Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1843-09-05


lsmanc influence which swelled the tide il
favor OF General Harrison in 1910, was III,
song-singing, coon skins, hard cider, and
display OF emblems and devices which were
devoid of any principle of intrinsic worth
That the tide which carried General Harrso,
into power was but an cbulition of feeling
f instigatcd by excitement attendant on til,
occasion, is plainly seen from the result O
the elections i'll the several states in the fol
; lowing year. The people having returned
TO their wonted camncss and second sobe
thought, in not single state in the Union
were the wing maorites of 1910 maintained
IN the elections of 1871
The first great principle of the whig party
set forth in the address is the policy of a
protective tariff This is declared to be the
foremost and leading measure of the party.
and the old common place argument in favor
of making the channels of trade. subscryicnt
to the will and caprice of legislation are ella
boratcly stated. The policy of protective
tariff TO many is made TO appear extremely
speclous IN theory, but unfortunately the prac-
teal results of Il high tariff, arc proven from
the commercial statistics of the country to he
widely different from those which would seem
to follow from the argume hts of theoretical
tariff men. Practical demonstrations are
worth world of wing speculative tariff the
ores. Let any one examine the statistics
of exports and imports under the operation
OF the different tariff cnacmcnts since the
organization of our government, and he can
but be satisfied with the flllacy of modern
tariff arguments.
But so far as regards tariff for the cncou-
ragemem OF domestic industry, how is it pos
s'ble that protective tariff can benefit the
people ofWisconsin? The staple productions
OF Wisconsin, as well as of most of the wcs-
tern states are those ofagrculture. Can the
farmers of the west be made to believe that
1t Is iorthcr interest to be taxed for. almost
every article ofmerchandise they arc obliged
to purchase? And does not a tariff impose
an indirect taXupon every consumer of good;
brought here from our eastern cities? And
whlr our farmers are obliged to pay this in
direct tax, what possible equivalent can thew
derive from tariff restrictions? Does if cu-
nance the demand for their wheat and Gour2
The wings tell Us that by the operations of
the tariff home market will be created for
western produce among the manufactures of
our own country; great market this, for the
enjoyment of which the farmer of Wisconsin
is forced TO pay bonus on every dollar of
merchandise. a single county in Wiscon-
sin, Illinois, or Indiana possesses the natural
capabilities for supplying nearly. if not quite
all the manufacturers in Now England with
bread stuls. I'm whatever view a tariff can
be presented, the agricultural interests of
the west must suffer injury from its enforce
mcnt.
But let us hear Ike reasoning of the whg
address: ''lf one nation lcvics tariff upon
the goods imported from ncighboring coun-
try lis ncighbor trading with it must levy an
equal tariff upon goods received from the
former" Again: ''lf one of two nations fra
ding with each other, cnacts prohbitory du-
ties upon any article in their trade, it must
be m@f with prohibitory duties by the othcr.''
Does asy sane man believe that the adoption
of such rctalatory principles, would ever
make Us prosperous people? If the nations
OF Europe will persist in crippling the cncr
gics of trade, and in reducing the labournr
classes to beggary and want. shall VIC follow
their example? Look at the prohibitory la
riffs of the British government are not the
people of England at this very hour suffer
ing numbcrlcss privations. and borne down
with wretchcdness and poverty; and is not
one prolific cause of all this misery found in
an introductory tariff, the corn laws) by which
bread is withheld from starving nation?
Yet according to the doctrines laid down in
the wing address, the government Of the
United States ought to resort to cquai ca
trcmcs in prohibiting foreign products. If
England is determined TO tranmel her trade
and Cypress her population shall we follow
her example? Justice forbid it Our policy
should never be regulated by the narrow po-
| licys which govern and enslavc the people
of Europe.
The next thing brought TO view is the Gre
dit system--a system says the writer of the
address, 9 rendering the faith of individuals
and communities, like the virtue of Caesars
wife, spotless above suspicion" As the
writer has not favored the public with the de-
tails of plan which will produce such SUI
perlative state of felicity in our credit sys-
TEN, we cannot of course speak of the merits
of his theory.
The next principle introduced is, - cur
rency mixed in It's character" which is to be
so nicely balanced and wisely arranged that