New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1846-02-07
Nh. r,e-sneech of MIR. stewart.


,r,o ,,;ncines involved in the Protective policy
have been 80 extensively well as Thoroughly ds-
cu.sed within the last few years. that one might ma
turaly expect by this time to ind Inc question sci
lied nm an enduring basis in the enlightened judg-
men, of the People This, however IS tar from the
truth. There are go many collateral and Incidental
points modifying or seeming TO modify the opera
ton of general principles and forming grounds Tor
popular appeals TO ignorance and prejudice that the
whole question is yet in the minds of too many oil
our citizens, involved in doub! and uncertainty
One great difficulty in the way OF clear under'
standing OF the merits OF the case results In our
Judgment from the unwillingness OF the opponents
of the Tariff TO meet fairly and boldly the real issues
involved in the controversy. IL is dllhcult 10 noid
them TO any given point at one moment you find
them announcing as infallbly true some abstract
principle long since exploded, and when you meet
them on their own chosen ground anon they are oil
in tangent harping some new dogma or as
suminp as fact that which you know to be fiction.
Their real opinions are often masked under a
rbrsseo,oov which may be explained to mean one
thing here and the exact opposite elsewhere
With such facility do they change their ground that
thew often remind you of the Irshman's pig which
We see no way to dssipate the fog in which
Loco ocoism has enveoped this question but by
continuing the discussion and keeping constantly
before the People the facts and the principles by
which it must ultimately be settled This will
require no ordinary degree of patience ON the
part of the friends of Protection but let them not
despair; truth shall yet triumph over error and the
People, taught by experience and reflection, shall
one day rise up in vindcation of principles whose
benefcence will be clearly demonstrated in the sight
of all men.
One of the best because one of the most practical
speeches which has lately been made in defence OF
thu Tariff is that of Hon. ANDREW STEWART OF
Pennsylvania delivered in the U. s. House OF Rep
resentatves the 9th of December last mo- |;
ton made by him to amend the resolve referring TO
the Committee OF Ways and Means that portion Of
the Presidents Message relating to this subject by
instructng the Committee to report " as the sense
Of the House that the Tariff Of 1912 ought not TO be
disturbed" Mr. Stewart takes up some of the most
common allegations of the enemies of Protection
and in manner at once clear and forcbe, demon
strates their unsoundness He approaches his object
without decentralization and with holiness inspired
only by good cause; and be lays bare one after
nents you think the words of Pollok, slightly
changed, an appropriate epitaph for them all
Conflicting cruelty against themselves,
By their own hand they fel-part Staying part"
We could easily verify opinion of this speech
by ample quotations. Take, for instance. the pas
sage in which Mr. S. replied to question put by an
opponent:
Johnson of Tenn here lnterposed, and desired to
When the ted
* INN a ssc,ure., who Paid the duties
'ess ,isiIkt.e these ia'erruntior~ sr. eucc
he quesnoH p s..s ,re. Inc s ssn nis
hold VA Inc naSe ts. ,se
taxed eghytwo per cent cotton goods over tt
IA rich man Yes. this poor man seemed special IA
orite OF the honorable Secretary He had introduced
i'm ten times in the OF two paragraphs OF the re-
ort His sympathy was greatly excited that this ,
appy poor man taxed one hundred and fifty per
ert ON his cotton shirt because there was specific
uty on imported cotton goods OF nine cents yard ii
low, IL this specific duty Of nine cents amounted to ;,
undred and fifty per cent ad rdlorem that liked the
rice of the cotton to the poor man at but six cents
ard for nine just hundred and fifty per
ent ON ak cents So the practical effect OF this horrd
ak was that this poor man got good shirt at sxpencc
ward And Mr. s. would tell the gentleman another
hing When those most abominable minmums, which
20 excited the wrath the Secretary had first been in
reduced in 1876 by William Lowndes-one OF the pu.
est patriots and most enlightened statesman that nd
yer prsced these legislative halls and sustained too by
John C. Calhoun scarcely distnguished-lndia cot
on ooods of the very coarsest quality known every
lady at the time by the name of humhums coat thirty
three cents yard that the poor man would then
have had pay four dollars for twelve yards OF ana
the effect of the infamous mninums had been that every
poor man the country could now get better article
Tor ak and quarter cents That was the very way the
people taxed and oppressed by the protective sy
tenn and this was the manner in which the poor man
vas ground down the dust to benefit the rich monop
olst The Secretary persuaded this poor man that he
was taxed eightytwo per cent more than the rich man.
and that this quite insuferaoe yet he pad only Sin
rpaf hnt nf
an inferior quality that On that thirtysix cents the
tariff of 1916 laid daty of nine cents, which then
bred and fly per cent and why because the price is
reduced from thirty. six 10 six cents per yard.
These dreadful miniuums had In their practical con.
sequences given the farmers market given the chill.
dren employment made their land profitable filled the
country with the hum of coutented industry. and had
brought down the price of the poor mans clothing from
thirtysix centa yard down-down-down as the sys.
tenn proceeded, I'LL at last gave it to him at six cents
yard. Now the Secretary cried that the duty
these cottons hundred and fifty per ad pao
rnu Enormous Horrid And whys The duty had
NOT chnnced but the price had As the price wen, down
the duty went up. At thiry.six cents per yard nine
cents duty would be twenty-five per cent a, six cents
cent and If the price descended to yard,
then the duty would be nine hundred per cent, The
poor man robbed pundered and oppressed by duty Of
nine hundred per cent simply because he gets yard of
cotton goods for ayard Let the manufacturer
up the price TO cents again and the oppes
stantly to twenty-five per cent, moderate revenue du
~. No more complaint; these friends of tho poor
man" are perfectly satisfied
We give another extract which make sad havoc
of one position often taken by the enemies of Pro
lection:
"Th,, whole question, interesting to the American
people, turns upon simple question of fact Do pre-
duties ultimately Increase reduce the prices Of the
articles on which they are levied 2"
Now the message and the report (but fail to
prove single nstance) that protective duties have in
uriC md
some while ON the other hand, he asserted and was
ready prove by the documents referred to by every
pricecurren and every merchant in the country, that
the prices of protected goods have been reduced by com
petition since the odous rsfntans and specific duties
were first imposed for projections in 1916 TO one
ball, TO one third, onefour:h and in some nstan-
Gee To one-sixth part OF what they 8, thai
unae, as in the of coarse cottons, glass; iron
nails &e yet in The face of these undenisbie facts ii is
thai the duty (nne cents yard-l5o per cent?
aooea 70 the price OF the dsestic well the import
60 sooos and 10 paid by The consumer and thar the
OH man thus taxed his coarse cotton goods s.
per cent more han the rich when the fact admitted
that the poor man now gets better arcle made home