The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1851-12-25
From tie Hollidoysburg Standard.
The Tariff Movement.


anumber OF The members Of the party, has
called County Convention, to meet on the
.l7ih inst, for The purpose Of expressing The
opinions Of the Democracy of Blair county
on the subject Of modification of the Tar
iT of'a6, SO far as the duty on iron and coal
is concerned.
| When this subject was FIRST broached,
some two years since, we favored the propo-
sition so far as the change Of the duly on
iron and coal, from an ad valorem 10 spe-
cific duty, and We are still willing that this
change shall be mado, if it can be done
| without unsettling the whole Tariff of i46
which we are satisfied is more equitable
tariff, and comes nearer meeting the general
Appreciation of The whole people, than any
| tariff tha, hes preceded or will be likely 10
folowh This Is evidenced by the fact that
the President of the unitsd States, elevated
10 his high office by the suifages OF the par
ty which threatened to make the repeal Of
the Tariff Of '4s and lhe restoration Of the
Tariff of '42 their ralying cry, reconmends
nothing farther than modification Of the
present Tariff, by converting tbe ed salorem
into aspecifc duty, wherever tbs ART ic!s i'm
ported is of such a character as 10 permit il ;
and that such discrimination SHOULD be
made, in favor Of The industrial pursuits Of
our own country, as 10 encourage home pro-
duclion without excluding foreign competi-
lion.o
Ii is farther proven by the fact that the
very men who denounced the Tariff of '46
as a Free Ttade ond British Tariff, ere
now willing 10 lake the protection il afforded
them at is passage, and admit that it is sut-
ficient 10 sustain them against foreign COM
petition.
That the system Of ad valoren duties is
the mos, honest and correct system, there
can be no doubt. There may be frauds
practised under it, but these can be detected
and guarded against. But the system of
specific duties, as embodied in the tariff of
'42, is one stupendous legalized fraud, and
that not upon the revenue, but upon the con-
sumers.-Of couree there are articles 10
which this will not apply. They are the sx-
ceptions 10 the general rule, and of these
iron and coal are the most conspicuous.
The difference in value between one ton
of iron or coal and anolher ton is % trifling
,ha, 70 great injustice could bs wrought BY
imposing specific duty on either, and IS
such duty would protect the home manu-
fac.ure from the fluctuations Of the foreign
market, it were well 10 have il, if il can be
obtained. II could kGps been otiained When
the Tariff Of '46 tras enacted, and al that IS
now asked could then have been and rouh haze
been obtained if the Wing party, the iron mas
ters, and a teW Democratic politicians had no.
thought there pas more to be made By clinging
TO the dganet carcass Of the 1aif Of '42 than
by voting for Democratic Tariff, that ,rould
afford ,rhat James X Polk aud The Democratic
parry had plccgsdthemselres TO eford-"equri
and Jus, protection TO all the great interests Of
the Union, embracing AGRicULTuEE, MASUFAc
ruars, TIE MECHANIC ARTS, COMMERCE AND
NAVIGATION"
We we're willing TO allow the Whig party
and their aiders and abet;ors an opportunity
TO reclify their blunder, and, as we have al
ways stated, favored the project when it was
broached Two years since. The attempt was
made aud failed. 1t tailed because, as wi
ser heads had foreseen, so soon as an at
tempt was made 10 afford additional protec-
ton 10 iron and coal, it was met by the de-
mand for similar favor 10 other interests,
as greedy, if moi as needy, as these Penn
sylvania interests, as they are carried, to the
exclusion Of agriculture, which employs
more men, has more capital invested, produ-
ces more wealth, and ministers more to that
Virtue, Liberty and Independence, which is
The support and pride of our glorious old
Commonwealth, than all The other interests
within her borders.
So we believe it will be again. "0ppor-
tuui,ies lost are seldom to be regained." The
golden opportunity was thrown away IN l8'
46, and, as in the Chamber of Deputies, the
cry was heard when the attempt was made
stay the revolution by the introduction of a
royal infant, "it is too late p SO will it be
heard when the attempt is made to levy an
additional tax on iron and coal.
The day for high protective Tariffs is past.
President Fillmore tells us that "a high tar
if cannot be permanent" Henry Clay, as
long since as ls43, declared that che never
was in favor of what he regarded as high
Tariff, aud that, in his opinion, no more rev.
enue should be collected than is necessary 10
an economical administration of tho govern
mento-lhat 'lhere is no necessity of proec-
tion," and that "he thought it best for all in
terests that there should be compeli;ion.n
All the advocates Of protection can hope for
or reasonably expect is Tariff Tor revenue,
with Determinations in favor of our own in
dustry, and this we have. What is Tariff .
II is tax-no,hing more or less, except tha:
il taxes iwice--once for government on the
imported article, and once for the home man.
ufaclurer. by increasing the price of the
home mar nufaciure to the amount of the du-
ty.
The receipts for the las! fiscal year Presi-
dent Fillmore tells us are $50, ,979 81.
N,,i,ct ,ha t,vo millions ard ODD thousands