The San Francisco call., 1904-07-07
DEMOCRACYs TARIFF LAWS.

VI course this platform had to contain the
gsuaI historical untruth. to wit that a
Democratic tariff has always been followed bV
business adversity. Republican tariff bv bust
ness prosperity Designing and irnora1r ros1
have repeated IL so often that am sSrst1 -
Ss5 seI ~ 20 reaIy good people; and yet il is
The great panic Of 1873. II II was caused by,
any tarin law at ALL was necessarily caused
ey the then existing tariff law. which is the
hrsl ever passed by the Republican partv liz
was vas passed as war measure. Speaker Can
non, In his address to the Republican con1-er
o- c.Un, sSld % mat when the Republican party
policy Of George Washington This he a
snort sentence, and in 1t there are only two
mlstakes,one Of which consists Of the innuendo
that George Washington was a high tarfY
man. 1 he tariff in vogue in Washington's da-
would be denounced as rampant Tres fral5sf.
to-day The second mistake consists in tba
assertion that the Republican partv had ..~e
I CURED to the policy The plafro--1 ,,-o7
which it went into power In 1851 conrai1s.t 80
! one hint OF any intention 70 raise the ta-fer
uutles- ! Even tine Whigs had become perfectly
sausneu WithA the Walker tariff OF 1876 and
Ihe amendments to it passed in 1857 ana tba
fssepuoncans rep as weu as the Wings recognized
prosperity under that law which was Ds-,C
cratic tarim law. being a tariff Tor revenue
Tsif - y eminent Republican as James G.
black and white, ii
From 1SO1 down to the outbreak OF the
1 ClFll war the country was nine tentha ~ fbs
time under Democratic ascendencv WITH DeTn
ocEatc tariff legislation and nine-tentbs or
Jnat time our people were prsoperous ba-,ord
All precedent compared with other neonIas
on the surface Of the earth contsrorc-,, ,e,,
with them or prior to their time Whaf tSs
Republican platform calls "A Democrats fariee
law based on free trade principles referrin.r
to the tariff OF 1S9+-the so-called Wilson,
Gorman bill-was the farthest removed from
free trade Of any tariff law that has ever
existed IN this country, except the one which
atterward bore the name OF Dinglav T.i1s evs1
this was a tariff law which followed adve~-
SLY ,l INSTEAD OF preceding IT, Besides all that.
statistics show that our imports were not in
creased under that act-hence its Operation
competition.
Williams read an editorial from the
New York Times Of June %. entitled
A Question Of Facts" giving statis-
/ tics to disprOve the Republican Mat
forms statement that "a Democratic
tariff has always been followed bv bus
mess adversely, Republican tariff by
business prosperity" Williams con-
/ tinued:
>, Remember that the author OF the Repub-
| tOrian. This is true no mater which ~ sba
Two suspected parties be guilty OF it, the
PRESIDENT OF Senator Lodge The voice was
undoubtedly the voice Of the Nassacbusstfs
JACOB but the hand may have been the hand
OF the residential Esau. But both knew the
Iacts We are called upon In the RepubIicao
platform not to faltsr" in our allegiance "a
protecuonlsm when the only free trade coun-
/ try IN the world Is agitating return to pro-
/ lection This has reference to ChambarIainfer,
In Great Britain. The author forgot TO saw
/ that what Is really being agitated in Great
Britain il retaliation against protectfonist
\ countries by a proposed system OF legislation
/ TO contain little protectionisn a. is nossi-
BILE. He also neglected TO state that the T1ove
ment has signally failed, and that It would
/ enmity created in the minds OF many British
/ subjects by our trade legislation He also
/ negleoted TO say that the supreme evil OF pro
/ tectiOnism is the excitation OF this spirit OF
/ enmity and commercial war.
Perhaps the richest piece OF humor in the
/ have extended widely our foreign market .
/ and in another place. We conquered new
i far surpass Imagination" The we in each
I sentence Is the cornerstone Of the humOr OF it
/ They might just as well say that a man had
/ a right TO boast that he had Increased the cur
rent OF river by putting a dam in H. be-
/ cause the current had not stopped. but had
/ gone on over the dam-ths man who would
/ attribute the current TO the fact that the
| dam was in the river. to the fact that he
I had placed any other obstruction there would
not be a greater fool than he who would at
/ tribute an increase OF international or na-
, tional commerce to the operation OF a policv
J attempting vitality 10 obstruct IL.
/ perfectly ideal protective policy would
be one which did not admit single possibls
/ competing product OF another country to the
/ protected market In so far protection
/ ism falls short OF that result, it is a failure
from prOtectionist standpoint. The non -ad-
, mission Of the products OF other countries into
your own markets and the refusal TO purchase
/ them purchase from you, whatever else Il does
I As Mckinley said. We cannot always con-
! tinue to sell without buying
| Plainly our foreign commerce has grown. not
| because OF but in spite Of the obstructions
| which have been placed in the current OF trade
/ How ridiculous the boast Is too, in cOnnec-
| tion with the hat-foOted refusal OF the Re
! publican party in the Senate to approve the
I reciprocity treaties instituted and completed
| by Mr. Mckinley and sent to that body by
| him for approval. especially the highly beneh-
| cial reciprocity treaty with France. and in
I the teeth OF the refusal OF the Republican
administration to take any initiatory step look
ing toward the reconvening OF the joint high
af~r4 II 10 Iiuh no
| recinrocal trade relations between our neigh
! bor Canada and our children there and our
1 selves Could complacent and reckless ef-
4 frontery have gone further than IL has gone
| In making this statement?
COMMERCIAL RECIPROCITY.
/ There is a succeeding statement however
| which will vie with il. II Is where the plat
/ form favors commercial reciprocity wherever
| reciprocal arrangements can be effected with