Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1847-04-24
The Tariff Of 1916.

We cut the following singular recentatloh iTon'
the Lycoming Gazette, a. an evidence Of the In.
stability aud fallability OF all things human ~
"Ruin, indeed, under the Ts,iir Of lSi6!-
why, the price ot wheat in the metropolis OF the
Slate, has ranged Tor the last four months, from
one dollar twelve and a half cents, TO one dollar
fifty cents,-a thing almost -
Corn is selling in Philadelphia tor 30 and ~
cents per busheI, and in our own borough tor
G2I CENTS Potatoes, at from 30 to IS cents,
and sll other kinds Of produce in proportion.
Is this the ruin, which accompanies the Tariff
,f 1876, and which was 90 greatly feared by the
goal peope OF Lycoming? Answer. he who
can! For our own part. we plead guilty OF er.
ror, for who That predicted ruin. distress and
bankruptcy. TO follow the repeal OF the Tariff of
42, was no, in error. To pretend otherwise, 10
to assert falsehood in the ioce Of truth"
That any one should attribute the high price
of grain and provisions 10 the tariff Of ls46, is
stretch of the mag gnaton far into the regions of
eye. when we saw the above in so respectable
paper as the Lycoming Gazette Had the editor
contended that the famine and potato rot in
Europe had been brought about by the new
tariff, our surprise would have been no greater
for the one is about as probable as the other. We
will not shock the good sense OF our readers by
informing them that the starving population Of
Europe, especially Ireland where thousands have
actually pcrished and are still dying for want Of
food has brought about the present high prices
The loss of the potato crop alone has been esti.
mated TO occasion an increased consumption Of
'b., l.6
riency of the oat and bean crops % millions, and
| the barley crop one fourth, or IL millions OF bu
shells making in all deficiency Of 9s. 600, 900
bushels in Great Britain. France, Belgium, and
some Of the Italian States have prohibited the ex.
port of grain, These are the causes which make
Indian corn worth the extravagant sum Of two
dollars per bushcl in Ireland, Neither the tariff
of iSl6 or any other tariff could have any effect
on the price Of grain in Europe. The British
| Corn Laws were repealed before the tariff OF
1916 was enacted because want was staring the
| people in the face. Our opinion of the new Ia
riff remains unchanged Although we did not
approve Of many Of its details, we felt assured
tha. its greatest defect was its inadrquacy to pro-
tect the coal and iron interests of Pennsy ylvania.
We did not believe these interests would suffer
for several years TO come, on account Of the grea
demand for iron in Europe. for contemplated raj
roads, But what security have we il revui
sion should take place, and iron go down, as il
frequently has done, to $40 per ton in England
Iron would then be admitted into our seaport,
at about is per Ton, under the I'D valorem duty
| m nflr nyaFH fin n n -
the State mus; necessarily close. and in the ab
sence ofs foreign demand, grain would 60 dowI
to the lowest ebb. Even NJ. Walker was con
WINGED Of his error, and recommended an increa
sed duty on coal aud iron at the last session. w
have no desire to stir up the tariff question; bu
we cannot quietly sit still and see the abandon
menr OF the great interests OF Pennsylvania pro
muI.ated as a democratic measure, without re
cordins our protest against il.
w The PuBLIc CREpIr-Notwiihstsndi
the slauders of the enemies Of our institutions q
broad, and some Of our croakers at home, III
public credit of the United States stands higher
probably. than any government in the. world
The whole loan OF 10 millions has been taken a
a premium Of % per cent, or in other words
D those who take the loan give TO the governmen
bonus Of about $3.50, 900 for the privilege Of IA
king it, The Ledger, referring TO this fact, says
"Accounts from Washington show a new fea
ture in the finances of our government. Tn
! whole io,n Of SIS ooo, 900 has been taken, at
premium" VI anu ~ pe. .."' "e
"o'"' '"e'" '''"s s'o'o..,'oo, ooo 90. "