New-York daily tribune., 1854-09-14

Of the stick used in measuring il. II could ou'
expel the "yardstieks ks" altogether or renie'
them 50 scarce that man would work whoe
dsy for two cents, as they do in lndis, the
procuctiveness Of labor would be almost
incalculsbe. The journal which dean IN
such ideas as that we have quoted must GER
tsnly feel very confident that the race of fools has
not vet become extinct. Had he supposed
himself writing fer thinking men he would ser-
tsinly have taken the trouble to satisfy himself
that with every increase in the production OF
cloth there was still more rapid increase Ia the
power TO obtain 'yardstcks " by which TO meas
ure il; that increase in the productive power of
nation has iHrariaSiy been attended with in
crosse in the power TO obtain and to retain gold,
with constant decline in the rate Of interest; and
that an advance in that rate is an infaIlible evil
dence OF declining production. Had he supposed
himself writing for thinking people, he might
have taken the trouble to apply his barometer to
the events Of the past ffteen years, with view
to discover its value. Doing so, he would have
discovered that, according to his theory, the
labor of the country should have been most pro-
ductive in lSil-2. when money was almost unit-
tainable, labor unstable wages low, and trade
almost defunot-and that it should have been
most unproductiye in 1916, when money was
abundant, labor in demand wages high, and trade
in the highest degree animated. 1t is really time
that men who undertake to instruct the world
should qualify themselves for doing by at least
a litle--if only very little-study of the ele-
mcnts of the science they propose to teach.
The high rates of interest in the earliest OF
those terrible years referred to by the The
Le6gtr, were then regarded by such people ss
these as evidences of prosperity, but even they
can low see that they were but proofs of the
steadily growing weakness that in every country
follows in the wake OF British free trade.
Our friend of The Bulletin is not, however,
satisfied with showing how much our opposition
to rum selling and slave driving vitistes our ideas
in matters Of finance, but proceeds to show that
it equally disquali6es us for judging of that great
Pro Slavery measure of the last session. the sham
reciprocity treaty, ratified by Congress with
view TO keep the British Provinces out of the
Union. He tells his readers that we and the
other "protectionists" desire that food may be
dear, while Ire and the other free traders desire
that it may be cheap. IL however, we reeOllect
rightly, ii is but little while since Mr.. Walker,
The Unicn, and the rest of his brother free
traders-the special representatives OF the money
lenders of the cOmmunity-denOunced us and
other advocates Of protection as desiring to cheap
en- food in the interests of the manufacturers
The farmers were then told that to enable them
to have nigh prices for food they must crush the
manufacturers; and the latter are now told that
to have cheap food they must crush the farmers.
The South has sho wn itself always ready to ally
itself with tie West against the miners and man.
ufacturers Of the Middle and Eastern States; but
it has now balanced the account by allying itself
with the manufacturers and fishermen of the
East against the farmers of the Middle and the
West; and i! is in favor of this latter alliance
that our free trade friend of The Bulletin is now
so strenuous.
But few years since we were told that free
trade would enable us by this time to export food
to the amount Of many hundreds Of millions of
dollau. Now, We are to have more free trade,
that we may be enabled to feed our own people.
Then, we were to have free trade that we might
import more of that most valuable commodity
called gold. Now, free trade exports all the gold,
and it has ceased to have value-haying become
mere "ysrdstcks." Then, we were to bring all
the world in debt to US. Now, we are in debt to
all the world. ard are shaking in our shoes with
the arrival of each successive steamer, lest some
of the claims upon us may be returned for pay.
ment. Then, We were to close up all the small
furnaces that we might have iron cheap. Now,
iron has become 90 dear that the country is COW
cred with half hIished roads that are to wait for
the rising of the tide that will never come until
We shall have total change of commercial policy.
Then we were rich, and becoming richer from
day TO day. now We become poorer from day to
day, and with every day the power of the money
lender grOws-and does so by help of the Sham
Democracy, with whose policy The Bulletin has
now allied itself. We beg it, however, to study
carefully the chances Of the wind. Unless We are
greatly in error it does not set in the direction Of
Pro-ssvery or British free trade, and skiful as
is our cotemporary in trimming his sails, he may
find himself on a lee shore when ne LEAST ex-
poets it.