Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1848-01-26

uCT uc low. TOT pTUOf, HcntcnueH du
the Secretary to his official report on the fnau
ces in 1916, page 956. Here you have his ow
report. Take il down, gentlemen; desire you I
take minute Of what state for what Isay ca
prove hope the chancellor of the exchequer tina
was (Mr. Mckay will pay special attention Il
these statements. l say, on Mr.. Walkers owr
showing, that under the Ten years OF low tariff the
receipts were $2l4, SS5, S3S, and that under the
high tariff years the receipts 1927 ,S42.2 5.
The difference in favor of the high tariff is $685.
95O,o5o-SS, 295, $50 per year and yet the Secre-
tary and the President say that all experiences
proves that low tariffs give the most revenue -
Whether such statements proceeded from ignorance
or design he would not say, but it was one or the
other. refer (sad MIR. So to day, TO date, book
and page Let them look at it. want Mr.. Walk
er himself TO look at it. suppose when he sent
his book, with all these confident statements, sup
! ported by figures too, he thought it would answer
lis purpose. lie owes ii 10 his character for truth
and candor to come out and admit or deny this
statement, or authorize sumo friend TO do it FOR him
on ihis'floor. VIII it be done? We will see.
And now for his positions on the subject OF ex-
ports. The Secretary affirms that the balance OF
trade Is always in favor under low tariff that
our exports exceed imports, and that the exports
OIL breadsuHs and provisions especially increased
Now say that deducting the imports during the
ten years of high tariffs, selected by the Secretary
Tor comparison, from the imports during the ten
years OF low tariffs, and it would appear that the
Si0l .976,O76-equal TO $40, l97 ,6O7 year; and,
deduc'lng during each period the goods re-export-
ca, the balance against the country would be in
creased to the sum of $423, 455,7H. And how
had 1t been paid BY two hundred millions OF
o'ate bonds, sent to Europe to pay for goods; a
mercantile debt of nearly equal amount, result
ing at the end OF the low duty period, in $780, AL
and ~, In Reputation and bankruptcy State, ma
honal, and individual, Throughout, the land Yet
we are told by the President and Secretary that
low duties produce prosperity, national and in
dividua, and especially the prosperity of the far
meIs and laborers Of the ''toiling millions"
But tins is not all. Take the exports from tho
imports during these ten years of low duties and it
VIII be found that the debt against the people Of the
Cnited States III favor of foreigners is Sl76,l66,-
exhibited!
Such is the evidence in favor of Mr.. Walkers
position that low tariffs always the balance of
trade in our favor Such are the happy effects of
ms policy OF free trade. Low tariffs ALWAYS have
been and always will be the ruin of the country
Let any man look the scenes of general distress
which always have followed this insane policy the
rum OF ilourshng establishments, the muliiplica-
tlon OF bankruptcies, the advertisements of sheriff.
sales, the destruction Of credit and confidence, tho
prostratOn OF enterprise the stagnation of trade and
general condition of discomfort and misery which
have invariably succeeded the adoption Of these false
ana visionary theories, ana he will find one of the
best cferIOns to Judge OF their political soundness
And such, say, will always be the consequences
OF repetition of the experiment. MIR. Walker
says that they never have followed | say hey al
ways have. Their whole theory is a mistake and
practice will ever prove it he and when it is
put forth in the very face of facts which every in
teIligent man knows, it is difficult TO resist tho
conclusion that II is done deceive; that there is
an object to be attained by misleading the public
mind
Again the Secretary asserts that low duties
have always been accompanied by a greatly in
creased export of brcadstutis. And he attributes
the sudden augmentation in those exports during
the last season. not 10 The famine in Ireland and O.
yer the South OF Europe; not at all but solely to
his model tariff of 1886! That is what has done
1t all. Low duties, not starvation, have Induced
the people of the old world suddenly to eat Indian
meal and call out for American flour and American
beef. But wish to ask him-and | put the ques-
ton to Southern gentlemen in this House---f this
reduction Of duties is the thing which has produced
SO large an export of breadstuis, pray why had 1t
not In this same degree increased the exports OF
cotton and OF tobacco2 The export of cotton under
this model tariff of our model President has been
less by four millions of dollars than the average en-
ports of ten years past, from 1885 TO 1916
What did this2 What produced this falling off
under this beautiful free-trade policy? Was that,
too, the fruit of the tariff of 1862 WHY has
there been no increased export of cotton? South.
ern gentlemen, cotton growers, how is this? And
YOU, We tobacco growers, how comes it that, under
~ "ihet pdteHI 10 increase exports:
the export OF tobacco has fallen off million and
half! What say you TO that? Was this the hap
Py effect of the tariff Of 1862 The Secretary tells
us that the starvation in Europe has had little or
nothing to DO with the consumption there of our
breadstuils; nothing whatever Well the starva-
ton has ceased breadstuifs down, and now the
redoubable MIR. Secretary Walker is like TO be
caught in his own trap! | tell YOU that in few
weeks more the corn-Iaws in England sliding seals
and all, will be in full operation They were
merely suspended, not repealed, during the famine
and now, when the famine is over, and Mr. Walk
er is caught IN Sir Robert Peel's trap, the corn
laws go into full effect the first day of March
next and then exports cease the revenue falls off
and Mr. Walker will have to appeal to us to re-
store the tariff of 1872 TO repIensh his empty Sub
treasury and feed the starving armies, civil and
military, at home and abroad.
He tells us with Infinite satisfaction that b;s
report in favor of free trade and British goods in
1919 was reprinted in England that ''Sir Robert
Peel raised his eyes to the light Of truth" No
wonder Sir Robert raised his eyes in establishment.
NO wonder that he suspended the duties on bread
stuts, and let them in TO feed Ireland that was
starving. But, when that fit ofstarva.ion is reliev-
ed, the protection to British agriculture as well 40
manufactures is at once rcetored.
The Secretary asserts that under hich tariffs The
export OF breadsuffs has always fallen off. The
whole experience Of the past, he says, establishes
this general fact and he wants our farmers 70 look
at the fact. Now, aver that for four wears under
the highest tariff we had mean the "biII
OF nominations" the tariff of lS2S--we exported
to Great Britain (Engand, Scotland, and Ireland1
a hundred times much breadsjuffs as we did du
tariff or compromise bill Of 1888. Yes repest ~
dUrIDu Glur Years mi tho oporoto-, cf ,I,o