Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1908-12-03
THE INCONSISTENT DEMOCRACY

THE INCONSISTENT DEMOCRACY.
The Richmond Times Dispatch very
seriously asks: Has the tariff ceased |
to be party issue?" Answering this
question our Richmond contemporary
quotes the late General Hancock, who,
while the Democratic candidate for
Pres dent, said the tariff was "a local
issue" Rightly interpreted that decla-
ration of General Hancock meant that
the tariff was local issue that affected
the interests of every important locality
and section of the United States.
In the late presidential campaign the
Democrats undertook to make tariff re-
form the leading issue. This was par
ticularly so with the Southern Democ-
racy. Their idea of tariff reform was
to make good the declarations of the
Denver platform which said:
1--WE favor immediate revision of the
tariff by the reduction of import duties.
Articles entering into competition with
trust-controlled products should be
placed upon the free list and
graduated reductions should be made in
such other schedules as may be neces-
sary to restore the tariff to a revenue
basis.
On Wednesday of last week the To-
bacco Association, of Danville, Va,
passed resolutions favoriDg an increase
of the duty now imposed upon Turkish
tobacco, which is imported largely into
the United States. These resolutions
declare that 1.-The importation tax on
Turkish tobacco is so low as not to ap-
preciably affect the price of cigarettes
made from it, and that, on the other
hand, homegrown tobacco is absolutely
excluded from the Turkish markets.
Therefore, it is unanimously resolved
that the Tobacco Association, of Dan
vile, appoint committee to wait upon
the House Ways and Means Committee,
present these facts, and request them
to increase The tar on Turkish tobacco inn
rported into this country" Another
paragraph in the Danville resolutions
was as follows:
''Be it further resolved, That oul
Congressman from this district, E. w.
Saunders, and Senators Thomas S. Mar
tin and John w. Daniel, be requested
to proceed to Washington with this
committee to assist them in bringing
this matter to the attention of the
Ways and Means Committee now in
session"
The action of the Danville Tobacco
Association seems to have startled the
Times-Dispatch, which has been such a
persistent advocate of the Democratic
doctrine of free trade or tariff for reve.
nue. only. Our Richmond contemporary
solemnly inquiries:
Where is the tariff party line today.
The Democratic party is the traditional
foe of protection, the longtime ally OF
tariff for revenue only. But is the
Democratic rank and file, in fact, now
taking any larger view of the problem
than that dictated by personal interest
only. Are Democrats not practically
showing themselves now as protection.
lists when their own protection is at
stake and free traders only at somebody
else's expense"
This is no unusual thing for the Vir-
GINA and Southern Democracy. Wher
the Dingley tariff was being framed the
lumbermen of Eastern Virginia asked
that yellow pine be protected, and Sen
ators Martin and Daniel saw that theil
wishes were respected. When the
Wilson bill was being framed, leading
Democrats in the Ninth District held
meetings and passed resolutions de-
manding that a protective duty be
placed upon coal and iron ore.
But the Times-Dispatch says: REP
resentative Saunders, Senator Martin
and Senator Daniel are all Democrats.
They are pledged to support equal
rights and oppose all special privileges.
How can they be asked to APP
pear before committee and plead for
an elevated and frankly protective