Lower coast gazette., 1909-07-10

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ton of their sugars free of duty into the United
States, showed that President Mckinley was to
that extent a free trader and not Interested in the
development Of the domestic sugar industry Of the
country as he had formerly been. In like manner,
President Taft's earnest efforts t0 secure the tree
admission Of PHILIPPINE sugar into the United
States would indicate a recognition by MIN OF the
merits of free trade and the benefits that might
20 to the PHILIPPINES, even if the American cane and
beet sugar producers should be I'M ured thereby.
After all these years, however, it is a ~satisfac-
ton to perceive that our leading journals are be-
ginning to recognize the fact that protective tariffs
and free trade are no longer definite indications Of
party alignment. The New Orleans States, one Of
our abIest political journals has for many years
affected free trade doctrines as definitively demo-
cratic. The founder Of that journal, Major Hear
sey, came from Northwestern Louisiana, in the
valley of the Red River, where cotton was the
chief agriculture. He. a man Of great ability,
was just as earnest an advocate Of free trade as
were any of the leading republican newspaper
men of the Northwestern grain states at the same
time. In tariff matters Northwestern Louisiana
and Northwestern Minnesota and Nebraska met
on common ground as free traders, the one calling
itself democratic and the others republican. The
tariff issue to them was a local one, just as it was
to General Hancock. The States has maintained
it's original tariff policy under it's present able
management.
The New York Evening Post has been just as
Sc we're in its criticisms Of the Western republicans
in the Senate who are now termed insurgents"
as have our Southern journals been in their cnti-
cisms of our Louisiana delegations in Washington,
and it is interesting to note that even Senator TIL
Imanof South Carolina and Senator Daniel Of Vir-
ginia are earnestly prosecuting the protection Of
the interests of their native states that are affect
ed by any proposed tariff legislation. They don't
rest much on the platonic idea of the general good
and OF a tariff tor revenue, as much as It IS that
they want to look out for the interests of South
Carolina and of Virginia. Senator I.aFollette of
Wisconsin and Senator Cummins Of Iowa are ex-
tremely able men, but as their respective states
at the present time seem to have no particular in
~terests involved in the tariff question, they are
entering the arena as general reformers, hurting
what or whom they may. Our excellent delega-
ZION from Louisiana has from the beginning de-
Tended most earnestly every interest Of Louisiana
and has defended those interests because they
ought to be defended and protected as against
similar interests in the outside world, and in doing
this they have consented to cooperate with others
where reasonable evidence was given of the equal
propriety Of the demanded protection.
The New York Evening post in discussing. the
situation IS ROW disposed to admit that the final
settlement'of the tariff question lies in the hands
of the Senate of the. United States, which is a
body, Representative We of the various states of the
union, all On one common basis, little Rhode Island
with it's two senators having the same vote as the
great state of New York, with its two senators.
When we come to the strict tenets Of the demo-
cratic party, We find that they lead us back to
home rule, RELOCATING to every political division of
the country and Of the state all possible home rule
that can be safely disposed of in this way. If
there be any doctrine that is essentially demo-.
cratic it is the doctrine of states rights and the
right of the Louisiana delegation, of the Wisconsin
or Iowa delegation, or Of the Rhode Island delega-
ton in the United States Senate, or in the House,
either, so far as that is concerned, cannot be
questioned from any intrinsically democratic point
of view. They have the right to do what is the
best for their states, in their opinion, and neces-
sarily in doing that they must allot equal rights to
all the rest.
These matters would have come up much. earl
Ter and in a very acute form, had it not been for
the terrible civil war and the impression that it
has left on the country during all the years that
have interviewed since. The doctrine Of protection
is as essential with a nation as it is with an ipdi-
vidual family or an individual city. The people
of New Orleans are more part ocular about
increasing the commercial facilities of this great
port than they are abFe'ut catering to Calves:
ton or to Mobile. The people Of New Orleans
want things for New Orleans and the people
of Louisiana should certainly want things for
Louisiana. And to charge our delegation with in
fidelity or disloyalty to a party because they are
ca oornoc+lv c&r,7rrl;nr N coo,,ro ,rbo< %bo., h.