Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1849-07-05
The Tariff ofls46.

The Tariff Of lS46.
by the very fact of adopting thirty per cent, as
the lowest rate of duty, instead of scenty per cent,
paid under the Tariff that existed in IA and AZ,
the Secretary admitted the necessity of protection,
and its advantage. Were it not that there exist
ed valid reasons for the maintenance of protection,
no one can doubt that the people would consume
more and pay more to the revenue, under duty
of twenty per cent, than one under thirty. The
former, how ever, had been tried and had failed
The revenue was so far reduced that the Treasury
was almost bankrupt and the Whg administration
elected in 1910, were compelled to hawk through
out Europe, the government securities created
for the purpose of supplying the deficit produced
by the Free trade system. d a.aa'..2
The Secretary, while preaching free trade, was
practising protection. He thought that 80 per
cent, would answer, if 90 would not. 1t was
not, however, in accordance with his theories of
trade. to make even that duty, certain one. He
had horror of specific duties. He supposed
then as he appears to have done even up to the
date of his last report, that there existed some
general principle by which the foreign article is
continually tending to diminished price," and
that therefore +" the advalorem always bearing the
same proportion to the value of the import" was
" the most just sequel" The Secretary was un-
happily, a mere theorst. He had studied many
books, but he was totally devoid of the practical
knowledge required to enable him to test the ac-
curacy of the doctrine taught therein. Had he
had any such knowledge, he would have seen that
if there existed any such principle, there existed
also some counteracting cause which neutralized
it SO frequently that for any practical purposes 1t
might be regarded as existent. He might
have seen iron up to fl2 and down to ga, and
vibrating perpetually between these two extremes,
with rapidty that set at defiance all calculation.
The producers of iron would not, we believe.
have objected to SO per cent, had the duty been
made specific. That, however, would not have
been in accordance with the Secretary's theory.
ic duties, and he would have none of them. He
would give the people who labored in the produc-
ton of iron duty of 80 per cent. to protect them
from the increasing fuctuation the English mar
ket, and nothing more. The price of bars at that
time was, we think, about fle, (S4s) and the duty
consequently about fifteen dollars. While the
price remained so high abroad, the iron mart at
home Gid not need such duty. The latest quo
tation we have seen is f4 IL, 1922 2s,) the duty
upon which is Sc 6s, or less than one-half. The
manufacturer was to have protection when he did
not need it, and when he did, he was not to have
it. Such was the system fastened upon the country
by the late admnistration-the system whose re-
xrifn nd oh
to witness until Congress shall, by the passage of
the Tariff of 1850 give effect to the determination
of the people made manifest in the election of our
present chief magistrate. -
AS with iron, so with any thing else. Not con-
tent with reduction to 80 per cent. upon WOOL
lens, and cottons, and hardware, the price upon
which the duty was to be assessed, was left de-
pendent upon the chances of European politics,
and the very existence of the great manufacturing
interest which furnishes to the farmer market
for nearly all his produce. was placed at the mer-
cy of the governments of Europe, who were not
slow to avail themselves of the power thus grant
ed to them. Thus, we have seen both France and
Belgium offering large bounties on exports, to en-
able the manufacturers 10 export their goods at
less tt1dn the mere Cost OF pfOCuCtlOtt, ana 10 I'LL
to repleton the markets of the United States, be-
fore supplied with similar merchandise by men who
eat our own food, while working up our own WOOL
or ore, or coal, but who were now compelled to
suspend operations, or to remain idle-earning no
wages, and unable to produce food or clothes
The protective system has been declared to be T" a
warfare upon the labor of the world" although
under it the labor obtained food and clothes more
readily than under the free trade one. The Sec-
retary abolished protection as far as he thought
he might dare to do, and the result was that the
aboref found food and clothes more difficult Of at
tanment, t. e. dearer than before The Secreta-
ry's theory was good one. Its only fault was
that it could not be applied to practice. That,
however, he did not know, for he derived his po-
litical economy from the books of men who pos
sessed no more practical knowledge than himself
| .Q Aea aEnss e. Texas. sat se
By an arrival at New Orleans We have laier
dates from Texas. The political excitement
was quite high. The candidates for Governor