The Washington herald., 1914-03-29
THE OPEN FORUM.
Herald Readers Express Their View,
on Current Topics.

To the Editor: do not want to be
considered as Questioning any mans
patrlousm or honesty Of conviction, and
particularly any Democratic member OF
congress who is In favor Of maintain
ing the law OF free tolls to American
aside from the fact that This I.w 10
clear violation Of our treaty with Great
Britain, II Is a clear violation of Demo-
cratic principles touching protectIon and
SUBSIDIES ior argue as We may back and
MI as many Democratic members OF
congress and many alleged Democratic
newspapers are doing. this free tolls
Las' passeo oy Republican Congress
ana in opposition to a majority Of Demo
cratic Congressman at the time m i,s
passage. Is ship subsidy law nassad
uhder the false pretence Of building I'm
American shipping. How can II buiId
up our coastwise shipping interest7 II
already mas an absolute monopoIy NJ all
our coast"lse trade, and has had for
more man a hundred years. Then how
can II build II up? And why sbouId IL
be built up out OF the pockets of other
people?
why should the whole American peonIs
be taxed TO build this canal. and tbsr e..
all the rest of the American peopIa TO-
using II, and at the same time aIroyy
American ships to haul freight and mas
sehgers through It free Of charge. while
taxing everybody else in America not
TO speak OF all the rest Of the wo-Ids
why. in other words. should all the neo-
pie or America be taxed TO raise tba
money or provide for its payment. and
with that same money, indirectly ev
pended. hire these American ships TO con-
duct their own business? To me as
Democrat. the idea is abhorrent. and
violates every principle Of Democrar-,
nrnf arf Inn,
not surprised that Republicans in Cor
gress and out Of it should be in favor
| OF This free tolls law. for they are in
taNor OF protection and subsidies and
hehce are perfectly consistent in main
tanning this protection ship subsidy law
see II stated that those who allowed
'IeVeland to mislead them or coerce them
| ihto voting to repeal the silver purchas.
ing law were after relegated 10 priya,.
HE by an offended Democratic Marty
constituency, and that those who held our
hsaihst MIN were continued in pub,
me and II Is argued therefron, that
those who now go with Wilson in hi,
enorts to get this free tolls law re-
pealed viii be slaughtered by an Of
ehded Democrstic constituency. while
\ 'hose who oppose him will be exalted in
the councils OF their party hereafter
| Those who thus argue forget that C1eva-
land was wrong in seeking 10 have tba
sherman silver purchasing law repeale ed,
ana so thought their Democratl. con-
! Isutuency-that h, ran counter 10 The
/ opinions Of about seven or e!sht-teDtn,
OF the Democratic voters Of this country:
while in this matter OF free tolls to Amer
ican shipping Wilson is cIearlv-unmis-
| takably and econOmi, ally right. al least
rom a Democrats standpoint, and that.
IN tact Few real Democratic newspapers.
ana that have been in the habit of ad-
'"cating sound Democratic principles.
are really opposed to President Wilson
IN this matter. ! know that by some
means this undemocratic principle ~
protection and ship subsidy Crcpt into the
baltimore platform. but it should never
nave been in that platform. for il a
not IN accordance with Democratic prin
ciples and no Democrat should be re-
CURED to subscribe to II now.
My opinion. humble though il NAV he
is that those Democrats in Cungre.s
or at least a good many Of them Will =,
opposing Wilson in this matter now. sr.r
Ter the tate Of many Democrats in Cow
Eress VII" followed Cleveland in the 20
peal OF the John Sherman law in 1Es
| r