The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-10-06
THE TARIFF.

Tho organs of the free-trade democracy are in &C.
siaeies at the defeat Of The whig candidates in Mary
land and the organ OF the administration halls the
in strains which must be highly cdying to the tariff
democracy Of Pennsylvania The government paper pro.
the 81 Mss anal We
cred champions Of whigery and Of the tariff Of s42" and
sions which natural to the temperament Of southern
exungly predicts that this defeat OF the wings in
the tariff Of lsaan This is possible; shall But we
incline to think that the benefits which Maryland com.
will be continued to her in spite Of her efforts
throw it. We are not surprised at the tone Of the official
father TO the thought is in keeping with the doctrines
hostility TO the protective system which il has main
site doctrines should have suffered themselves
uded by the cant and party into the suicidal
endangerng policy which hey know and feel has duspd
health activity and vgor through vein and artery
the body polite and into the industry and prosperity of the
TINS mornings National Intelligence.
We thank the "National Intelligencer" for pa-
cling us in our true position. II does us no more
than justice. Our present course is Sin keeping
with the doctrines Of hostility to the protective sys-
tenn, which we have maintained, certainly for
thirty years. short time previous to those thirty
years, only apparently deviaed from this doctrine
for the short perodwhen the aggessions foreign
tons upon our rights and our commerce compelled us
to resort TO defensive measures-frst to commercial
restrictions, and then to open war. We then were
willing to throw ourselves principally upon
our own manufacturing resources, as the gov
eminent and the country did But the mo-
ment this pressure removed, the true prnci-
pies Of political economy returned and for thirty
years have stood up in behalf of those principles.
But whilst the "National Inteligencerr does Justice
to our position, it does injustice to our friends and
our party; and, still more, it does injustice to
the cause Of truth, by exaggerating the benefits
which it ascribes to the tariff of 1842 and the mis-
chiefs which might result from change Of policy.
1t is wonderful, indeed, that any man who pro-
fesscs to be statesman, that the wing convention of
Massachusetts,, that Mr.. Kennedy that the National
Tntelligencer," or any Of the wings, should blindly
pin their faith to the tariff of l842. The very ERIN is
Synonymous with abuses and oppression. Who
does not recollect the history of that law-under
what circumstances it was passed, forbidding the
best selection of means, and the wisest arrange
ment of lis details-forced upon Congress in the
last hours Of an expiring session, by the necessities
of an exhausted treasury, its details repudated
by some of the very senators who voted for it !
w no uOes nOt TtCOiieCt tndt INVESTS. DuCHunhH
Wright proclaimed in the Senate chamber, that
they would seize better time and more favorable
auspices for mending and reforming its provisonsl
Who does not remember that Mr.. Rives denounced
it, in his speech, worse than the abominable tariff
Of 1922 Who that recoects its minimum prin-
cple and its specific du,ies dare to set his face
against its REFORM and cry out for the continuance
Of this same partial, odious, and abominabe tariff
Take the minimum principle alone, and see how it
operates. Take one single illustration: We have now
before us piece Of Manchester shirting, So inches,
yard wde--costing, in England, lbs. Sd. for Al
yards in the piece, or u cents yard but estimated
under the minimum principle to cost in England 90
cents upon which 20 cents it pays duty of 30 per
cent, or cents yard, 80 per cent. on the Eng
lish price-raising its price in New York to I6
cents The American article, Of the same quality.
costs to manufacture it only CENTS and yet it sells in
the American market at is cents because they raise
its value 10 correspond with the English article un-