Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1846-11-10


coai alone The sum of l30,22l, extorted tax OF
/ 66G9, O927-and seeming 10 seek from duly on
manufactures Of sco0l alone the sum oil 5, i3i ,ouo
extoued a lax of l0,4S7, 1857 Some few hnan-
cial students may have early detected these Ia
tent vices of the system; but our farmers and
yeomanry our working producers and toiilnns
/ door, our men OF the axe and anvil, the scytne
and the saw, thay have not the means nor Inc
lime for such Investigations they could "take no
note Of it but BY its loss" they suffered long unter
\ The weight Of The burden, aud dreamed not mat
il was The invisible and insaiiate vampire Of III
direct taxation which exhausted their strength.
! wish not 10 be understood 10 prefer the subsli-
I tuition of excise for import. There are asperllies
/ in the former which render il almost intoleraole
among people peculiarly sensitive as 10 domi-
| cliary visits and il is abuse only that makes
/ the latler mschievous. Certainly our Liberties
would be saer under system OF open and direct
taxation, with all its roughness than under a
I prolonged administration Of such tuG,ive oppres-
\ Sion. gross inequality and immoral deception as
chaclerize the tariff OF 1912 But reduce The du-
ties one-half, take from them their tendency 10
nurse and rear mUnopoies, adopt raiuc instead Of
name or form as the controlling standard, drop the
false hypocrisy of minimnms, and the thing essen
| tally democralZed becomes al least harmless
| Such in plain truth, is the law which THE GREAT
| CoNGREss" has passed, 10 commence operating
| on The first OF December next That law may
contain errors of detail ameEdable as developed
| by experience, but comparatively us TRAITS are
| equality, Justice, moderation, anu candor.-
| While the necessary revenue Is sought al Gus
tom-houses, we shall experience less wrong,
and incur less risk from a tariff founded TN lis
principles than from any other mode Of taxing
| ii am mol mistaken in the peryading spirit 81
that law, political economists will hereafter say
that lis reforms gave security TO The earnings 81
labor and limits 10 The power ol capital,
The home operation the Tariff oil 1916, pro-
misses To be genial and salulary-l mean in regard
TO The great industrial masses. lis reduction OF
lakes one-hal, il immediate relie lis indirect
abatement Of prices and the general expenses OF
comfortable living, awakens hope in the breasts
| of all whose wages and means are low and pre-
carious; and lis tendency 10 oblIge capitalists TO
seek the success OF their investments rather in a
fair and generous, than in an arrogant and ava
rlcious treatment Of their worllmen, yields pro-
lection to The moral independence aud dignity OF
! labor far worrhier OF attainment than tnat which
the manufacturer demands Tor his wares. There
is much more To protect in the citizen OF a repub.
lie than his opportunities 10 work He is mol
merely 10 devote his days unceasinglyto acquire
| bread and raiment. The ''rghs OF man" rights
too readily ridiculed or forgotten, are his. The
warnings OF mind and OF heart are his. The
| pride o. character, the sense oil natural equality,
the shirt OF independence are his. The ennoblng
relations and duties of domestic life are his; and
the law which would sacrifice all these, upon the
wretched pre;eyt OF securing 10 him market
where he can sell the strength Of mis- snews oil The
| deSlcrily OF his fingers is law Tor The gradual
| establishment of slavery on the basis OF animal
| necessities.
| The Tariff of 1876 recommends itself no less
BY certain considerations connected with lis ex-
| ernal bearing or aspect. tits in greater harmony
Than its predecessors with the liberal IDEAS Of in
ernaiona commerce prevailing throughout the
world Regulatory restrictions on trade are I'M
called for. The vista Of genera peace stretches
| far into lutury and invites us TO mingle on
| terms OF reciprocity and fearless friendship with
| our tellow-men everywhere. Even now agricul-
| ture exuls in the liberty Of sending her surplus
| food over thousands Of miles OF land, and thou.
sands OF miles Of water, 10 the Vanishing sons OF
Ireland Our crops OF wheat and Indian corn are
suddenly augmented in value upwards OF forty
millions Of dollars-an effect Of opening the gate,
| in a single channel, which viii carry gladness 10
\ the family hreside IL every tanner. Assnrecly
| this tariff is far from free trade That oil course
| cannot be pretended while The revenue necessary
| to maintain the Government, say twen'y-ciehl
millions Of dollars, are exacled from our imports
alone; but il meets modern enlightenment hall
way; and though still discriminating in favor of
| our own industry, il gives much broader wei
come Than was heretofore given TO the industry
and enterprise OF other countries.
| In referring with such extremely kind and
complimentary language 10 The decision given by
| The Vice President, when Senators were equally
| divided in favor Of the new Tariff, you seem,
gentlemen, warmed mp by the shameless excess
IS of Islander and outrage, with which cupitiiy
| and faction attempted, as il were al once and by
| storm, 10 overwhelm the casting vote. fear you
do Inc more than Justice, and that am bound 10
thank my delamcrs Tor Il large share oil your an-
| inhaled applause II was the duty OF oiice and
| the percmplory law OF position. The citizen
care not whether Wing or Democrat-who can
| deliberately nculcate that, under he circumctan
| ces, political and personal, which surrounded
me. | should have voted against The bill-"hic nj
scr est hunc III carcto, R0nanei "-he is radically
and ncuraby nsensible 10 The obligations OF pub
| lie trust and his instincts utterly ricketty and I'M
sound pretend then, Only mol TO have been Ic-
crean,. not TO have proved false 10 my morals or
nv mission not 10 have sunk 10 The hopes and
| standard Of my assailants. In one aspect, in
deed, the chance or design which deyolved upon
| the necessity OF intervening, assumes an import
ance and charm 10 which confess myself lar
| from insensbe. il, as you torcibly argue, and
| as certain advocates Of moneycd interests seem
almost To admit, the casting vote has Disseminated
| Inc PRODUCING CldSoCS, Ids uloSOIsCu luS ltirIS
which bound the poor 10 The cars of the rich has
palsied The movements OF covetous rapacty has
| summoned labor 10 the assumption OF lis natural
| ndepenGence and dignity, and has taken even a
| few feathers from The backs oil the overburdcned
it. say The casing vote, by closing the career of
The Tariff OF 1912 has led 10 these results, then
soemnly and sincerely thank my God that il fell
10 the lot Of so humble an instrument as myself,
even reluctantly on some accounts, 10 strike The
npn NH m mi
substantially glorious!
Our commonwealth of Pennsylvania, il is
thought. has interests which may be injuriously
affected by adimnuion OF The duties on imports
OF coal and iron. These "inlercss" are, ! pre-
sumo nothing more than the profits OF such OF
her CAPITALISTS as have made investments connect.
ed with procuring and selling those two articles
OF merchandise Such profits may, Tor a season,
be impaired; and no one can be accessory, even
when impcled By The best motives and aiming al
The widest purposes, in defeating incidentally Inc
pecuniary calculations OF his friends and neigh
bors. without feeling pain and repusnance. Such
was nv avowed sentiment when determining The
senatorial tie STILL | cannot refrain from say
ING that these "interests," so loudly trumpeed,
are very far from being the only or the great pub
lie "in,eresrs" OF Pennsylvania. They are not
those which constitute her happiness, her intel
isence her character. They are not The sin
teresls" OF her jurisprudence, justice, edu-
cation, virtue or liberty. Assuredy they are not
the 'inleresls" which create or strengthen The
roos of patriotism, or bind The hearts OF her sons,
as mine has been bound, inseparaby 10 her puTi-
~ and honor. May we not be permitted 10 think
something more OF The "intcrests" Of her poor, as
the many, than OF her rich as the lew 2-more
of her moral than OF her material Interests
more of The free, upright and manly souls
oil her population, than Of The chests OF her
corporalions2 All who have weathered The
storms OF the last twelve years can remember
how the "inierssfs' of the Stale were represented
as centrins at a green board, whereon paper
credits were manufactured with magical facility
within the white walls OF Chestnut street temple;
when our internal improvements and their avas,
our public schools our commerce, and our cur
rency, we're said TO radiate from an institution
which welded the force OF hundreds Of millions
of dollars, and lifted or lowered The value Of
everything around US al its pleasure. The same
debasing and stale picture is now drawing by The
4 - ,,,h.r oh