The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-04-26
The Working or British Free Trade.

Continued from Republic Qj -ipril 23I
Mr. Rantoul has furnished Ne with statement
OF the losses TO the country from the tariff OF lS42
IN the reduced prices at which we had been
compelled to supply the world with rIsH, and the
gain to the country from the tariff Of 1876, under
which prices have inc eased, notwithstanding "the
vast increase of quantity" and representing as he
does district that receives from the treasury
large bounty on fish, it might be supposed that he
would have taken the trouble 10 make himself ac
quainted with the facts of the case. We regret,
however, that in this instance as in all others to
which We have referred, ne has failed to do 80. and
has permitted himself to be deceived by the fraud
ulent statements published in many of the Brit
sh free trade papers of the day, readers will
see by examination of the following facts
In 1889, when protection still continued, and
before the utter ruin which, under the revenue ia
riff fell upon the manufactures of the country the
following was the state of the trade in fish
"is' sa od Exported Eaue Value per q"tal
In ls4l-2, under the tariff of that period,
ii was as follows:
Qui,ltals Exported. Tai,p. Average.
$40 600 S73OlO7 ss2 10
The quantity had thus increased nearly forty per
cent, while the total value had declined about Jour
teen per cent, and the price per quinlal had de.
clined almost forty per cent In this state Of
reme depression, It was found by the tariff of 1912,
and time was needed to bring about balance be-
tween product and consumption and this was be-
ing done, as ID shown by the following statement
of the operations of the year 1856;
tuintais Exported Value. Per Quintal.
3s9,7Ol $s3o,o9i So 40
The quantity had grown nearly twelve per cent,
and the amount received for it twenty seven per
cent, while the price per quinta had grown twelve
and a half per cent.
In 1857 the following the movement:
Qaintais Exported. Yaus. Per Quintal.
24S, 1872 $5l2,I17 50 DC
Instead of price increasing under the tariff of
1916, with VAT increase Of quantity, have here
quantity and price both diminishing, the whole
amount received having been little more than the
half OF what was received in 1856, while the
duction in quantity had been little more than one
third.
In the following year, 1880, we find further
dlmlnution In quantity, and now the price Is re-
stored to that at which il stood in 1885, and this
restoration ID obtained at the cost OF one half of the
trade that was maintained in lSi5 6-the period
| of thorough and complete protection-as is here
shown
Quintals Exported. Value. Per Quintal.
POI $3.50 S456,793 So 40
The following year gives further reduction of
quantity, with increase of price; thus establishing
the correctness of the views of hose no teach that
the way to obtain large prices abroad ia not in
| crease the quantity seeking foreign market, but
to adopt that policy which tends to make a market
at home, as was 80 rapidly being done under the
tariff of 1912:
t2tintais Exported paiue. Per Quinial
$4,000 S45l COL 50 10
DESTROYS to bring this statement down to the lat
est possible moment, we have procured a return of
the exports of the port Of New York for the first
quarter of the present fiscal year, which is here
compared with similar return for the quarter end
ing December 81. ls45, period long preceding the
slightest apprehension of any deficiency in the po-
tato crop Of Ireland:
Quintais Exported. Value. Per Quintal
l-45. -l5779 S42,4l7 50 10
1881. ,l21 % $50 . Is
Instead OF vast increase of quantity and in
crease OF price, we here that it ia only mt the
cost of nearly one half Of the trade the price is be-
ing maintained. II is really 10 be regretted that
gentlemen occupying SO responsible situation as
that Of a member for the Heightened State OF Mas
sachusetts ehould permit themselves to be ceived
into the endorsement OF sta ements utterly fraud
ulent and particularly when the interests OF their
own immediate constituents SO deeply involved
az is the case In the present instance.
IL was asserted that the tariff Of ISIS tended TO
diminish our commerce with the world, and il wac
| abolished 10 make place first for the compromise
and then for the strictly revenue tariff under
which the nation involved in bankruptcy that
led to the establishment Of the system of 1928
under the tariff of 1912. The same assertion was
then made in relation to that tariff which was re-
placed by the act of 1876, under. which we were TO
extend our commerce with all the nations OF the
world, and TO supply them with food TO the extent
OF hundreds Of millions Of dollars How far the
results obtained have corrcsponded with the pre-
dictions, may be judged from the following state
ments OF the value of exports of fish, intervals of
hive years, under the different systems.+