has been too often hampered and ranks ever to be unmindful of their exist ence. It is common sense to give these men a chance to better their private in- terests and put money in their pockets by Joining the party that is dedicated to their cause We say given the chance, when 1t may as well be put more strong ly They should by an explicit declara- ton Gt St. Louis be shown once for all that the Democracy has done with trim ming suppressing. straddling on the tar fir issue and has no place for men who design to use 1t in the interest of manu- lecturers against the people. a
 The tariff furnishes nearly every great opportunity to do iniquity that the Re- publicans enjoy, and as such it must be approached and attacked. We cannot af- ford when the line is formed to have any nunlber ot followers, however large or small, grounding their arms and going ever to the enemy. Let them go at the election and let us have fair notice of their intentions to aid in maintaining the protective system. There is no occasion either to shiver at the prospect of being abandoned by Democrats who are con yinced protectioaists. The decisive vote in this country is that of the Independ- entsi and these to a man are opposed to the doctrine of protection. More than that there are tens of thousands of Ee. publicans. now that the stability of the money standard Is assured. are prepared to join hands with the Democracy III tuntbflng the fetich of protection from it's pedestal. That Is especially true in the States lying near the border of Caroda. Mir. Lodge felt the force of this sentiment when he was called upon to exert in the Massachusetts Republican State Convention, every faculty and ex- haust all appeals in favor of the national administration, in order to stay the tide of opinion then in favor of reciprocity. Mckinley, too, recognized the rising vol ume of opinion in favor of saner trade laws when he delivered his famous Buff falo address. It is even promised in some quarters that If Roosevelt is elected he will proceed on the lines marked out by Mckinley on that day. Whether that is so or not it, remains for the Democratic party to say thls year definitely, whether they are for protection or against it. To trim Is to invite defeat.