Show 1J j Ai REVIEW t 154 Somp of the Jlepublican newspapers and speakers haT o tho hardihood to speak of theOtetiVion > principle as illustiated in prohibitive tariffs as anold doctrine of the Republican party whereas it is an innovation innova-tion f tho past few years It had no part nor lot In the creed of Republican party priorto the convention of 1SSS which nominated nom-inated BEJWAMIX HAUKISON It never had any practical application until the passage of the McKiXLET bill Tariffs thene had been but all were ostensibly for revenue Incidental protection was finally engrafted I on this but as a modern expedient DAXIEL WJIBSTEU denounced the idea of i tariff prohibition as early as 1823 HENRY CLAY favored such incidental temporary protection as a revenue tariff would afford but ho had no idea of it ever being perpot ual All the leaders of the Whig and Democratic Dem-ocratic parties were equally guiltless of the Idea of permanent or prohibitive protection protec-tion And so of the platforms of the Rep Re-p after the death of the Whig organization Protection was not oven hinted at In 1S5G In I860 when LINCOLN was nominated there was an expression favoring such an adjustment of government duties s would encourage industry The Republican platforms of 1E64 and ISIS said i not a word about tariff In 1S76 and 1SSO the resolutions favored revenue duties so levied as to discriminate In favor I of American labor but were silent about protection The platform of 1SS4 on which i BLAfxp was nominated used tho word I I protection but referred to incidental I protection only It was not till the year I I 18SS that the Republican party demanded dutiea evled for the purpose of protecting American industries and without reference refer-ence to revenues President LTNCOLX President GUVST President QAHIELD and President AUTHOR all favored a reduction of the war tariff as did Senators SIIEKMAX LOGAN ALLISON and others President AUTHUB appointed a commission to revise and reduce the tariff which recommended an average reduction re-duction of not IQSS than 20 per cent President Presi-dent GAnriELD twentytwo years ago said duties should not be so high as to drive out foreign manufactures and enable home manufacturers to enjoy a monopoly of trade and regulate tha prices as they pleased Such was the ruling Republican faith of representative leaaers up to a few years ago In a speech in Chicago McKINLEY the same who afterwards reported the act now in force first broached the doctrine of protection with incidental revenue thus reversing that which had before prevailed and today it is tho written law of the high tariff win of the Renudlican party There never was any popular demand for it but on the contrary throughout through-out the west the agitation of the subject was viewed with unconcealed alarm The country had been promised a reduction instead in-stead of an increase in the tariff and they felt that this was a scheme to take something some-thing away from them and transfer it to the monopolists as a bribe for their material mater-ial indispensable support at the polls As soon as Congress met after the manufacturers manu-facturers had put prohibitive protection into the partys platform the lobbies were besieged by the monopolists and their agents And then began the work first of strengthening a weak and precarious majority ma-jority by routing Democrats and filling their places with Republicans who were elected and then of stifling the freedom of speech of the minority The McKINLEY bill was then brought in It covered 200 printed pages raising the duties on more than seven hundred articles of use and necessity Yet when onefifth of the bill had been read and debated further discussion dis-cussion was arbitrarily cut off and the act railroaded through By similar methods it passed the Senate to go to a conference committeeand through such means was this unrepublicaa nonAmerican measure foisted upon the people And are we to be told that Republicans should feel bound partytles to follow tho behests of the monopolists and bind themselves to this tyrannical innovation |