The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1907-02-20
New Light in Massachusetts.

Is Massachusetts, then, to become
the champion Of free trade and State
rights The wriggling of time has
rarely brought into the view Of men
a. greater wonder than this, for the
assumption by the Old Bay State Of
that role is enough to make men gasp.
Seventy-five years ago the people OF
South Carolina in convention assem-
bled passed an ordinance Of nullifica-
ton in respect Of federal tariff law,
which they declared to be null and
void. In the ensuing argument with
President Andrew Jackson the State
was adjudged to have got the worst
of it, since the South Carolinians
could think Of no effective rejoinder
when he sent troops to collect. the
customs duties they had refused to
pay. For half century or so there
after South Carolina was regarded as
the representative Of the extreme
State rights view, the extreme slavery
view. the extreme southern view in
everything; while Massachusetts,
stood for the union one and indivis-
ible, for authority Of the nation, for
the freedom Of the slave. In the e
pluribus unum combination these two
States were antihetical and were free
ly apostrophized as such in countless
Fourth of July orations and speech
es in Congress.
Now the roles seem to be reversed,
for South Corolina is as quiet as a
lamb, while in Massachusetts, we hear
somewhat loudly sounded note of
.-.,ent from views known to prevail
at Washington Representative Sam
uel Mccall, of Boston, who is man
Of ability and of conscience, and to
both adds courage, said at the Lin
coins birthday dinner Of the Republi-
can club in this city on Tuesday even
ing that for his part he could '.see no
reason for the highly centralized pa
| ternalism which is threatened, and
which will engender a servile depend
ence upon government and destroy
| the fibre of our citizenship" He be-
lived that the States should exercise
all their functions and defend against
usurpation the powers they reserved
to themselves when the constitution
was adopted. For a Massachusetts
Republican to protest against the in
voking of a statutory mellennium"
through constructions OF the con-
| stitution that should rob the States
Of their rights and empower the fed
eraI government to control every
mans business by penal enactmentS
| is an astonishing reversal Of form"
| from the days when for such doc
| trines men would have turned to John
c.. Calhoun.
| It is even more astonishing, though
| the country has been in measure
prepared for it, that a petition should
be addressed to President Roosevelt
and to congress, signed by Gov.
Gould, the President Of the Massachu-
setts senate, the speaker Of the house,
and by 232 of the 2S0 members Of the
| legislature Of that state, urging an
immediate revision Of the tariff. No
man can remember time when the
State of Massachusetts, was not a
stronghold Of Republicanism, and for
i more than half century Republi-
/ canism and protectionis1n have been
| interchangeable terms. There is a
new light in the old commonwealth,
and it appears to be all the time
growing brighter.
A serious and alarming fact about
this tariff reform petition from Mas
sachusetts is that it does not pro-
ceed from consumers. The consum-
ers never made any headway in fight
ing high duties, and the protectionists
do not care snap Of their fingers for
them They have never been organiz-
ed, they have always been easily fool
ed, their ideas were vague, and their
convictions not very firm. Massachu-
sets wants tariff reform, because its
manufacturers demand free raw ma
terials, and free coal from the Mari
time provinces. Manufacturers differ
from the rabble of consumers in this,
that they know with great precision
what they want, and they are able
/. by organization to make trouble.
Massachusetts tariff reformers have
already made trouble for Senator
Lodge, who may be expected, not
suddenly but easily, gradually but
none the less notably, TO change his
attitude Of resistance to the will Of
| his constituents