Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1909-03-17

can politics. IL is more than likei!
that 1t never would ha>" been revived
but for the Civii War. which nrcessita'
ting Il large revenue. presented the
opportunity to selfish and greedy i'll
tercsts to rcintrOdur" the protective
system in most srasplhg form.
These Instructive figures are just
in passing. for 1T Is not my purpose
20 consider on this occasion whether
ma ional wealth will grow more RAPID
~ under Il revenue than under 4 pro
tectivr tarif l'It rather to point ut
tina, Justice between man and man.
between consumers and the manu- ac-
turing capitalists. as well Az the ma
tional moral health and patriotism. de
mand that the stranslr-hOld OF manu-
featuring CAPT, al upon tn" throat of
government shall be- released even at
temporary cost. No expression OF
this necessity could he too strong.
AS | shall hope TO convince yon.
The necessities of the Civil War
opened wide the door of opportunity
for the manufacturing interests To levy
tribute through statutory and. the
war tariffs So-called were intended to
be- only temporary. The act OF 1862.
fer example. was Untitled: An Act in
Creasing temporarily the duties on i'm
ports and for other purposes Internal
d l,i.s were imposed in 1864 upon the
products of manufacture, estimated at
about fifteen per cent. Thereupoh
claimed that an in
crease of tariff duties was necessary
to equalize their position.
"Imperious Necessities.
THE Act of 1864 followed. Mr..
Morrill, in Introducing il said: i re-
gard it as Only a temporary measure
fit to be introduced because OF the
imperiOuS necessities OF our present
condition. Although our
present tariff in ordinary times would
be likely 10 be denounced as prohibi-
tive. the present bill is Indispensable
to preserve the aggregate or our IN
ternal revenue" There was but little
debate in either house. the members
voicing in the main, though in differ
ent phraeology. the views expressed by
Mr.. Morrill,. The average duty was
thus increased from 31.2 per cent. tun.
der the Act Of 1862 to 41.G per cent.
the highest average duty during the
war.
"Forty-five wears hav" passed away.
but the averag" duty is higher now
by more than three per cent
This is the condition to which We
have come at last. Beginning with a
tariff of S.5 per CEN. in 1883. when
many of our industries were really in.
fantile We have by successive steps
reached a scale of over fifty per cent.
while the industries themselves have
become colossal.
In the beginning it was never sug-
gested that a tariff for the purpose or
socalled prolectiOn-a tax upon the
people for the benefit Of the producer
could under ordinary conditions be
justified either in the domain OF
morals Or of economics. Had any
statesman of that day desired that re-
suit. he would not have dared to give
expression TO his wish. He knew too
we'll the Angle-Saxon's deep-seated
hostility to unjust taxation-to taxa
ton for any purpose other than the
of government. econo-
mically administered. The long and
bitter contest leading to RnnDymede
and its Magma Charta, the triumphs
of Hampden. Of Pym. Of Sydney and
of Russell. the Revolution Of 1868. and
the American RevOlut ion then but just
ended. all involved burning questions
relating to taxation and special priv
lege. In the hour when We were just
emerging from struggle. the begin
ming of which had Witnessed the hurt
ing OF taxed tea into boston Harbor.
he would have been cO1nted mad
man who had seriously proposed the
tariff statute Of today. statute under
which a small minority are permitted
to levy tribute upon the great ma
jority.
Advocated Not on Principle.
Hence the affording in the first
tariff act OF slight protection 10
manufacturers vas advocated by its
promoters not on principle. but as
matter of temporary pxpediency.
Hamilton in his report advocate ed
i. as but a temporary policy which
Should he employed because 1t will
tend to render the United states IN
dependent of foreign nations for mill
tary and other supplies. All OF Ms
advocates. including Henry Clay, plead.
ed for protection for only a short
term.
Now. for the more than forty-fOur
wears that have passed since the war.
tne people have not teen able to Sc
cure relief Attempts have been
made. hu; the end is worse than the
beginning. WIS is this so? he
Cause the protected interests. grown
rich and powerful during the war. en-,
tered politics. as il had been predicted
that obey would, in order 10 hold fast
10 their special privilege to levy ui'
butte. Forty odd years OF success
have crowned their vigilant and inces'
SAINT !afors
In 1867. David A. Wells proposed
. III, tor re.duc;iops in duties on Ger.