Lower coast gazette., 1909-08-14
SATURDAY, AUGUST IA, 1909.
What is De,nGcraCys

particularly the votes on the tariff bill and on the
various items in its schedules, have excited much
controversy over the entire country and in the be
ginning there was quite 3 disposition " read le-
calciJrant republicans and democrats 0ut Of their
respective parties, because they did not vote as
republicans for the EXTREMIST demands Of the pro-
tectlonlsts, or did not vote IS democrats Tor the
demands Of the democratic leaders. In other
words, there has been a determined effort made
during recent years tc compel all republicans to
Iall into line as ardent protectionists and to COM
pei all democrats to fall into line as positive free
traders. During recent years in which these ON
puisory rulings have obtained the democratic par
ty has failed Of success in practically every cam
palgn. Ihe platform Of the democratic party IN
1884, on which Grover Cleveland was elected pres
ident, indicated the ~ploprety Of reasonable pro
lection and OF the rights Of vested interests. The
intervention Of leading Western democrats, in
Guiding Senators Roger Q. Mills Of Texas, Jones Of
Arkansas, Vest of Missouri and VOORHEES, of Indi-
ana, together with that Of Henry Watterson Of
Kentucky, reVoiutionized the prospects of the
political party for political success and left it prac-
tically but one candidate seeking election to the
presidency and he has been thrice defeated. AT St.
Louis, in 1888, the democratic platform reiterated
the platform on which the party won success in
1884, but with the proviso inserted by Henry Wat
terson, who was chairman Of the committee, and
who insisted upon the insertion of the words as
explained by the presidents message" This lit
tie Joker of Henry Watterson's, referring to a
+, message Of President Cleveland's in which he ex-
pressed his personal tariff views, did the business
in 1858, and Cleveland was defeated and President
Harrison elected.
The intervention Of the democrats resident
West of the Mississippi, OF the Mills, Jones, Vest
type, brought disaster to the party which in its
platforms ard in its principals had previously been
cOnservatlvely protective. In 1892 a reaction had
set in and Cleveland was again elected tc the pres
idency and the West of the Mississippi democrats
had full swing. Senator German Of Maryland and
all OF the conservative democrats OF the Eastern
states were pOWerless TO resist the control Of these
Western senators and the Wilson bill was the final
product of that unhappy combination. President
Cleveland signed the Wilson bill in August 1894,
and two years later the Dingley bill brought relief
to the industries seriously injured by the Wilson
bill. In the enactment OF the Dingley bill the con-
sentative protection democrats East Of the Missis-
sippi largely aided.
Our people seem to have forgotten that direct
ly after the civil war the republicans West Of the
Mississippi We're just about as rampant free
traders as were the democratic senators who
brought our party to defeat in 1888 and again in
1896 and ever since. The Northwestern republi-
cans desired free trade or reciprocity with Canada.
Their great interests were in the production of
wheat and corn and they felt that their own I'M
mediate interests demanded a low tariff on i'm
ported goods, as their own products were shipped
out OF the country to an enormous extent and a
protective tariff compelled them, while selling at
low prices, to buy at high prices. These radical
wings or both parties have been conspicuous fea-
lures. The republican free trade wing. however,
was whipped in, in the beginning by the waving
of the bloody shirt and by memories of the civil
war and, to some extent, by the increasing ex-
penses of the administrations whose election they
had promoted. The radical democrats. successful
only in 1852 and failing ever since. have continued
about as radical as ever and have apparently
abandoned the entire eastern democracy, without
which success is simply impossible. Connecticut,
New York and New Jersey have been democratic
states, but the threats of free, trade have driven
the democratic party there into the minority.
Grover Cleveland was elected president in 1884
On a platform satisfactory to the Eastern demo-
cratic protectionists. In 1880 General Hancock,
who was the democratic candidate for the presi-
dency in opposition to General Garfield, the re-
publican, was very much importuned for his views
upon the tariff question and he then gave utter
ance to the memorable statement that the tariff
is a local issue" The three decades that have
passed since General Hancock made this remark
have demonstrated the truth of his assertion.
The radical leaders of both our leading political
parties have determined, if possible, to make the
views on the tariff the test of party allegiance,
although nothing of the kind was urged in ante
bellum days and neither free trade nor a protec-
tive tariff can fairly be considered as determining
factors in the government of this country.
In the recent debates in Congress Senator