The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-07-16

the commencement TO the close. Even the wings
praised lis moderation and ability and IL 10 remark
able that Mr.. Pollock, in all the speeches he sabse-
auenlly made on the subject, never known 10
alude il in the in which he is reported TO
have spoken in the House on the 9th OF june MI
Buchanan spoke from full notes, and with eharac-
terstic cearness and deliberation.
lie commenced by stating that MI Clay ana
Mr.. Polk, from their public acts and declarations,
stood upsn the same platform in regard 10 the tariff
and from these appeared "that the one was as good
a tariff man the other.p
In order TO prove this position, he said that Mr.
Clay was the author Of the compromise act, which,
by sbolishing all specific duties, and by adopting
the horizontal ad yalorem rate OF duty, had done
much, very much, TO PROSTATE the tariff policy. lie
stated that during Mr.. Clays subsequent service ~
the Senate he had adhered 10 this compromise with
unwayerng fidelity; that Of the celebrated reso'
utions which he had offered on the 18th OF Febru-
airy, 1912, short time previous to his retirement
from that body declared "that in the adjustment
Of a tariff TO raise an amount Of twenty-sx mil
lions OF revenue The principles Of hs compromise
oct generally should be adhered to- and that espe-
cially a maximum rate Of ad yaorem duties
should be established, which there ought to be as
read an extract from Mr. Clay's speech at Charles
ton, South Carolina, in April, l544, more than
eighteen months after the passage OF the tnrlil
act Of 1892 in which he not only declared that she
had been active in effecting the compromise OF
1898" but she felt Il an obligation OF honor TO ad'
here TO IL in good faith, and he challenged the most
dlgent search Of the records TO show that he had
ever countenanced its violation in the slightest par
ticulaT nay more, he was bold TO say that during
his entire service in Congress since, there never had
been an effort tn violate 1t which had not met with
his prompt and earnest resistance" Mr. Buchanan
read MIR. Gays letter To Mr.. Bronson, OF Georgia.
dated in September, l643, which stated as follows;
III think that whatever revenue Is necessary to an
economical and honest administration OF the general
government ought TO be derived from duties i'm
posed on foreign imports; and believe that IN es-
tabl. shing a tariff Of those duties, such dscrimr
nation ought 10 be made as will incidentally afford
reasonable protection TO our national interests" he
thea placed in juxtaposton with this declaration, q
similar declaration made by Mr., Polk in his letter
10 Mr. Kane, Of the 18th Of June, 1874, follows:
IL am in favor Of tariff for revenue, such as will
yield sufficient amount 10 the treasury TO defray
the expenses Of the government economically al
ministsred. In adjusting the details Of a revenue
tariff, I have heretofore sanctioned such moderate
discriminating duties as would produce the amount
of revenue needed, and at the time afford
sonable incidental protection to our home industry
am opposed to tariff for protection merely, and
not for revenue"
Comparing these declarations Of Mr.. Clay and Mr.
Polk, Mr.. Buchanan concluded that they stood
upon the same ground in regard TO the tariff
Mr.. Buchanan proved that Mr.. Polk had hereto.
fore sanctioned discriminating duties by referring to
Mr. Verplanek's bill, which he Mr.. Polk had sup
ported, and indeed was member OF the Committee
by which IL was reported. IL will be reeolecied
that Mr.. Clsy's compromise act was substituted for
this bill. Under Mr.. Verpancks bill, Mr.. Blu
chanan stated that the duty on hammered iron
fixed at SIS per ton; rolled iron at SEA per ton;
and on pig iron At 50 Ter ton;-duties nearly az
high as those imposed under the act OF 1912, and
far higher than those contained in Mr. Clay's com
promise act.
This was the course Of argument adopted by
Mr.. Buchanan, not only at Milton, but at Towanda
and other places, where We were present.
Until Mr.. Clay's letter to Dickinson township
dated at Ashland, on the 9,h September, 1874, We
not aware that he had ever changed the ground
he occupied in hs letter TO Mr. Bronson. True, in
his letter to Mr.. Cope, Of the 29th If June, 1874
he declared that he opposed TO the repeal of the
tariff of 1912 but it did not state he opposed to
its modification. These opinions, he says, "were
announced by me at public meetings in Alabama
Georgia, Charleston, South Carolina, North Caro-
lima, and in Virginia" At none Of these places had
he ever come out against the modification Of the
tariff Of 1912. In his letter to Dickinson township
he first came out against any modification of the
tariff Of 1912. Mr.. Buchanan had no knowledge,
and could have had no knowledge, Of the existence
of this letter at the time he made his speech the
Milton meeting. He came there from Towanda,
IN the northern Para Of the State, where he made
speech on the l0lh Of September, and not from HE
home in Ian ,st,r.
What Mr.. buchanan said Of the opinions both Of
Mr.. Clay and Mr.. Polk in regard to the tariff were
differences fairly drawn from their public and
Notwithstanding more. He did not pretend to
have any knowledge, derived from any other
source Of the private opinions Of either of these gen.
tlemen. He said nothing on the subject which
might not have been uttered in the Senate of the
United States.
A little incident, and we have done When Mr..
Buchanan assembled the stand al Milton, there
banner directly in front of him, on the one side OF
which was bloody hand, and on the other lady
weeping over urn-evidently referring to the Gil
ley duel. Mr. Buchanan expressed his disapproba-
ton of this flag, and requested that it might be with
drawn, which was done accordingly.
From the Philadelphia Keystone.
The change cannot be called "sudden" or sun
ex pected, !" when il was confidently predicted by
every wing orator in Pennsylvania, nor can the
democratic party he charged with falsehood or faith
lessness, unless indeed the wings are willing to ad
nit their own falsehood, for every wing editor OF
the north asserted positively and emphatcay that
the democratic party of the Union was opposed to
tariff for protection. The language of the resou
tons Of the Baltimore convention are plain in re-
jecting any tariff for other than purpose,
and Mr.. Folks celebrated letter to Mr.. Kane de-
clares his views to be exactly in accordance with
those resolutions. We do not believe that any
democratic speaker ever declared Mr. Polk to be
VIC hiSHu VI p'otcSiNC eofihp UT VI oI
1912. The tariff was not produced by one polit
cal party merely-it was regarded and declared by
those who passed IT, as the choice of evils and no
prudent, rejecting man could have supposed that a
tariff with very heavy duties, enacted while the ma
ton was grooming under embarrassment and debt
would be continued as permanent measure when
the reasons that caused It had ceased to exist III
deception was practised we are not aware Of it
II certainly not by the candidates nor by the
prominent men of the party, and the wing presses
best attest the fact, that the of the demo-
cratic candidates was promise that the administra
ton would conform TO the views expressed by the
and universally adopted by the party.
But what were Mr.. Clay's views upon this tariff
question: Happily for the country, (though most
for HIMSELF his speeches and writings
abundant aud ready of access, and there can 6e
no difficulty in showing that Mr.. Clay had, prior to
1874, declred himself friend to low tarffs-an en-
envy Of protectonthe friend of tariff for revenue
only, .and most decidedly favorable to ad valorem
iute, the which is made now the subject of serious
objection.
Mr.. Clay in his speech delivered in the United
States Senate in January 81, 1912, said: