Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1844-06-14
POLK ON WOOL AND TIE TARIFF GEN
ERALLY

Dcb. Z,
page $50
POLK ON WOOL AND TIE TARIFF GEN
ERALLY.
Jam II, 1921 Mr. Manry of Vermont reported bill for the
better protection Of wool and wooens, and made elaborate
speech in its support Mr.; Cmbeeng Of n Y (Loofco) i'm
commenced upon the bill Mr. Polk voted AGAINST TIT
bin throughout Deb vol 3, pages 9s5, ooG, 1917 lO2s
Jan 81 1898, Mr. Muary of w. reported the famous Tariff
other branches Of dom site Industry, Mr. FOX went with the
enemies Of the bill and voted AGAINST .Sac vol 4, part
Agi 49, is3o, NJ. Mnllary reported bill to proven. frauds
in the importation of foreign products and enforce the Tariff Of
1925 M Polk voted AGAINST the BILL, slH vol g. par .,
Dec a. $780, Mr. Barringor introduced resolution TO RE
DUCE the duty coarse wool, wOolens ugr &C. mud on
the question of considerations Mr. Polk voted in tic AFFlR
The course of Mr.. Polk since this period is fur
nished ready to our hand, by Mr.. Hardin NJ. c. Of
Illinois, and we avail ourselves of his labors:
ain the session of 1882 Mr.. Polk was
member Of the Committee of Ways and Means,
which reported bill (which did not pass greatly
reducing the duties below those adopted by the
Tariff act of the preceding session. (arf Of 1892
He made n lengthy speech in favor of the proposed
bill, and against the protective system, which will
be found IN Congressional debates, vol 9, pages
1l62 to ll75. AS a specimen Of the views pre-
scented in that speech, will quote few short eX-
tracts:
"'I appears from this Testimony that the duos upon WOOL
lens now fifty cent? may not only be reduced Jg that
CORRESPONDING reduction on the raw material and the ba
fully and fairly collected and that tho manufacturers of coon,
and especially of coaIse co,tons would be able continue their
business prqftabg the reduecd dy If haf per
"' propose establish, by testimony equally entitled
to credit the third proposition, which is, that the
Of the United States were in prosperous condition under the
oct of 1910 end for the eight ereenag between the
incidental protc. tOn.'-Con D5 vol. 0, page ll7O.
"'Iho wool growers consider tho duty upon foreign wool
F0P&%Dr6 %' rES6R Very ' %So Of c
I ore c o sou h@ccnS S
cents and under the pound or The fine saAony WOOL costing
more than dollar ,n pound neither OF which do we ponce'
S. .uy oa9e opinion is Mqt wooL SHOULD BE
DUTY FREES but as wool growers think otherwise, have
Coag Deb. vol. 0, r. ll7l.
"In relation to the Tariff of 1912 we are at no
loss for his opinions Mr.. Polk was u candidate for
Governor in Tennessee in ISl3 lin which race, you
know, he was a second time defeated by large
Majority and during the canvass he permitted no
opportunity to escape him to denounce that Tariff
in the most bitter terms. In response to inquiry
whether he approved of such Tariff as would
give protection to home industry against foreign
industry he answered, as / am informed by gen
tlemen who are perfectly familiar with his views,
given the stump and in his circulars, that he
,cas opposed TO the principle Of protection. His
swer to this and other nterrogatories will be pub
lished as soon as they can be procured from Ten
nessee.
Fortunately, however, | am at no loss for an
authentic document which presents Colonel Folks
views of the Tariff of 1912. | have before me the
Synopsis Of Gov Folks speech to the people of
Madison and the adjoining counties, delivered at
Jackson, on Monday, the Sd of April, 1913 printed
in pamphlet form, and written out for publication
by Gov. Polk From it quote the following cx-
tracts:
' He took other views, briefly presented of the subject
proceeded to the discussion of the protective ar Act passed
by the last Congress- He showed that highly protective
Tariff and not one for reyenue lie showed that by the
per @ n after T% %S @ a
No higher tax than 20 per cent % imposed on any article qte
latter day the present Tariff Law by the Wing Con
gres The Wing Congress laid violent hands the compromise
was clear therefore, that the Tariff Act is not row
out imports, and consequently of and diminish
Judging from the amount of revenue received tho Teas
quarter of 1872 already shown, viii not produce annually
half the amount OF revenue which would nave peen produced
the lower rates of the compromise act had that act been left
uaa.' t,n ,,o,,,.xo. and 90
cut off mportalons. in OTHER WORDS, NE WAS IN FH.
TnE o3aPKoMIsE ACT, WHERE TlE WIG CON
The South and he with them had voted for the act of
1882 because it was reduction of The rates Of the act of 1923
still was the greatest reduction which could be attained at the
my "sTHE difference BETWEEN THE COURSE OF
THE PoLT LII Nn PAnTY I WITH WHICH H SMr Milton
hDSWyoc AII OF OF ps aST AND AGT
TARlFT- RIFF; lI,a;A! WHICH CONSIDER RuINous
II HAVE STEADILY AND AT ALL TIMES OPPOSED
"These extracts conclusively prove the hostility
of Col. Polk to the protective policy which he
siders 'runous to the country, especially TO the
planting States.' That is sufficient argument
with him. He therefore is now for reducing the
duties to the rates under the compromise act where
the Wing Congress found them on the Both June
1922 and Gov. Polk himself shows that 'the tax
on no imported article to exceed twenty per
cent. upon its value after the Both of June 1872.
Then it is clearly seen that he is for HORIZON
tai TARIFF Of twenty per cent. with discrmi-
nations (f any are made) below even that rate.
81 pass by, without comment, the far seeing
statesmanke predictions of Gov. Polk, that the
Tariff of lS42 chad raised the rates of duty SO high
to shut out imports, and consequently to cut of
and diminish. reyenue, The subsequent increase
Of both imports and reuenue under this Tariff have
given such a tulhlment to this prophecy as must
forever immortalize Col Polk as wonderful proph-
ct!
"During the consideration ofthe Tar('of 1912 as
the revenue produced by the 90 per cent duties Of
the compromise act were altogether Inadequate &c
deray the expenses of the Government, PROPOSE
ton made to lay duty on tea and coffee, fol
which number OF the Wings in Congress voted, in
order to increase the revenue and redeem the sink
ing credit of the Government. Col Polk seized
upon this vote to give a castgation to those Wings
who had voted for this proposition. This called
forth a response from the Hon. Milton Brown, Of
Tennessee, and led TO political discussion al
Jackson Tennessee, where Col. Polk delivered the
speech above referred to. He was most triumph.
anty answered by Mr.. nj. Brown, who clearly de-
monstraed that the bill of 1888, reported by the
Committee of Ways and Means, of which Colonel
Polk was a member, land in favor of which he
made the speech first quoted rom,) proposed to i'm
pose duty of twenty per cent on tedand coffee
At the time this proposition was madetea and cof,
fee were entirely free of duty; and another strk
ing fact appears from Col. Folks speech in 1888
that the Government then had six millions Of rev