The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1913-04-25
A HELPLESS NATION

find ourselves unable to compete in
any line of production, either of field
or shop, with any of the effete ma
tions in either hemisphere.
With our marvellous inventive tai
ent. with our skilled artisans, with
our most approved machinery, with
the raw material, iron and coal in
combination, we cannot manufacture
steel rails, agricultural implements.
or any OF the output of iron and steel,
in competition wit, any of the nations
OF Europe.
In the manufacture of wooden and
cotton goods the same arguments are
advanced.
in the manu-. cture of leather
goods and wooden and willow ware
we are confronted with the same style
of arguments and the same story of
despair.
We have been fed SO long on the
nursery bottle of protection that We
have been made to feel that We can
not stand alone, and are afraid to
meet the world in a fair, free and
open fight
In Florida the spectre so overshad-
ows us, and we are so badly fright
ened. that we can scarcely move hand
or foot. and our senators and repre-
sentatives are appealed to to make an
exception in the matter of protection
on Florida oranges, and if the appeal
received a favorable answer it would
upset the democratic contention of the
century of its existence.
In this connection we cannot help
hereto an extract from
Senator Nat P Bryans admirable let
ter. recently made public:
1T has always been a cardinal
of the democratic party that
tariffs should be levied for revenue
only. The tariff has been and re-
mains the supreme test by which
men have been known as members
of one party or the other. Democrats
say it is wrong to use the taxing pow
er to advance the interests of any
class or section. Florida is democrat
is. and has endorsed, among other
things. the position taken. by the dem
Dcratic party upon the tariff question
4 very simple method Of ascertaining
whether a person believes in a prin-
ciple is whether he will shrink from
having it applied to himself We
ought not to be willing to apply a
principle of government to other in
iustries or sections and then refuse
10 be bound by it ourselves. If we do
This on the tariff wherein do we differ
from the republicans in this most vi
al of all questions which control men
in their party allegiance? One of the
vices of the system of protective tar
III has been that one industry Will
support another in return for protec-
ton for itself Under such a system
those industries which do not make
trades of this character are left I'M
protected, while those which do make
the trade a success in securing pro-
lection. That this statement is true
is illustrated by your telegram, in
which you state that Louisiana (mean-
ing thereby, l assume, some organl-
cation OF business men who undertake
TO speak for that state) has notified
YOU that the senators from that state
will help Florida on the citrus sched-
ule of the tariff if the Florida senators
will help Louisiana on sugar. Then
YOU request me 10 consult with the
senator's from both Louisiana and
Mississippi to find out if such an al
lance can be made. l cannot do this.
| very much doubt if anyone has
been authorized by the senators from
I louisiana to make such proposition.
But suppose the alliance you speak OF
could be made. If it were my duty to
do this. would it not be equally my
duty to make similar alliances with
any other senators, and agree to sup
port protective tariff schedules in
which their states would be interest
ed. in return for their support for
such a tariff on citrus fruits as you de-
sire? Does not such a plan as out
lined inevitably lead to a tariff made
up of trades? And can anybody ex-
pect Justice or fair treatment to the
whole country under such a plan? II
the protection of the government
were equally distributed under such
system would it not be more than
mere accident? We must have some
guide by which to levy duties, and l
believe the only safe guide is TO levy
them as authorized by the constltu-
ton Of the United States. We levy du-
ties TO pay taxes. to defray the ex-
penses of government, and If in the
levying of them we forget the object