The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1906-03-02
DANGEROUS TO FOOL WITH
Tariff : Scuttling Democrats Have
Something That May Blow
Them UP.


The difficulty which the Democrats
find IN getting together on policies
which will unite their party through
out the nation is amusingly exempIi-
fled in many ways. The most recent
display OF family disagreement, says
the Troy Times, has been the falling
out over the unprecedented and un-
patriotic IL not unconstitutional effort
to turn h matter of ratifying treaties
with other nations into a partisan
question. Before the Democrats In the
United States senate get through with
this row they bid fair to be wider apart
than ever. And of course the ~ill-feel-
ing 1t will create is certain to extend
to h party throughout the country.
The facts furnish another illustration
of Democratic inability to agree, and
demonstrate anew that fatal weakness
so graphically portrayed by President
Grant when he alluded to the unfailing
propensity Of the Democratic party to
do the wrong thing.
When the leaders and organs of the
party cannot think of anything else to
80 ooth opCh 90 u ptoDOSllIOh lOI
union they take up the tariff. They are
at it just now, apparently forgetful of
the evil fate that has overtaken the
Democracy when IL has "monkeyed''
with that subject. In the midst of
abouuding national prosperity, and
with the government receipts giving
their own refutation to Democratic as
sertions that the Dingley law is a de-
fcit-maker, there is a demand from
many Democratic quarters that the
tariff be made the principal issue in
the coming campaigns, and that efforts
be made to unite the party with this as
a rallying cry. And they are seeking
to employ the old tricks. They depre-
cate the term free trade as applied to
the particular brand of political econo-
my which they favor, Int at the same
time arraign the present tariff, of Re-
publican origin and enactment, as OPP
pressive in its exactions and prohibit
I've IN its effects.
OF course 1t is only necessary to
point to the enormous development in
our foreign trade, with imports swollen
to unprecedented figures, to indicate
the absurdity of the charge that the
Dtngley Law is either oppressive or
prohibitory. But an analysis Of its
operations effectually disposes of other
contentious which are put forth to
show the need for a radical change.
For instance, there have been weari-
some iteration and r%eiteration of the
charge that all rates in the present law
are too high and some of them utterly
unwarranted The official records show
that the average duty collected is little
II any higher than 1t was 80 years ago,
when a law much less protective was
in operation. In fact, it is less than
for one year at least under the Demo-
cratic Gorman-Wilson law. The diff
ference is hat the duties are better
adjusted. More than half of our i'm
ports come in free of duty, which is
liberal treatment of foreigners and a
larger proportion than was shown uh-
Ger the Democratic law. But with the
Dingley statute in force the favored
imports are not those which would
dangerously compete with the home
articles. These. have to pay for the
privilege Of getting in and entering
into competition with American goods
in the domestic market, which is in
accord with the sound and wholesome
Republican economic policy.
The Democratic gentlemen who are
trying to get their party committed to
tariff-scuttling are entirely welcome to
NAV tina game as long as il pleaSeS
them. But it is only an act of friend
ship to warn them that it is a good
deal Ike fooling with dynamite. The
plaything is likely to "go off" with a
bang and leave the party more sadly
wrecked than before.