The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1904-10-20
FREE TRADE THEIR REAL AIM.
Dare Democrats Come Out Openly
For Their Actual Object.

TOT INeIT ACTUAL ODJeCt.
The traiff holds the front place in
the Democratic campaign plans, for
the bald repetition that Protection is
Robbery" needs to bolstered up. In
nearly 20 years since the Democratic
party followed free trade under Cal
houn in place of protection as preach
ed by Jefferson and Jackson, never
has its platform proclamation failed
against any government encour-
agement to any and all American in
dustries except in 1872, when 1t
lodged into local option on the tariff,
only because 1t had nominated Horace
Greeley, the protectionist, to defeat
Grants reelection as president.
The last election carried by the
Democrats { in 1892 they declared:
1--WE denounce Republican protection
as fraud-a robbery of the great ma.
jority of the American people for the
benefit of the few" Almost the very
words Bryan put into this years Par
Ike" platform for the same party
Bolder then than now. because they
have since suffered sore defeats fol-
lowing the panic precipitated by their
threats, the Democrats that year went
right on to say: 1--WE declare 1t to be
fundamental principle of the Demo-
cratic party that the federal govern.
ment has no constitutional power to
impose and collect tariff duties except
for the purposes Of revenue only"
Today 1t is still the Democratic doc
trine that the slightest shadow of pro-
lection is contrary to the constitution.
That is the old, original Democratic
doctrine, ever since the party repudi-
ated the principles upon this point Of
Jefferson and Jackson. In 1910 they
resolved that justice and sound policy
forbid tho federal government to fos-
ter one branch of industry to the det-
riment of another" only another way
Of saying the same thing. The nation
al Democratic platforms expressly re-
affirmed this unyielding opposition to
protection IN 1874, 1S4S, 1852 and
1856, backing it up by the disastrous
free trade tariff Of 1916, and their still
further tariff reduction of 1857. In the
platform upon which Buchanan was
elected in 1856 they went further and
declared for progressive free trade
throughout the world" In 1860 both
the Breckenridge and Douglas Demo.
cratic conventions reafiirmed their
1856 platform upon this point. And SO
1t has been ever since.
In the present campaign Parker
praises the platform, free trade par
ticularly. Silent on the subject di.
rectly. beyond that approval, all his
associates, all those engaged in pro.
noting his nomination and his entire
inner circle are identified with the free
traders. Henry Gassaway Davis mild
ly observes that he is for incidental
protection" What of that? Would
he obey, or go back upon his party II
elected? The Walker free trade bill
became a law by the casting vote as
vice president of George M. Dallas,
elected as a professed protectionist.
| That alone elected Polk. Does Davis
think that trick can be repeated!
| Once was enough.
| Ltl tut TdThtT DtIlOcTdtS COInC
right out into the open on this ques.
ton, II they dare. Let them stand
squarely upon their party's past plat
forms opposed to all protection. Lei
them in attacking 1t squarely as "rob,
berry" as they repeat again this year
also have the courage to threaten to
overthrow 1t at any cost. The North
will need to give the decisive vote to
elect any Democratic president, bur
the South, solid by vote suppression
will shape any Democratic tariff. The
chosen leader Of the South of the
Democratic party in congress Is John
Sharp Williams of Mississippi, who
will be the speaker If they carry the
next house, and as such will appoint
the ways and means committee that
will draft the Democratic free trade
bill. What Williams will do, he told
when he uttered this significant sen
tence: "The general principle that
protection Is wrong, morally wrong, q
prostitution of government to private
ends, should never be forgotten"