The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1911-09-01
Leading Democratic Newspa-
per of South Objects to
Free Trade Action.

4
The Columbia. s. G., Daily Record.
in a recent issue. had the following
to say about the political situation
in the solid South;
1T is paradoxical but this pros
pect of a Democrats victory holds
out the surest promise of abandon
ment of the one-party government
in the southern states. Since re-
reconstruction there have been numer-
Gus attempts to establish, upon one
basis or another, a respectable Re
\ publican party in the South, but all
OF these have failed. If the effort is
to succeed it will come about, as it
should come. as the result of differ
ences of opinion upon an economic
question.
"The situation which leads US to
this conclusion is revealed by the
respective positions taken by the
southern cotton manufacturers on
the one hand and the southern Dem
Gratis in Congress on the other with
regard to the revision of the cotton
schedule The American Cotton
Manufacturers Association, which is
the organization of southern cotton
mill presidents. at it's convention in
Charlotte last May appointed a.
standing committee to represent the
association in all matters respecting
the tariff and other legislation. and
this committee in carrying out the
purpose of its appointment sought
to secure a hearing before the ways
and means committee OF the House.
and failing in this the committee
presented to Chairman Underwood
statements of it's case IN the form
of three bulletins which have been
printed and widely circulated. The
committee. and consequently the
southern cotton manufacturers, OPT
pose a reduction of the tariff duties
on cotton goods. Necessarily the
arguments presented by the cotton
manufacturers rest upon the doc
trine of protection to domestic in
dustries, and this is Just as neces-
sarily a Republican doctrine The
Democratic doctrine is a tariff fori
revenue only, without regard to pro-
lection, either incidental or primary. |
The ways and means committee did
not disregard the arguments of the
cotton manufacturers committee, a.
we understand it, but the ways and
means committee did not give the
manufacturers a hearing, since it +,
was considered that the very recent /
hearings on the whole tariff ques-
ton prior to the formation of the
Payne-AIdrich bill afforded the ways
and means committee all the neces-
sary information for framing
Democratic bill. but the ways and
means committee has disregarded
the theory upon which the position |
of the manufacturers rest. The
ways and means committee, the
chairman of which IS n southern
man, has not permitted the sectional
considerations to control it's de-
cisions in regard to the tariff. !
Therein lies the genesis of re-
spectacle Republican party in the
South.
'fFor il the southern cotton mills
are to have protection the Demo-
cratic party, through Chairman
Underwood, has served notice upon
them that protection cannot be ex-
pected from the Democratic party.
So far as the tariff is concerned, the
southern cotton manufacturers, who
honestly, if .seIfshly. believe in the
doctrine of a protective tariff, must
become Republicans. AS we UNDER
stand it, there are southern cotton
manufacturers who do not believe
in this doctrine, but the records
show what at this time their organi-
cation is committed to that policy
That they should accordingly take
the leadership in the formation of a.
Republican party, respectable as to-