Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1848-02-16

ofhis high station to these gross misstatc.
ments. calculated if not intended 10 de.
ceive the people. He has stuffed every
page almost of his report full ofbrcads,uffs.
But | am mistaken if he will not be sick Of
ms hreadstuffs before all is over. 4
iauSh.l In 1885 we imported cighfy-six
m'iiions worth OF British goods, and she
TOOK rom us IN breadstutis the heavy a.
mount of = .68A; tina, is. we take SA6O
from her in her manufacturers 10 every sin.
gle cent she takes from us in the form Of
our breadstuffs. And let it not be forgot.
ten that of these very IN anufacturcs more
imam one-eighth part of the whole value il
made up Of British breadstuffs consumed
IN the making of The goods. (When ! say
Britain. I mean England, Ireland, and
Scotland: not her dependencies.
The gentleman from Illinois Mr.. Nc
Clernand congra,ulates himself very high
ly on the repeal of the tariffof l844. Now,
ne probably torgets that his own district
consumed, in 1886 $373.9l3 worth Of
British goods to every 1872 she took OF
its agricultural Notwithstanding that
his district consumes in proportion TO all
others. Yet we arc congratulated on tho
great increase in the export Of breadstutfs
under low duties.
What have here stated I hold myself
bound to maintain. The statements cam
not be successfully contradicted. They
will not be ccntradicted doubt whether
it will be attempted. They may try hut
they cannot and will not attempt to dis
prove these facts. They are afraid to de-
ny and ashamed to admit them. 4 voice:
Ii will be answc red. probably. by a per-
>onal attack. Well so be il. am used
to personal attacks. but they have not and
cannot deter me from the fearless dis
charge of my duty on this floor.
Ia one part of his report. the Secretary
boasts of the happy effects Of the tariff Of
1916. in reducing taxes. tightening the
burdens of the poor, Of the '.toiling mil
lions" In some instances. he says. they
have been reduced from 100 to 600 per
cent. down 70 60 and 80. On bar iron
the duty had been brought down from IS
to 50 per cent.-from $e5 10 40 dollars
per ton: on the poor mans coal, the duty
had been reduced from 81 down to 80 per
ccnt-more than hlaf the tax had been
taken off foreign coal; now, this all locks
very well, for the consumers Of iron and
coal, but after a while he comes to speak
Of another class Of tho ''toiling nillions;"
the voters Of Pennsylvania, who mako
iron and dig coal; and now hear what this
consistent Secretary tells them. lie tells
them that the tariff of l846 is the very
thing for them; he congratulates them on
the fact that ''coal and iron are in greater
demand, are bringing better prices than
before the repeal Of the tariff Of i842,"
these were his very words. Now. how
the tariff of 1916 can at the same time 70.
duce the prices Of iron and coal to favor
consumers and raise il to favor producers,
is a theory cannot UNDERESTIMATE is nm
up ard ao"n. yes and 10 Operations, which
it will puzzle the ingenuity Of the Sccre.
tary himself to explain. But then he has
another, and worse difficulty to explain.
The object of the tariff OF 1916 was to in.
crease the revenue. Now, what has been
its effect! 1t has destroyed more than
half the revenue arising from these very
articles, without benefit to any body but
the foreign importer who sells US his iron.
according to Mr.. Walker; for "beiter
, price," pays ten dollars instead of twenty.
five into Mr.. Walkers empty sub.treas-
ury; puts the fifteen dollars as additional
profits into his own pocket. which, under
the tariff Of l842, he would have paid into
the Treasury. Now the same thing may
be said Of coal-instead Of six cents 4
bushcl. the foreign importer now pays less
than three, sells his coal at a better price,
and fobs the difference! Who then does
sir. Walkers tariff benefit! The foreign
er, and the foreigner only, at the expense
of the American Treasury and the Amer.
lean people Salt was another article H.
Illustrating the folly of low duties, the q.
fectof which was to destroy revenue and
increase prices; the prices are increased
by diminishing home supply. and giving
the foreigner the control of the market, and
the revenue is reduced by the operation.
Nearly three fourhs Of the duty was Ia.
ken off saltto favor the poor-the result u
that foreign salt has raised 25 per cent
and the Treasury has lost three. fourths Of
the revenue. And yet Mr.. Walker insists
that his tariff favors the poor and increases
the revenue! This same thing is true in
an infinite variety Of similar cases, which
he had not time now to particularire; he
would, however, refer to one or Two, for tho
benefit Of the South-the cotton-growers.
the great admirers Of the tariff of l8a6-
now how has it effected these gentlemen?
The duty had been greatly reduced on
cotton ,bagging; this checked die domos-
tic supply, and the price, am credibly
informed, has increased from II cents Der
yard, under the tariff Of l842, to 20 censs
under the glorious free trade tariff Of 1915.
The Treasury getting less, and the con.
sumner paying more; the price Of cotton
itself has been reduced nearly one third.
amounting TO loss on the cotton crop Of
twenty millions of dollars. Cotton, undes
the tariff Of l842, brought ten cents p.r
pound, it is now down TO seven, and sill
declining. The sugar business, l am told.
has Jared even worse thar the cotton, NJ
Walker is himself obliged to admit thai ~.
cotton interest has suffered; and what
southern interest has not! ihe injury -
UNIVERSAL and tne s1nenigs must soon be-
come SO. Inc Iamio: and the poeatoe rot
had saved ,or the moment, the North and
West; o1t tnsI. over, and the foods Of r..
eign good. will soon .veen 49, ,, 49,. ~.