Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1847-06-24
CO nj M i MIC A ITO N.
For the Port Tobacco Times.

ply to my structures on his Speech, at an ear
lier day. But the fact is, neither saw nor
heard of it until the 9TH instant, when a
friend furnished me a copy.
The General charges my review with
''unfairness." Abuse is the common re-
source of those, who cannot answer an ar
gument He denies the correctness of my
analysis Of his Speech, and states that his
object was "to show that the culture of to-
bacco and the commerce arising from it IS
among the most important interests of the
country" The gentleman would have
been as proftably employed, if such was the
only use of his table of exports, in compil-
ing tables to prove Philadelphia next in
population to New Y ork among the cities
of the U. States. Was it not unnecessary
to prove what every man of ordinary politi-
cal information knew, and superfuous, if
not absurd, to argue what no one disputed !:
Who was ignorant that tobacco ranked next
in value to cotton among our exports, prior
to the past year? If bent on accomplishing
the useless task of proving well-known
and unquestioned fact, why 60 beyond an
exhibition of the statistics belonging to the
subject? With such proofs of the PROPOSE
ton, what necessity for argument? Ii: this
was the objec, of speech of Is pages,
can only say that it was waste of time
and childish piece of self-exhibilion. The
same may be said of another object, which
it would seem this orator proposed to him
self to achieve, that is to prove that tobacco
is ''subjected to inordinate and excessive
duties in different countries of Europe. D
Who did not know this facto Who has
forgotten the elaborate and detailed reports
of the several tobacco conventions Oh this
subject: There remains third proportion.
which the gentleman claims as one of the
staples of his argument shat this interest
has never received any aid or protection
from the Government 1t would be hard
for the gentleman to prove this by any dex-
teritv of logic, for the contrary is abundant
ly established by the legislative and execu-
tive history of the country. 1st | will
advert to what General Chapman and other
advocates of commercial restriction nick
name 'spro,ection,'' and ask him if protec-
tive duties are not imposed by the act of
| 1912 on the imports of tobacco, and thus
the vaunted ''home-market" secured to our
planters against the competition of"the pau
per labor" of foreign States. Is not this the
definition of ''prolection to domestic indus
try" according to the vocabulary of the re-
strctionsts, and the full extent of their de-
mand from Congress Does not General
| Chapman perceive the inconsistencies of his
course? In 1916, he defends the tariff of
1912, which was framed to secure mono
poly of the ''home-market" to manufacture
ers and, as it pretended, to tobacco and COT
ton planters by duties discriminating, not
for revenue, but protection, and thus mar
rowed largely our markets abroad. In lS47,
he proposes, as the end of his labors, to de-
stroy this ''home-market" and abolish all
"protective duties in favor of domestic in
dustry," if he can thereby obtain reduc-
ton of European duties on tobacco. Will
his friends, the protectionists aid him in
this moment? But to return to the ques-
ton, "Whether the Government has ever
given any aid and protection' to this branch
Of trade. | have shown that protectionists
have offered "protection'' by the act Of 1912
if their doctrine OH this point of political
economy be not delusion and humbug, as
every wise and disinterested writer of any
celebrity has pronounced it to be. The Sc
cond inquiry is, what aid, if any, has the
Government rendered this interest? 1t es.
tablished dozen years ago, for the frs
time diplomatic representative at the Cour
of Austria of the highest grade, with the
single and avowed object of promoting this
branch of our agriculture and trade. 1t has
employed private agents in Europe, at {
great expense, for the same purpose ant
has, at all times, instructed its resident min
listers to urge areduction Of these duties upor
the several governments of Europe. Wher
our able and experienced representative a
the Court of Berlin had succeeded in hi
persevering and enlightened labors, and ne
gotiated favorable treaty in reference t.