The Sun.
London, England, 1870-04-25 00:00:00

FREE TRADE IN AMERICA.

Judging from the Free-Trader, of which the April
number has just reached us, the doctrines it advo.
cates are rapidly gaining ground in America. Indeed,
Mr. W. D. KELLEY, of Pennsylvania, the Protec-
tionist champion, likens the spread through the
North to wildfire, adding, "just as secessionist prin-
ciples once over-ran the South." The Protectionist
has been established in NeW York to counteract
more effectually, as it says, " the iecreasing dis-
semination of the pernicious Free-Trade doctrines
of the Free-Trade press of the country, which in-
eludes within its ranks most of the influential jour-
nals of the United States." A leading editor of
one of the Western States, writing on this subject, re-
marks " It looks to me as though the Protectionists
were going to lose pretty much everything in the
West this fall. The avalanche is growing larger
and moving faster than I anticipated." Gene-
ral GARFIELD, in the debate on the Tariff in
the House of Representatives, said if a line were
drawn by the west side of Ohio, along the north
side of Arkansas, there would be nine States, every
one Republican, some overwhelmingly so; yet, if
his calculation was accurate, out of the 57 members
these States had in that House 51 would vote for a re-
duction in the tariff in some shape. There were be-
sides 50 Democrats on the floor, and, though that
was denied, yet two or three leading Democratsthen
proclaimed themselves Free Traders. During that
debate General SCHENCK, after whom the Tariff
Bill was named, and who is an honest, able, and
energetic supporter of Protection, said that many
things in it did not meet with his approval, that he
wished to reduce the duty on coal one-fifth, but he
had been overruled, and he had noticed that every
man who had anything to protect was willing to
have it protected, while ready to raise the cry of
Free Trade with regard to everything else. It is
that selfishness which makes it impossible equitably
to adjust a Protective tariff, and, at the same time,
renders all tariffs based on Protection so uncertain
in operation and duration ; in a word, so change-
able, as to damage business and to scare away capital.
Gen. SCHENCK is a very high-minded man ; one of
those ornaments to an American Assembly that go
far to redeem the corruption of others, for he is a
man like the late Secretary STANTON, who has had
unbounded opportunities for enriching himself, yet
remains poor. Whatever General SCHENCK may
say comes before the country with all the weight
of a reliable honesty ; yet in Ohio, while he is held
up as an example to American legislators, they talk
of electing him "to stay at horre next time." A
writer from the Miami University says that they
returned General SCHENCK not by reason of his
views on the tariff, but in spite of them, knowing
him to be honest, and capable, and faithful, and
hoping that he might imbibe some of the changing
sentiments of the country ; but, being disappointed,
though they would like to retain their old " bull-
dog " Representative, they object to taxing the
whole country to enjoy that luxury. Senator CAT-
TELL presented a memorial to the Chamber on the
sth April, demanding a special examination of cer-
tain cases in contradiction of statements made in
the last Reports of Commissioner WELLS, cha-
racterizing them as a libel upon A
nutacturers and working men ; but Mr. WELLS
appears to hold his own against all assailants.
What gives his side such strength is, that in general
the editors, the professors, and the mass of teachers
favour his views, and actively propagate them.
But, on the other side, the bulk of the people have
a strong leaning towards Protection, and they are
not easily moved when the idea takes root that a
high tariff means high wages, and the exclusion of
what in America is called " the competing pauper
labour of Europe." The Free.7rader leads off in its
articles with " A Word to the President ;" and its
word implies that the august functionary, in a late
Message on the decline of American commerce,
talked nonsense. Too many journals, it says, known
as friendly to the Administration, are unwilling to
speak frankly on such a subject ; and then it asks
the PRESIDENT to accept the blunt but friendlyadvice
to give to the economic questions before the people
the same earnest study he gave some years ago to mi-
litaryproblems, "and thus refrain from insulting the
intelligence of this people by pretending to advise
them on subjects which he has not sufficiently
studied, and which he evidently does not under-
stand 2" Considering the great questions of his.
Administration to be economic ones, the Free-
Trader feels a sense of keen disappointment " on
seeing him, in a grave paper of State, involving re-
commendations of the most serious character, betray
the most perfect ignorance of the siMplest princi-
ples that underlie the very question upon which he
offers_ recommendations to the Congress of the
United States." It is amusing in glancing over the
articles of the Free-Trader to see to what lengths
a dominant idea can carry the person imbued there-
with. Everything wrong is ascribed to the tariff,
every misfortune, every crime, lies at its door. We
honestly believe that the United States is quite able to
step into the ring and compete with any other na-
tion, in a free and fair field, in any production or
industry for which the country is fitted and the
people have a taste. The attempt to handicap the
rest of the world is a mistake, alike useless and un-
generous, for nations cannot legislate against their
neighbours without to a great extent injuring them-
selves ; and with its enormous resources the l nion
ought to be the Free-Trade Champion. General
SCHENCK'S arguments (when he alluded to its mag-
nitude and the vastness of the interests concerned,
as compared with little spots like England and
France) would have come better from the lips of a
Free-Trader. Nevertheless, the United States is
progressing with wonderful speed in material pros-
perity in the hands of the Protectionists ; the manu-
facturing industries are taking root throughout the
land, and it is unfair to the ruling party not to re-
cognise this fact, in whatever way it may be ac-
counted for. "What is it that causes this general
demoralisation among us ?" asks the Free-Trader,
and immediately proceeds to answer this interesting
question by pointing to the tariff :

" The citizen is harassed and ever interfered with, bur-
dened with an exorbitant tariff and with an enormous
taxation, surrounded by official spies, entrapped where no
crime is intended. What wonder that the moral sense of
the people has become blunted ; that no faith is kept with
a Government that keeps none itself, and that to cheat it
is considered no worse than to overreach a brigand who
plunders us of our own ? Who can for many days toge-
ther flatter himself that he understands tho laws of his
country ? What is legitimate to-day is declared to be
criminal_ to-morrow and what may be, palely done to-