Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1916-02-04

biased Judgment" and also that
"such state of mind has caused Mr..
Doubleday to pervert the facts of
history" To doubt the omniscience
of Republicans and the benefcence
of their basic ideas on government
which ideas have been repeatedly dis
credited by results throughout the
world, lis a perverted view and a
biased Judgment" Such is the su-
preme arrogance of the Republican
concept. To lean to the idea that
compliance with the law of free ex-
change. God-given and natural law,
will be more profitable for all the
people than reliance upon some man
tinkered scheme of favoritism, that,
my friends, is "a perverted view and
a biased judgment" from the Repub-
lican standpoint. AS for perverting
"the facts Of history" the article to
which the Journal attempts reply
was almost exclusively mere pre-
sentation of facts of history which
are indisputable and which remain
undisputed. But because those facts
reflect sadly upon Republicanism and
the consistency of Republicans, there
fore they must be pervertions, &C
cording to the Republican idea.
OF course the hoary old contention
that the country has enjoyed pros
perity-even if lopsided-and we
have had a protective tariff at the
same time, is trotted out, to prove
that protective tariffs are therefore
wonderful and beneficent devices.
Such is the circumscribed apprehen-
sion of the partisan mind fallen into
the one-idea habit. We have had a
sort of prosperity and we have had
a protective tariff, but to say that the
former has been result of the lat
ter is as absurd as it is to say that
we have had music because we have
had mosquitoes. Ninety-seven and
a half per cent of the business of the
country is and has always been free
from any tariff imposts whatever,
and only half of the other two and
half per cent has been burdened with
tariff duties. In other words, 9S%
per cent of the total business of the
country has always been upon an alb
solutely free trade basis, so far as
any tariff duties 60. but such is the
AFFECT worship Of the protective
tariff fetch by our Republican
friends that they really think that
the measure of prosperity that the
country has had during its history is
all to be credited to the tariff duties
that are mixed up with that other
one and a quarter per cent of our
total business. They shut their eyes
to the fact that the most generally
prosperous period of the country's
history was during the time of the
Walker tariff of years ago which was
the nearest approach to free trade in
foreign commerce that we have ever
had. They shut their eyes to the
fact that II protective tariffs are good
and benencent things for the people
as whole, the people of China, and
of Russia, and Italy. and Of other
countries. all blessed with protective
tariffs, ought to be uniformly we'll
TODD instead of being reduced to the
conditions of beggary that we find
them in. Germany 1t ia true has had
measure Of prosperity and Germany
has a protective tariff. but the states
now comprising the German empire
never enjoyed the slightest resem-
blance to prosperity until their ANAL
gamation and the abolition Of the
tariff laws that had previously stood
between them. Our Republican
friends should either concede the
error Of their position or venture a
little attempt at explanation Of these
things and others before going fur
Their in their ridiculous denuncia-
lions Of the Democrats for daring to
trim the sacred tariff.
The journal, with delightful as
sumption Of unsophistication, thinks
1t quite like folly to hold that the
vast. combined, specially privileged
interests of the country which Re-
publicanism has fostered. would or
do repress trade or resort to other
forms of coercion to discredit De-
mocracy, to affect legislation, or for
other selfish purposes. II the Jour-
nal really believes this. it has missed
a vast deal in Illuminating experience
and observation. I may say that I