Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1843-11-17


ooo0oO. while the Government wants would not exceed
81 Zoo 600, including the payments for The public
debt In view OF this state OF the finances Of the
try the President strongly recommended the reduction
OF the Tariff, so as to accommodate The burhens IN
posed by il on the people, the necessary expenses Of
The Government. In this recommendation, MIR Me-
Lean, the then Secretary of the Treasury, united and
recommended that the reduction should extend 10
nearly $00o0,00O. The anti. Tariff party in Con-
gress disopProved the recommendations of the Secre-
ary, and throughout maintained that there ought be
reduction OF at least Sl20O0,000. The bill of 1882
finally passed, and the reduction made by H. fell shor,
OF Mr. Mclean accommodation by nearly So 000090
leaving the Government with an admitted surplus of
revenue over It's necessities, OF than 900 600
and to this extent, taxing the country for revenue
hut acknowledgedy for protection Much as the act of
1852 conceded, tar as the OF reduced,
IT retained al! the vice and odiousnass OF PrOcetiec
IdTV. But The country was III degree indebted to
alr. Clay for the reduction and modification, even
this poor extent, of the tariff of 1898 by that Of 1892
On the 10th of January, 1882, Mr.. Clay offered The
following resolution:
"Resol1ed, That the existing duties upon articles
imported from foreign countries, and coming into
competition with similar articles made or produced
within the United States, ought TO be forthwith a6o.
iished, except the duties wines and silks and tina
they ought TO be reduced"
Here is MIR. Clays first "e6ort,' after his "reurn
to Congress in 1884, to modify and reduce the duties
| contained in the act of 1928 The rejecting reader
will at once that this resolution retains every thing
odlous in the act of 1923 1t ,enacously holds
lis ultra protective features, and proposes to retain
them und'mnished and unreaxed, by the new law
proposed to be passed Ga the Eth Of January, 1892
Nlr. flayne of South Carolina proposed, amend
ment, the following: After the word "countres, he
moved TO strike out oil of Mr.. Clays resolution and
TO insert be reduced that the amount of the public
revenue shall be sufficient to defray the expenses of Go
vernmen. according to the present scale, after the
payment OF the public debt; ard that allowing reason
ADf-k TpSo Ia psPu
high duties on the articles coming into compe-
tition with similar articles made produced within
the United States, the duties he ultimately equaized,
so that the duty article shall, compared with
the value OF that article, vary materially from the se
neral average Thus by the proposition Of Mr. Clay,
and the amendment moved thereto by Mr. Hayne, The
issue vas directly made, whether there should be Sra
dual and pro rata reduction and modification of the
high duties imposed by the act Of S2S, whether Inc
reduction proposed by MIR Clay, should be confined
to the "ar,cles imported from foreign countries and no;
coming into competition ith similar articles made or
produced within the United States" The high pro
tecl've tariff advocates, were arrayed agains, those
seeking gradual, safe, and easy reduction of the du
ties; and the debate in the Senate conducted on
these grounds 1t terminated the Goth of March,
1852, by the rejection Of AR Haynes amendment; the
Tote being ayes eighteen and noes twenty three-Mr.
Clay voting no. Two da, afterwards, Mr. King, Of
Alabama. moved the indefinite posponement of the
resolution Of Mr. Clay This motion also fued, by 4
vote of IL to 3D. Mr.. Clay voting with the ma orty.
bill was sent from the House of Representatives. IL
the Senate, greatly reducing The Tariff rates OF lS25
This bill greatly amended in the Senate and fol-
lowed out substantially, and in the MAN, the resolution
offered by Mr. Clay, the 10Th of January, 1882 IL
was returned to the lonse, where many of the amend
ments OF the Senate disagreed to. The Senate
insisted on its amendments, and the result corr
mltee of conference. That committee reported on
The l2;h o! July, 1852, the agreement at which they
had arrived. This report Mr. Clay most bitterly OPP
posed few examples will show the nature and
extent Of this opposition The House bill proposed
duty OF nifty per cent on coarse wooens. The Senate
had amended by increasing the duty TO % per cent
MIR. Clay voted TO retain the high Duty and against
the reduction TO 90 per cent The House bill reduced
the duty cotton basging TO 81 cents per square
yard, the Senate amendment increased it to cents
Mr.. Clay voted ogans. the recommendation Of til
Committee of Conference 10 reduce the duty to Sc
The House fixed the duty on sugar at 81 cent
per pound; the Senate increased it to cents and Mr.
Clay voted against the reduction recommended by the
Conference Committee TO u cents. On all these va
rious questions Mr.. Clay voted in minority. The
ultra Tariff men deserted him, and could not, with
farness and justice, go TO the extremity to which he
s,rove to carry them These ere but some examples
of the votes of Mr. Clay. Let any look through
the other votes of this gentleman and they wall be
found sustaining every feature Of the high protective
Tariff OF 1873, the other great staples of iron and
cotton goods Whatever then;of relief was given, by
the act of 1889, TO the country, surely cannot be
tributed TO Mr.. Clay. Had his opinions prevail
ed, that bill would have been lost, and the odious
| Tariff of lo25 have continued 10 cypress and dis
tract the country. IL is most empty and shame
less effort, give Mr. Clay any, the lcas. claim of
merit, tor the poor and insufficient reductions in the
duties effected by the act of lo32-an act OF which, in
his letter 10 DR.. Bronson, he would appear to speak
now in terms of ommendation-5u,, to the
OF which, he gave his untirng opposition and express
ed at the time the bittcrest hostility The next move
made by Mr.. Clay, this dstracting question, WAS
the Compromise Bill of 1888 In July, 1882, Mr. Clay
was strennonsy opposed to Mr.. Haynes proposition,
for uniform and gradual reduction Of the duties, and
tue adoption OF uniform Of ad palorem duty
In January, 1888, he becomes the ardent and jealous
supporter OF the principle OF r. Haynes proposition,
and, upon it, is based the Compromise Act Itself
act Of peace TO our beloved country-and one nr the
enactment OF which, all felt grateful 10 Mr. Clay.
That act provided for the gradual reduction of the d
Ties, and to admit many things free of duty but 10
bring down the dutiable articles in nine years 10
twenty cent nd raorem, and abandoned the odlous
and unjust Discriminating principle To the Free
Trade man, this act was alone Objectionable, in ad
hitting any thing free of some duty. Yet, by adopt.
ing home Valuation and cash payments, and reducing
so low the duties, all became reconciled 10 the other
imperiections ofthe Against every fort made
TO shake this law in its main features details, Mr.
Clay from its enactment, until 1871, ably hostile
In all his public speeches, and especially during the
| canvass of 1910, he maintained the invIoaby and
justice Of this great measure of his life AS soon,
however, as his party got into power, he aban-
doned this, the brightest pillar in the temple of
his fame, and returned TO his old and views
of a Tariff for protection. lie in this very
letter to DR.. Bronson says of the Tariff act Of 1872
"the provisions in The main wise and proper" If
this be true surely all The features Of the Compromise
act of 1883, for which Mr.. Clay and his friends for
hun, have claimed such high praise, the most un.
wise and improper that any statesman ever placed
the statute book. Taking this sketch Of Mr. Clay IS
past and present opinions-lookng TO his recent con
Trajectory and moons sent declarations, contained
very short letter. and who predict what the coun.
try is to expect from him this great financial ques-
ton, if he shall succeed to the Presidency Are not
his public acts, his public declarations his public argu
ments, at with the last Delphic oracle coming from
Ashland? Let the honest Of the Wing party, nume-
rous and highly gifted with all that constitute them
liberal and enlightened party, look to the movements
OF their leader, before they trust him further.
L. NJ. ~
TO THE EDITORS OF TIE ENQUIRER
Tie Mission 10 Consantiaople again,
In the Enquirer of November end, which | hav.