Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-08-19

or lSNeS on Importation DE laiu TO pro-
n0te or foster any branch ef industry.
and all duties shall be uniform through
out the Confederate States
That IL part of the first article of the
Constitution of the Confederate States,
just as the first quotation is from the
first article Of the confession of faith
of The Democratic party in 1912. Notice
any significance?
We are often reminded by the DEM
ocratic leaders of their great faith in
the principles and teaching of the
Fathers of our Country / have be
fore me a big, fat voumn entitled;
Tariff Acts passed by the Congresses
of the United States from 1889 to 1909"
Let me copy from the very first Section
of the first Act in that volume:
Sec. LIST. Whereas it is necessary for
the support of government, for the dis
charge of the debts of the United
States, and the encouragement and
protection of manufacturers. that du-
ties be laid on goods, wares and mer-
chandise imported"
That is the preamble to the first tar
iff law passed by the Congress of the
United States in 1899 and was signed
by President Washington, July 4th of
THAT year and has been called our Sec
ono Declaration of Independence, for
under it we began to assume our indie
pendence from the manufacturing i'm
dustries of foreign nations. President
Washington did not hesitate to sign
tariff law, one of the declarations of
which was the encouragement and
protection of manufactures" And it
was not a set of Missionaries that made
this declaration, for we find among
them the names of John Adams, Fisher
Ames, Robert Morris, Roger sherman,
James Monroe, James Madison, Charles
Carroll and Rufus King-Fathers of
the Republic and builders of the Con-
stitution under which we live.
The policy inaugurated by these
men has been pursued by the govern
ment down to the present time.
1t is we'll known how South Carolina
endeavored to nullify the tariff acts of
1925 and 1882 and how President Jack
son put quietus on the matter ana
regretted that he did not hang the
leader in the movement, John C. Cali
houn. Even the Democratic platforms
of 1868 and 1884 and 1883 declared for
tariff to protect American labor and
t.fIerican wages. Now Mr.. Wilson has
written much and on many subjects.
In Woodrow Wilson's Constitutional
Government of the United States
published three years ago. he discusses,
on page f75, this notification question
thus: The opponents of the tariff of
1874 objected to the tariff system which
Congress was SO rapidly building UP
that it went much beyond the simple
and quite legitimate and constitutional
object of providing the Federal Gov
eminent with revenue in such a way as
to stimulate. without too much dis
turbing. the natural development of
the industries of the country and was
Enthusiastically intended to guide and
determine the whole trend of the Ma
tons economic evolutionss
Mr.. Wilson sums up the matter thus:
Congress persisted in its course. Null
LITIGATION failed, as even so much as an
effectual protest against the power of
the government of which Gen. jackson
was at the head. never so sure he was
right as when he was opposed, and a
critical matter of Importance was de-
cided The Federal Government was
economic opportunities of the States. 1t
economic opportunities of the States. 1t
was suffered to become a general prov
idence, to which each part of the coun-
try must look for its chance to make
lucrative use of its material resources"
So we see that no longer than three
Years ago Mr.. Wilson says: 1T was
decided that our government has the
power and. the right to promulgate the
protective policy through its revenue
measures. Ard now Mr.. Wilson stands
or platform built especially for him.
which declares that: THE Federal
Government has no power or right" to
do any thing of the kind. We did think
that each power of the Government
was decided during the late unpleas-
antness" in the sixties.
w IISci ct says w
son should repudiate the tariff plank of
the platform. That such a policy as it
advocates would be disastrous to the
wage Garner and the Industries of the
Nation; that neithef the tariff nor the
Republican party are responsible for
the high cost of living; that the com
plant is world wide, and as the Re-
publican party is not to blame for SIM
liar conditions in England, France of
Germany, so it is not to blame for
those in this country; that the causes
are many and far-reaching, and are
not political but economic.
The Republican party has no apollo
gies to make for its consistent adher-
ence TO the protection policy. Under it
this Nation has advanced in prosper
ity far beyond any of her rivals. Under
the incentive of high wages our labor
ers have reached status easily, men
tally and materially far in advance OF
those of any other nation. and by the
genius and skill of our artisans our
people are supplied with a class Of
goods and products far superior and
relatively cheaper than those used by