The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1908-03-20
The Tariff and Prosperity
a Retrospect.

a Retrospect.
1t will be remembered that
soon after the election of Cleve.
land in 1892, when the shadows
were already beginning to fall
upon finances and business. as q
consequence of Republican legls-
lation in great degree. the tar.
if organs and orators began to
attribute this condition to the
distrust inspired in the hearts OF
the people by their own act.
Next they propagated and OBJ
tanned credence for the wildly
absurd fable that the moderate
tariff of 1894 caused the panic of
1895. Having carried the cleo
ton of 1896 through the .ubstau.
tial aid of the Sound Money
Democrats. the Republicans in
1897 fastened 10 pass an extra
session of Congress the presen t
Dingley tariff, after the finances
were restored by Cleveland's Ad-
ministration and when trade and
industry in all of their depart
ments had already resumed &C
tiyity. The precipitancy of the
Protectionists to pass the Ding
ley Act, with its barbarous in
crease of rates of duty, appeared
to betray their fears that if they
longer delayed public confidence
III the Democratic tariff would
be so well established that its
repeal would be attended with
serious danger to the party.
Then began the continuous re,
fraln that not the abundant har
vests and the strenuous activities
of the people, but the Diugley
tariff caused the country's great
prosperity. Republican pl a t.
forms, National and State. year
after year took up the wondrous
tale. Presidents messages and
speeches solemnly deprecated
any attempts 10 disturb this be-
attic condition by hostile legis
latlon. The tariff was held up
to the popular administration as
not only the father of National
prosperity. but its con;inuator
aud multiplier. Never had the
idol such a run until il suddenly
fell from its pedestal amid the
amazement of its high priests
and worshippers. Que after an-
other the theories of protection
were blown to the four winds, as
workingmsn by thousands were
thrown out of employment. with
closing factories and daily an
nouncements OF railroads and
business corpora ions passing into
the hands of receivers. AS the
illusory dream of tariff made
prosperity vanished, what alone
stood visible above the wreck
was the swarm of the tariff engl
neered trusts preying upon the
people.
Now, when the stand patters
and tariff takers are found out,
the former confidence in them
and their system is followed by
general distrust. So great is the
reaction that one political con-
veDtion after another and one
candidate after another, East
and West. have some promise
more or less definite to make in
behalf of tariff revision. Ofcourse,
there is great deal of deception
In this for the purpose of escap-
ing popular judgment in the
coming election. But the coun-
try is not to be put off with empty
promises on the part of politicians
who have so long deceived it.
What the people demand is such
a substantial revision of the tariff
as will relieve them from the spo
liations of the trusts, and of this
there is small hope from the
party of the stand patters, no
matter how vociferous their prom
ises of reform. The prospect of
such revision is in the hereditary
enemy of the tariff, the National
Democratic party. philadelphia
Record.