The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-06-21


The TARIFF SwNDIE AeAN.-Mr. Pierce
objects to the tariff reported by the Com
mittee Of Ways and Means. So say certain
of his organs, with what authority we have
yet to learn. From obvious reasons, how
ever, we are inclined to attach faith to their
statement. We think it quite likely that the |
President was unwilling to suffer any diminu-
ton Of the customs revenue, however slight 1t
might be. With Santa Anna to support
refractory Congressman to buy up friends to
subsidy, and personal and national schemes of
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT to realize, Mr.. Pierce might
well shrink from surrenderin9 to the people
single dime which might come into the public
Golfers. We are net surprised therefore that
he is said to demur to the Introduction of ia
riff bill, under which the public revenue would
pe reduced to even less than it was two years
ago. II is true that our revenue even then was
more than we required, and that corruption and
prodigality had then made their appearance in
high quarters, begotten and bred by the
plentifulness Of public money. 1t is quite true
that forty five millions Of dollars from the Gus
toms would be more than we now require, and
far surpassed in 1866 and 1857 1t is perfectly
obvious that the Committee of Ways and Means
were well aware of these facts, and that they
stretched q point against their conscience in
order to meet the views of the admins
traton. Still Mr.. Pierce was not salts
fed. The customs he'd produced fifty
eight millions in the fiscal year 1923
and the first quarter Of 1854 had yielded the
still greater revenue of nineteen millions of
dollars. He saw no reason why he should part
with cent. To offer him forty five millions
ard half, when by letting matters alone, he
might get fifty eight, and was sure of fifty, was
to insult his understanding. Accordingly we
learn that Mr.. Pierce will throw the admins
tration influence into the scale opposed to the
project of the committee, and it is fair to con-
clude that it will not pass.
This is the sum and product Of the vaporings
of the last Presidential message about depicting
the Treasury. Mr.. Guthrie's scheme was libe-
raj. He intended to have q much larger free
list than the Committee of Ways and Means
have reported, and his scale of duties was gene
rally lower. We did not consider his scheme
sufficiently liberal at the time it was proposed,
and suggested that several other commodities
which he left dutiable should be added to the
free list. We were still in measure under
the ridiculous delusion that Pierce spoke the
truth, and that, when he said he intended to
cut down the rates of duties, he did not mean
to keep them at their present figure or to in
crease them. The last seven months have
pretty effectually cured US of this hallucna-
ton. Mr.. Guthrie's scheme had hardly seen the
light when the President, who knows no more
than On infant of political economy and whose
idea of politics is medley of rhetoric,
intrigue, and trickery, began to scheme
about the Gadsden treaty. This Jared
with the plan Of reducing the revenue. Then
came grave doubts of Mr.. Pierces character,
and with them an amount Of personal unpopu-
larity for which the new President was unpre-
pared: this storm he dared not meet with
short supply Of funds. The excitement reused
by the Nebraska BILL and the clamor in rela-
ton to Cuba, gave him fresh trouble and fresh
need for money. For, like the Englishman
whose belly must be full or he cannot fight
Mr.. Pierce's political stamina were DESTROYED
when his purse grew lean. He could not bear
the thought of depriving himself Of the means
of corruption. He could not do without buying
mems cOnsciences, and he could buy no one
with poor treasury. His prestige began to
wane at the very rumor. So Mr.. Pierce al
the administration would be brought to bear
against any bill framed in the sense Of the re-
port Of the Secretary of the Treasury. This
gave some embarrassment and probably caused
some delay to the committee; which, all other
things being equal, was rather disposed to in
crease than to curtail the deductions proposed
by Mr. Guthrie. The Presidential hint being un-
equivocal, however, the committee had to choose
between doing nothing and framing bill which
might embody mean between the require
,nents Of the country and the avaricious appre-
tensions of the Executive. They adopted the
latter course, and the consequence is the scheme
under which, with an importation of dutiable
articles amounting to two hundred and thirty
three millions, customs revenue Of nearly
forty-fve millions and half would be levied
To this we demur, as an insufficient measure Of
popular relief; to this Mr.. Pierce demurs in
like manner, because he thinks it affords too
much relief to the people, and tends to impo-
verish the country.
If all the material necessaries of life were at
this moment as low, in proportion to the value
Of labor, as they have usually been, we might
feel disposed to resign ourselves for the pre-
sent to the pitiful boon offered us by the COM
mittee, aud might rest content with sneer at
the President. But the matter is too serious for
either resignation or sneers. Rents are enor-
nous, and beef, bread, vegetables and every
other n4essary have risen fifty per cent within
the last twenty to twenty-five months. The
price Of labor has not kept pace with them
The strikes of last autumn have in the bulk of
cases led to no permanently beneficial results.
Hence, in the midst Of very great general
nrQsneritx W. haaifata not 70 COLI 4Ls4 49,