New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1845-01-06
About that British Gold.


public Of this City 10 raise funds to propagate
Free Trade sentiments, and fortlhes tn denial
with tho fact that there is such functionary as
the Lord Provost in Manchester, whereas one
WIS represented by The Republic as heading the
subscription. That there was some blunder IN
the original statement of The Republic is proba-
BILE, but that it was fabricated we arc confident s
not true. As The Republic is no longer publish
ed, we shall be happy TO give the Editor hearing
through our own columns. Meantime, we will
state what zoe knot1 about the British Gold bust
ness:
l. We kao,o tina! very extensive and power
full combination. mainly of Manufacturers and
Merchants, was formed in Great Britain in 1872
under the denomination Of the The Anti. Corn
Law League.
2. We knop that, though its original and i'm
mediate purpose was declared TO be the abolition
OF the British Corn Laws, ii openly proclaim.
cd by advocates OF the movement that its ulti-
mate purpose was The propagation Of Free
Trade throughout the World
8. We knop that this League raised great
deal of money wherewith 10 carry on its opera
tions--a great many manufacturing houses sub
seribing flO0 Tor $500 each, and some still
more. The whole sum which the League pro-
posed to raise was One Hundred thousand
Pounds or $4s4,000. How could all this be
properly used in disseminating Free Trade in
Great Britain
4. We knop that at least one application was
made to the League from this City Cor money
to be expended here in propagating Free Trade
We found such portions OF the letter as the
League saw fit to publish in their London off.
cial organ, The League Uhe name of the
writer being among the suppressed portions0
and published good part Of ii. ,The writer,
who evidently understood his business, por.
trayed the Importance of our vast and increasing
markets to the British Manufacturers and urged
that moderate expenditure in the circulation Of
FREQ Trade documents through our Agricultural
districts would be greatly blessed in the result
We extracted this directly from The League,
and knoo that it appeared in genuine copy OF
that periodical.
--For the truth of every word stated above
We are every way responsible. And now to the
circumstantia
There are hundreds of millions invested in
Manufacturing in Great Britain which had for
years found in this Country ready and profit
shle market, until our present Tariff imposed
heavy duties on the importation and raised up
formidable competitors on this side of the water.
Every year was visibly increasing the amount of
this competition, and at the same time perfecting
and cheapening It's products. The importers
were filing the Journal of Commerce and Even
ing Post with groanings over the enormous duties
imposed by the Wing Tariff, and their effects in
stopping importation. The British Manufac
turers, shrewd, keen-sighted men, saw and felt
all this. They were perfectly aware that Mr..
Clay and the Wings generally were pledged to
maintain this Tariff essentially, and that Mr.
Polk and the great mass of his supporters
were hostile TO it and in favor of reducing the
dnties to Revenue standard. Can any man
believe that this Immense, compact, intelligent,
wealthy interest stood inactive and unconcesned
through our late arduous and doubtful Presidcn-
tial contest?
We do not-cannot. We believe chat the s ,m
pathies Of the British Manufacturers with those
who were fighting their battles in this County
were not coldly or vaguely expressed. We be.
heve they were actively evinced by contributors
in aid of the Loco. Foco cause. OF course, this
was not done directly and openly-tAat would
have done more harm than good. But that sub
scriptions in aid of Folks election were literally
made and paid by the Foreign Importers, Agents
and Consignees here we had abundant reason TO
believe; and that the men who subscribed this
money did no, personally suffer for ullor the most
Gift, We consider morally certain.
So much for what we know and what we
believe about British Gold. We see that the
British and French journals, of all parties alike
while they view the result Of our contest with
mingled and various feelings, all unite in antci-
pating the overthrow OF our Protective Policy as
one of the results of Folks election. Is it no;
singular that this could be 50 clearly, universally
understood in Europe while the Wings could not
make it generally known in Pennsylvania
u The Lancaster PA. Inteiiigencer does
not admire the plain terms in which We speak OF
the villany by which One Hundred thousand
Pennsylvanians were induced to believe that thew
sustained the Tariff in voting FOR Polk.-We