Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1904-02-11
INDORSED BY DEMOCRAT.
The Republican Tariff Policy Re
cefyes Approval of Member of
the Opposition.

Representative Watson, of this state,
did a neat piece of political maneuVerlng
in forcing Representative John ). VIII
liams. of Mississippi, into practical in
dorsement of the republican policy on
the tariff question, says the lndianap-
oils Journal. Mr.. Williams is the leader
of the minority in the house and re-
ceived the supplementary vote of the
democrats for speaker. While he was
speaking on the tariff question Mr.. Wat
son. by some sharp questioning, led him
to declare, first, that the democratic
party did not stand for free trade; sec
ond, that 1t favored a tariff for revenue
only, and, third that it favored the re-
publican policy of lowering duties as
time and circumstances should justify.
If the democratic party has any fixed
principle it is opposition to protection
in any form, and, of course, advocacy of
the opposite policy. The opposite of
protection is free trade but the party
dare not avow this openly. So Mr. Will
liams denied that it stood for free trade.
When asked if he stood for a tariff for
revenue only he replied: ANY tariff
that will provide for the necessities of
this government is more than equal to
a tariff that must pay the difference be-
tween wages in the United States and
those abroad" This was an ingenious
evasion of the question and indicated a
desire to get away from the party's rec
ord
Finally. as Mr. Williams was contend
fng that the tariff should be revised Mr..
Watson nagged him to tell what kind of
revision he meant. ut would take
some time to do it," he said. Time
would enter as a factor into the process,
necessarily so. Great Britain, whose
slogan was free trade, did not reach
free trade by sweeping out of existence
all the industrial conditions that then
existed. Gradually, little by little she
reduced the dues, now on this and now
on that. and furnished to the country in
each case of reduction an object lesson
of the benefcent effect of removing
taxation from the consumer"
Mr.. Williams does not state correct
ly the process by which Great Britain
passed from protection to free trade,
and he ignores the local conditions that
We're thought to make it necessary, but
he does incidentally indorse the tariff
policy of the republican party. That
policy is not one of hard and fast adher-
ence to any particular tariff schedule,
but of adherence to protection as long
as and to the extent that it may be need
ed for the encouragement of American
Industries, the control of American
markets. and maintaining the American
standard of wages. The republican par
ty is in favor of tariff revision when
ever circumstances or changing condi-
tions may show that revision is desir-
able, but always on the lines of protec-
tion. The republican platform of 1896
said:
1--WE renew and emphasize our allegiance
to the policy of protection as the bulwark
of American industrial independence and
the foundation of American DEVELOPMENT
and prosperity. We are not pledged
to any particular schedules The question
of rates is a practical question, to be gov
erned by the conditions of the time and of
production; the ruling and uncompromis-
ing principle is the protection and devel-
opment of American labor and industry"
This clearly implied that tariff sched-
ules might and should be changed to
suit changing conditions, but never to
the detriment of American labor and in
dustries. That is the republican policy,
and Mr.. Williams virtually indorses
Il.
In view of this new definition of dem
Ocratic policy by the minority leader in
the house, one is led to ask what is the
democratic tariff policy anyhow? For
years that party advocated free trade,
then for another term of years tariff
for revenue only. and now it is threaten
ing to climb on to the republican plat
form. 1t should be warned off That
ground has been preempted by the re-
publican party.
ETMr Bryan could get the biggest
democratic popular vote, and Mr.. Cleve-
land could get the most democratic cleo
toral votes, but neither could come near
least be a fresh kind of forlorn hope.
st Louis Globe-Democrat
ETBy indorsing the president for re-
election and expressing the hope that
Senator Hanna will consent to serve
again as chairman of the republican
| national committee, the republican ed
itors once more demonstrate that they
are among the foremost advocates of
| harmony in party politics.-Indianapo
lis News (Ind.l,