[Non-Sequitur]

DiLorenzio may have an anti-Lincoln bias, but if he said the sky was blue I wouldn't argue.

An anti-Lincoln bias and a history of deliberate falsehood and/or sloppy research. If DiLorenzo said that the sun rose in the east and set in the west I would double-check him.

[Gianni]

Right, this whole sidebar with DiLorenzio's credibility is moot, we're on a tangent.

The question at hand is whether or not the government was abusive of its tarrif power. A quick look at the Constitution might help:

The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

Does protectionism fit into one of those categories?