Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1904-08-19
M'KINLEY'S POLICY.
HE HAD NO INTENTION OF DtS-
CARDtNG PROTECTION.

Never Uttered n Word Looking To
ward the Impairment % It's In
te~grfty-His Last Speech WINS q
stand Pat D-eliverance.
President McKinley's last speech de
livered at Buffalo on the 9th Of Sep
TENDER, 1901, still as q text for
tariff discussions of a more or less
speculative character. The Boston
Herald, for example, advances the fol-
lowing Interpretation of that memora-
BILE address:
ut 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 poi
Icy on tariff questions which would
have implied both q 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. What be wanted to do was to
gain the assent Of the great mass OF
the common people Of the United States
in support Of the proposition that a
Deedlessly 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 uee
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 q little more Is es-
sential to a fair and faithful statement
Of the position taken and the policy
planned by the lamented president.
There WIS not a word In the speech
to indicate that President Mckinley
had modified his views as to the wis
dom Of tariff protection for home In
dustIes, There was not a word to
suggest that he wanted to revise the
tariff for revision's sake o. because Il
was not working we'll or because he
had any idea OF abandoning the main
principle. He distinctly spoke Of the
policy Of protection ~ no firmly e-
tablished-" IT Is true that he proposed
to reduce needlessly high duties, not
uncondtdonally, but as a means Of Sc
curing reciprocal privileges In foreign
markets. There was not a hint Of dis
carding the underlying principles OF the
existing tariff. The speech was, IN
fact q stand pat deltverance 80 far as
those principles were concerned.
Anybody can honestly soy that "need-
less" duties should not be imposed
But the term has Different meanings
tn different minds. A free trader will
say that an 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 20 change the principle, but
to adjust the schedules to Industrial
and commercial conditions. Who shall
perform that duty and who shall sag
when 1t ought to be performed? We
think the people r willing to trust
the Republican party In both particu-
lars because they have had gratifying
experience with that party rs a pro-
moter OF their prosperity. We do not
think they want the dictation OF the
services of the Democratic party tn any
scheme of revision because that party
has not shown a capacity for building
up the welfare Of the country.
1t may safely be said that President
Mckinley, II he were alive, would
agree with the people in these matters,
would be N OF the foremost stand
patters, and would neither propose nor
support any scheme Of revision that
would abandon the protective system
or impair its NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Democrat and Chronicle