New-York tribune., 1909-04-01
coJoykL W4TTERSoy As 4 UNIFIER

Colonel Henry Natterson who We are glad
to note Is again taking >an active part in the
discussion of current politics, appears 10 he
somewhat astonishpd at the inability of Demo
Gratis in Congress TO get together on the tariH
question He cannot comprehend why they
should divide when the duty Of the party-aS
he understands its 50 plain He has not
wavered for years in his conviction that the
ONLY legitimate tariff is tariff for revenue only
and be would consign all Democrats who talk
about incidental protection or about discrmi-
nations in the treatment Of raw materials and
manufactures 10 the party guardhouse He
SAYS with confidence: ''The Democratic party
"has only to clear the decks for action and 70
pitch the mutinous into the sea 10 sweep the
'country"
Colonel Watterson tells the Hon Champ
Clark how Democratic tariff hill which would
unite all real Democrats and command the ar-
proval of the voters should he drawn. Here is
his recipe;
All the money that We need TO the gov
ernn1ent. economically administered, csn he
raised q scale of revenue duties SO simple
that every voter may be able to compute to
dollar what tax ne has to pay through the Gus
tom houses Not q schedule or classification
should he allowed 20 survive. Every schedule
is an entrenchment of privilege. Every claSsi-
fcation is rife pit from which the malefactors
OF predatory wealth fire upon the masses OF the
reople \ single tariff line embracing ten or
twenty separate items is all that is wanted.
and whenever this Is offered the country and
fairly explained to the voters they will order 1t
A tariff bill pa:> in length was the ideal of
the famous Missouri Kentucky school Of tariff
reforners. Yet Colonel Watterson runs the risk
of being considered an incurahe optimist when
he holds that the Democratic party Of to-day
could be bound 10 such programme Even in
the hacyon days Of the Missouri-kentucky
school when it largely controlled the policy of
the marty in Congress and wrote Democratic
national platforms its theories were always
thrust aside when il came 10 drawing or pass
ing q tariff bill Colonel WatterSon must re-
member his own experience in 1892. AS dele
gate 10 The Democratic National Convention Of
that year he labored successfully 10 defeat the
incorporation in the national platform of 4
resolution straddling the tariff issue. That reso-
luton was prepared by Mr.. Clevelands man
ayers and was indorsed by the platform COM
mittee. Of which William F. Villas was chair
man. Mr.. Watterson. as minority member Of
the committee, offered q tariff forreyenue-only
substitute which read as follows:
We denounce Republican protection as a
fraud-a robbery OF the great majority OF the
American people for the benefit Of the few.
We declare if to be a fundamental principle of
the Democratic party that the federal govern
rlent has no constitutional power to impose and
collect tariff duties, except for the purposes of
revenue only, and we demand that the collec-
ton of such taxes shall be limited to the ne
Cessties of the government when honestly and
economically administered
The substitute was adopted the protest
of the Cleveland managers. When Mr.. Cleve-
land wrote his letter accepting the nomination
for the Presidency he indicated his dissent from
the platforms tariff declaration, and when a
Democratic Congress attempted in 1894 10 re-
wise the Mckinley tariff the tariff for-revenue-
only theory was abandoned without apology.
Mr. Wilson went in for specalties like free raw
materials and taxed manufactures, and even
left refined sugar untaxed, although sugar has
always been considered ali ideal import On
which TO raise revenue. III the Wtson-G German
act as passed. there vas absolutely no recogni-
tion of the platform principle that no tariff du-
ties should be laid except for revenue purposes.
Can Colonel Watterson hope for larger
measure of consistency and harmony now, when
a considerable element in the Democratic party
is clamoring for protection. as such, to local in
terests? 1t would add to the gayety of politics
in the House of Representatives If Colonel Wat
terson could induce the Hon. Ollie James TO
submit "a single tariff line, embracing ten or
twenty separate items, the true Democratic
plan of revision. and try TO get vote on it as a
substitute for the Payne bill After the vote
Mr. James. who is as stalwart as he is eloquent,
would properly proceed 10 vindicate Democratic
orthodoxy by pitching the great majority Of his
Democratic colleagues into the sea.