The Penn's Grove record., 1906-10-12
The Tariff Issue.

Charles A. Towne, Congressman
from New York, made a speech in
Congress on May Oath and among
other things said:
L. The issue on the tariff question is
not between theoretical protection ard
theoretical free trade; il is between eX-
a%ggerated protection producing mono
poly, and a fair and just revision of the
schedules In behalf of the general well
fare; the former is the Republican posi-
ton, the latter the Democratic.
2. Republicans that fear the forces
in control of their party can no longer
look to Roosevelt for C He has
surrendered to the manipulators of the
machine and its owners
8. The Democratic party, in its fun
damental allegiance to the inviolability
of private property on the Que hand and
of individual liberty on the other, Of
fers to the people a refuge from both
monopoly and anarchy.
But what I wish particularly to call
to your attention to in this eloquent
speech to which you will presently listen,
is the following from the p%eroration:
''Incidental protection, a humbug and
pretense, an insult to all reason and
logic" L desire, in immediate con-
trast with this statement of the fore
most champion of ~present-day Repub-
lican protectionism on this floor, to
read from the first Republican national
latform in which this subject was ever
mentioned, that of 1860, what the doct-
rineof that party on the subject of pro-
lection was proclaimed to be before
they had subordiDated themselves to
the instrumentalities that grew up in
consequence OF the abuses of it. [ read
from paragraph II of that platform:
That while providing revenue for the
General Government by duties uponim-
ports, sound policy requires such an adj
justment of these imports IS to encour-
age the development of the industrial
interests of the whole country.
Incidental protection was never bet
ter defined than inthat very statement;
and sir it illustrates the extent to which
the Republican party has departed from
its early faith, when M of the most
brilliant expone. is and defenders, one
of the most honOred champions, of the
present day-creed of that organization
now declares the original statement of
the party belief on that subject to be a
hnmbug and pretense, an insult to all
reason and logic. Applause on the
Democratic side.
Why, Mr.. Chairman, this recalci-
trancy of the Republican party has ex-
tended to every single thing that itever
stood for. We have already seen how
it abandoned its position on bimetall
ism in 1896 and subsequently,; and 1
have just exhibited how its original
doctrine on the tariff question, that of
incidental protection has grown into
the huge practise of protection for prot
ection's sake. 1t was the early boast of
the Republican party that it had met a
exigency in the national life by the in
vention of the greenback, whereby the
very existence of the Government was
preserved. But the party long since
turned its back upon the conception of
Government money, as it has done
upon every other one of its original
tepets, and is to-day the advocate of the
the bankers system of finance pure
and simple. Applause on the Demo-
cratic side.) Upon the subject of re-
ciprocity there has been a similar
change Of base. The great apostle of
m~odern-day Republicanism, the late
lamented President Mckinley, in the
last speech that ever fell from his lips,
said at Buffalo, September 5, 1901: