Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1904-08-12
M'KINLEY'S POLICY.
HE HAD NO INTENTION OF DIS
CARDlNG PROTECTION.

Never Uttered n Word Looking To-
ward the Impairment of Its In
tegrity-His Last speech Was
Stand Pat Deliverance.
President McKinleys last speech, de-
livered at Buffalo on the 5th Of Sep
tember, 1901, still serves as a text for
tariff discussions of q more or less
speculative character. The Boston
Herald, for example, advances the fol-
lowing Interpretation of that memora-
BILE address:
1T can be said without fear of con-
tradiction that it was President Nc
Kinley's intention to make his second
term memorable by laying down and
carrying through an administrative pol
icy on tariff questions which would
have implied both revision Of the ex-
listing tariff and the adoption by the
country OF reciprocal trade treaties with
a number of the leading nations of the
world. Whit he wanted to do>was to
gain the assent of the great mass Of
the commorpeople of the United States
in support of the proposition that a
needlessly high tariff tax was seriously
Objectionable, that revision Of the tariff
was essential under changing business
conditions and that one of the easiest
ways to revise the tariff was to use
needlessly high duties as counters of
exchange in securing trade advantages
with foreign nations"
This is put with commendable eau
ton and conservatism, considering that
the Herald has always been an oppo-
nent of the tariff principle of which
Mckinley was the foremost advocate
and exponent Yet little more is es-
sential to a fair and faithful statement
of the position taken and the policy
planned by the lamented president.
There was not word in the speech
to indicate that President Mckinley
had modified his views as to the wis
dom of tariff protection for home in
dustries. There was not word to
suggest that he wanted to revise the
tariff for revision's sake or because it
was not working well or because he
had any idea of abandoning the main
principle. He distinctly spoke Of the
policy Of protection as nov firmly es-
tablished" 1t is true that he proposed
to reduce needlessly high duties, not
Internationally, but as a means Of Sc
curing reciprocal privileges in foreign
markets. There was not hint of dis
carding the underlying principles Of the
existing tariff. The speech was, in
fact, stand pat deliverance so far as
those principles were concerned.
Anybody can honestly say that need
less" duties should not be imposed.
But the term has different meanings
in different minds. A free trader will
say that all protective duties are not
only needless, but vicious, but nobody
will accuse Mckinley Of subscribing
to that view. Tariff revision will come
In time, not to change the principle, but
to adjust the schedules to industrial
and commercial conditions. Who shall
perform that duty and who shall say
when it ought to be performed? We
think the people are willing to trust
the Republican party in both particu-
lars because they have had gratifying
experience with that party as pro-
moter Of their prosperity. We do not
think they want the dictation or the
services of the Democratic party in any
scheme Of revision, because that party
has not shown capacity for building
up the welfare Of the country
1t may safely be said that President
Mckinley, If he were alive, would
agree with the people In these matters,
would be one Of the, foremost stand
patters, and would neither propose nor
support any scheme Of revision that
would abandon the protective system
or impair its integrity-Rocheste
Democrat and Chronicle.