1893 Grover Cleveland - Tariff Reforms

In 1892, Grover Cleveland and the Democrats ran a campaign mainly on economic issues.  Cleveland himself ran on a platform of lowering tariffs as defined in the Democratic platform of 1892:

"We denounce Republican protection as a fraud, a robbery of the great majority of the American people for the benefit of the few. We declare it to be a fundamental principle of the Democratic party that the Federal Government has no constitutional power to impose and collect tariff duties, except for the purpose of revenue only, and we demand that the collection of such taxes shall be limited to the necessities of the Government when honestly and economically administered."

Cleveland won the election and saw it as a mandate for tariff reform.  His first order of duty was to get the Wilson-Gormon Tariff act passed, which congress did in August of 1894.  Unfortunately, this turned out to be a big embarrassment for Cleveland. The bill was so loaded with special special-interest protection that it barely made a dent in the existing McKinley tariff rates. It also included the first ever peace-time income taxes. 2 percent on incomes over $4,000. Depicted here, it added more economic weight on the American Industry than it lifted.

Reading the wishy-washy words of Cleveland in his 1893 address to congress, it's no wonder he got the results that he did.

"After a hard struggle tariff reform is directly before us.... While we should staunchly adhere to the principle that only the necessity of revenue justifies the imposition of tariff duties and other Federal taxation and that they should be limited by strict economy, we can not close our eyes to the fact that conditions have grown up among us which in justice and fairness call for discriminating care in the distribution of such duties and taxation as the emergencies of our Government actually demand.

Manifestly if we are to aid the people directly through tariff reform, one of its most obvious features should be a reduction in present tariff charges upon the necessaries of life. The benefits of such a reduction would be palpable and substantial, seen and felt by thousands who would be better fed and better clothed and better sheltered. These gifts should be the willing benefactions of a Government whose highest function is the promotion of the welfare of the people.  Not less closely related to our people's prosperity and well-being is the removal of restrictions upon the importation of the raw materials necessary to our manufactures. "

In the end, President Grover Cleveland was devastated that his program had been ruined.  He denounced the revised measure as a disgraceful product of "party perfidy and party dishonor," but still allowed it to become law without his signature, believing that it was better than nothing and was at the least an improvement over the McKinley tariff.


http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=29534
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=29585;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilson%E2%80%93Gorman_Tariff_Act
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http://authentichistory.com/1865-1897/3-gilded/6-cleveland2/18950909_The_Right_Kind_of_Relief-Victor.jpg

Cleveland's second term

Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th President of the United States; and, therefore was the only US president to serve two terms not in a row (1885–1889 and 1893–1897) and to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents.