New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-02-28

under the preceding Tariff Of 1874. But who does
not know that all conclusions drawn from such cal
culasions a. these are gross delusionsi The short
crop of ls30-3l in Europe enhanced prices. The
famine of ls46-47 did the same. Whassense Is there
N imputpe to either Tariff these results consider
;ny the circumstances under which they occurred
And n it is In regard TO prices, 80 is it in regard TO
the amount of exports. The export Of our bread
stnffs ar provisions will always be measured, not
bv our high or low Tariffs, but by the wants Of
Furope arising from their own short crops Thus
the average Of our exports OF flour under the high
Tariff of 1913 was about 900 bbls. annually.
Under the Tariff of 1924 it was but 800 900 bbls and
under the Compromise Tariff OF 1889 II was scarcely
half million OF barrels. This would plainly show,
arguing Ia RANToUI, that high Tanf promotes
exports OF breadstuffs, and low Tariff operates the
reverse But the fact is, 1t shows nothing about it,
one way or the other. And all the statistics Mr..
RANrouL has exhibited to show the favorable opera
ton OF the Tariff OF 1916, in promoting exports, rests
upon no better foundation than would deduction
of the kind alluded to- II men argue merely to make
out case, we think statistics enough can be found
to be pressed into the support Of any doctrine, how
ever absurd. In the hands OF an ingenious MAJ, no
lying can be made greater than the lying of figures
Another gross delusion connected with the Tariff
question, and is intinated BY Mr.. RANrouL, 10 the
idea that the property OF country IL to be measured
In q considerable degree, by the amount OF Its I'M
ports and exports. Yet they really have little or
nothing to do with IT, Probably the greatest import
ing and exporting country on the globe, IN proper
ton to its population, is the island OF New-Found
land With only so 900 inhabitants, its exports are
between four and FIVE millions Of dollars per annum,
and its imports the same. Commercially, this Is
great show and sounds wonderfully well for its
prosperity But it is, nevertheless lean, unthrity,
halfstaIyed country. On the other hand, Prince
Edwards Island possessing not far from the same
population, and in close proximity to it, one oftae
most thrifty well to do and prosperous communities
on the Continent. Yet its exports and Imports are
scarcely nothing. They do not exceed much, II any,
hundred thousand dollars year These are SIN ali
countries to be sure. but they answer for lussra-
TONS as well il they were larger 1t is not i'm.
ports and exports that make a country prosperous
1t is a diversified production.
But one ofthe coolest things said by Mr.. RANrouL,
lie his declaration that the sending OF California
gold out of the coutry is all that saves us from nnu-
merable disasters II we KEEP. the gold, he says, we
should have entailed upon us the greatest Of ca
lamties" at would says he, throw all our busi-
ness relations into state of perfect anarchy II we
as badly off as he describes If we should keep but
quarter of our annual supply, our case would be
better but still should suffer wretchedly but by
exporting it all, We come out safe and sound out OF
the devlish clutches Of the gold diggers and get
most gloriously. Well, this is novel view and we
are reoiced to find We have one man in the country
who possesses sagaclty enough to point out and
measure the mischief OF having too much money,
oh lrot
from unreasonable evils, by having it sent out OF
the country fast as it This is to be set
down to the credit of the Tariff of 1916, OF
This not only opens the gate to let in all foreign
commodities but opens it to let out all pssIi
lent money, which MIR. RANToUL evidently considers
to be the root Of all evil"
Alas The world has been awfully deludei. The
impression has strangely prevailed that full supply
OF the hard, solid cash was a good thing. Men 20
get it, and the individual man who is successful aad
makes his "pile of the genuine California, is reck-
oned the fortunate fellow. Gold Why what is
the world after but goidl And is it really no ad'
vantage to the individual to have heap OF 1t And
is not the nation composed of individuals What is
good for the one must be good for the many. Too
much money, indeed Too rich, fsrsooth
We do not require to be told that the substantial
wealth OF Nation does not lie In its supply OF the
precious metals But we are, for the first time infor
ed that full metallic circulating medium the posses
sion of gold in such plentiful Quantities that it
would "fow up the Mississippi" would be the
"ereatest of calamaties" 1t has been left to Mr..
RANTouL to discover that; a, d he undertakes TO
show how profound his observation is, by pointing
US to Spaln who once fought gold iras wealth. aud
leg slated accordingly. This may answer for the
fishermen OF Marblehead and the shoemakers OF
Lynn, in Mr.. RANrouL's estimation, but We give
them credit for the possession of sense than to
be caught by such chaff
One of Mr.. RASTouLs coadjutors in the Railroad
line, Mr.. Secretary WALKER does not think the pos
session OF the "vile dross would be such terrific
calamity as it is alleged to be by Mr.. RANroUL He
has been down on his marrow bones before the Eng
lish and Continental capitalists fer year or So try
ing to beg millions of dollars OF them to build
a great Railroad in Illinois and if we mistake not
MI RASTouL wrote pamphlet last winter to ali
him in bis application. Illinois would not consider
herself ruined by getting fifteen twenty millions
of this same California gold And we don't suppose
any other State in the Union would refuse like in
ssallment on the ground that it would 80 throw all
their business relations into state of perfect anar
chy," and be to them "the greatest of calamities"
Even Mr.. RANTouL cannot be supposed to believe
the money would be such a serious damage to Hi
nois, or he would not have been guilty of aiding and
abettipg their application for it through their syco
phantic agent. And If Illinsis can take fifteen mil
lions, not only without detriment, but with positive
benefit, ny not the RESI- of the country in the sane
proportion
But we have no room OF disposition to pursue this
question. We have always been vsrdant enough to
suppose that one of the great wants Of new, -four
iAhing, enterprising country, was full currency
and that while gold is the standard Of value cur
rency is so good gold. And we always took it to
be fact, that nothing would so much promote en-
terprise, stimulate production, diversity industry
build up villages towns and cities and infuse life
into an the various channels Of business and 90 de-
velop all the resources of a country, as sound and