The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-12-20
The New York Tribune and the Treasury Report
more.

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The Secretary right in assuming that the natural eject
o protecon is gradually to diminish and IA time bstan
tay TO ernguh the importation Of foreign products which
rival our own protected branches of industry The end zoe
aim at by protection is not the importation oil Clothes
wares, &c, at higher prices, our fHe s"oSfH"f sVPage
Of their importation at all"
Ipon this we remarked, that its proposition was "sub
stanay 10 put an end to commerce, in order TO found
and foster by aw-that is, by heavy taxes the con-
Stunning community-branehes of industry which would
not take root among u.s. if individual labor left free
n take its own natural direction " and in the remainder
Of our article we held up the consciousness OF this prop
oston both in regard to the constitutional power OF
Congress upon the subject and to the poco economical
results which it would necessarily imply.
The Tribune, in reply does Just what we expected it
would do 1t attempts to beg off from its PROPOSE
ton, which we took the precauton to quote in its own
words II says
Now the very article in which the Union is commenting,
and from which clips the above extract expressly says
"Undoubtedly, under protective tariff there would be
gradual falling OFF in the importation of the particular arti
eles protected. until they would substantially to be
imported But this implies that the producers of these
tcles will have become citizens OF country, its pro
duction have fallen into the hands of own people,
calling thousands from the plough the woods and the boat
10 SPIN weave make iron, construct machinery,
&c., &c, and city or manufacturing population always
consumes double treble the foreign Injuries, articles OF
TASTE fancy &c. that equally numerous farming popu
products their wants and much less gene raj.
Protect much you please, there cA Arrays be large
classes articles consumed which not produced ripafed
among Us, because OF d.verses of SOIL climate, nc. Only
give people employment, with fair recompense for
their labor, and we shall import 900 worth Of drft-
e Which do compete with products and twenty
five per cent these would afford very fair revenue for
economical government"
This paragraph, with all ntimaon of its averments, is
utterly suppressed by the Union, which leaves its readers
in the full belief that have proposed the entire abolition
and destruct ton of commerce!
We noticed this passage in the Tribunes artclepar-
tculary the italicsed lines of tand in mercy only we
RETAINED at that time from exposing both its absurd
V and its fiat contradiction of other parts of the same
tice AS it is now paraded again. we shall expose it,
FIRST then, it talks OF Importation of $780, 900
worth of products and fabrics, under protective system
stringent as TO "proect much you please" and
framed with the profe,sed sam of Distinguishing and
stopping the importation of products which rival our
protected branches of industry" But what shall be
these same protected branches of industry" among us
The Tribune answers, in this article, all that are
not forbidden "by natural barrier of soil and eli
mate Here is its language:
"Pope that the Creator has intopoed natural bar
of soil climate the production of silks in our cou,-
try, and thoroughly with you against the protection
OF the silk culture"
And again:
'gt hare why, them maintain that loss but
msn'e savmg Of labor could result from the thorough estab.
ftSamen Of the SIX culture country, u conSd.
"abtwesem addition TO The money cost Of the fabric"
Now put these propositions together and the Trihunes
proposition is to lay protective taxes enough upon our
people 10 extngush all importatons which can conflict
with any branch of industry that the laws of nature
have not absolutely forbidden to be established among us
even by such monsrous protective taxation; and then,
under such an exngushment of commerce. it looks for
SlO0,0o0o00 of mportshat is for about so-irds of
our present total Importation Now to see the gross
folly OF all this let us consider what classes Of imports
would, by the lbunes proposition be utterly cut off
"ex'lngulshed" All fabrics and products of cotton,
WOOL leather, furs iron, COAL hardware flax sugar salt
wines, teas, Silks hemp, glass; "copper" brass lead, &c
can certainly be produced in this country you raise the
price OF them high enough, by Distinguishing their i'm
portatlon. To these must be added vast variety of
articles of fancy manufacture jewery, &C., together
with many of the fruits OF warm or tropical climates,
probably including coffee, which, if their importa-
ton were altogether substantially prohibited, as
the Tribune proposes, might doubtless be furnished
IRON some of the sections of our extended country;
provided only the consumers with the Tribune's
generous disregard of :" the money COST" would pay
our enumeration of articles (Which any reader NAV
complete for hmself) put to the Tribune whether
II be not sheer TO talk about an importation of
SIoJOOoOo0, or even of $4,000, OOO remaining to us
after we shall have ertingu,Sed all importation of ar
c'e rlValng all these various branches of industry
not forbidden by the laws of nature which the Tribune
would have established among us by huge and blind
sys'emoi taxation which it calls protection The Tr
ouhe proposes to have grow and make for ourselves
oil mat the laws OF nature do not prevent us from grow
lux ana making 1t proposes TO stop all rival mpora-
IONS 10 all these things which we can so grow
and make; and then it expects our importatons TO
amount still TO Sl0O,00o00O We undertake. on
'le contrary, to say. that if we stop all importation
vi articles rvallng the branches of industry con-
ce'ned IN half dozen of the articles above enume
fated' land every of which was more or less pro
c'ed BY the tariff of 1922 imports instead of being
loo ihilions, would not amount to 20 millions The
tribune proposition, therefore, involves as we stated
and as we quoted that journal itself as stating the ,b
""N'a eH'tngutment of our foreign commerce for pur
poses Oh protection The qualification upon that PROPOSE
uoh' whch the Tribune now brings forward. we have
SHOWN 10 be as absurd as the proposition itself But
'e 0an tnis IhIs slOJOOO,0oO paragraph is directly
IN the teeth OF the statements made in other r,r,s
Oh The same article, where the Tribune plainly enough
N-'''s 'oat the adoption of its plan of protection
"ouiu cause foreign nations TO cease bunng o,,r
products" Its language is:
% walker is appalled, the thought of foreign nations
"'s 70 Guy our products while we, if that cessation