New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-12-21
averaged two millions and half again. saca

Their no Logger existed Gpy debt IN sD'oro th1 SIT
pIus-,Le whole AMOUNT On Sep. 30 l-39, having
be. but sbou; Elk millions of dollars. To Sc.
eomrl. n that o. iect the tariff Of i-3l was passed
by which uGa, maintaining The Proiee'ir, Pr'n''-
,i.s riieh constituted the basis Of The isr,T Of lc!''
ter. coffee wines and ether articles thai sc did
not produce were freed from all duy; and thus
had protection led to free-trsde. Under that law,
duties in the his hest degree protective continued
to be paid until December, 1898; when, under the
Compromise which had been passed in the precei-
ing March. there was reduction OF oae-tensh
of the excess over % per cen'.-s1d thus 1t was
that in almost all ,s protective features the tirlh
of Ie2c conti1ued to be the law Of the land until
December, l-35, when another tenth Of che ex-
cess was reduced.
The resi- question between Tas Journal aud
ourselves 10 "a to the working OF protection on
one side and British free trade on the other; and
10 us it is quite unmpertsnt whether that pro-
lection " az afforded in tie words Of the scts OF
Ie2s. 1892, or 1888. Not with TAs Jour
nal; 1t would have US assert that certain
things were done under the words Of the act Of
Is2s that it might prove US wrong, while
showing tina. we were RICH. in spirit. That pro.
lection, and full protection, was afforded by all
those scts until December, 1885, we know, and
so does The Journal That specie continued to
flow n so long as protection was afforded, The
journal knows as well as We do, but is desires 20
prove that that result was not obtained under the
form of words used in TIE act Of lSl-; and that is
an object worthy both Of itself AMI the cause in
defense of which it is forced TO manufacture false
statements.
But for the enormous amount Of foreign debt
discharged in the years from l-24 TO lS3o, the
i'm port Of specie would have been vastly greater,
and this il shown by the fact that in l-33-i, and
ls3i-5, the import exceeded twenty millions.
Prior TO those years the balance of trade had
been largely In our favor that, notwithstanding
the payments on account Of the debt, the excess
export Of specie had been eighteen millions;
whereas the excess export in three years only
prior to the passage of the act OF 1874 had been
more than twelve millions. II suits Tn, Journal,
however. to claim az British free trade year. all
that followed after tie passage Of the highly pro-
tectye tariff Of l-32, and 10 club together all the
years from that period to 1871, for the purpose Of
using the specie imported in the early years for
the purpose OF keeping 1t Of view the fact tina.
nearly all the specie tt Ewas not boarded in the
closing year of the Bri. sh free trade period WAS
sent out the country and th,. shinplasters were
the only currency in nearly all the STATES south
and west Of New England.
1t ha., We doubt Tot, happened to mos. Of our
readers 70 see men who, after having for years
lived seberly and been enabled to provide re-
specially for their wives and children, have be-
come intemperste, ard have gradually sunk into
poverty carrying down with them their wives
and children. Others of them have seen men
that have been Incorporate become reformed, snd
pass from poverty upward, until, at length, they
have established themselves as respectable and
prosperous men. Now, . man who desired to
prove the advantages Of temperance, or disadvan-
isges Of intemperance, would see that both Of
them must become more fully developed with the
progress of time, and that be would greatly
weaken bic cause by taking, in either case, the
,sGr Of change, or even the frat or second, that
followed it, AID that the longer the period the
ore con pete could be bis demonstration. An
other, desiring TO prove the con,rary-the dis
advantage Of temperance, aud the beneficial
effect Of rum dfinking-wOuld pursue contrary
course saying, here is, as you see. sober man,
and would then give the facts Of bis life at the
period when be had been rumd rinker, thus
proving that sobriety and poverty go together,
precisely e. does The J0urna! when it connects
protection with the events that immediately fol-
lowed the close Of the British free-!rsde period
Of 1-il-2. Next, be would say, here is a rum
drpker, and then be would give the facts Of his
life at the period when lie had been sober and
prudent man; and thus could be prove that rum
drinking and prosperity went together, precisely
ss does The JOurnG! when it takes 1851 and
l-i6-7 for Briti,h free trade.
Let Us LOW suppose that book to that effect
were to fall int the hands Of our strictly moral
friend Of The Journal to be reviewed. Would it
not denOunce il as being 10 the last degree men
dscious, and its suthor as being wholly unworthy
to be received in society among gentlemen
We think j. would, and tina. it would Do 90
rightly. It's author might, however, turn round
upon bis critics, saying: Ny friends, / am only
following your example. When you wish to
prove the advantage Of British free trade, you
always find Jour best years at the commence
"nent and your ruiDOus once st the close; and
"thst is precisely the case with myself when
wish to prove the advantage Of rum-drnking.
1t would ruin my cause were l TO exhibit my
people after they had been ten years engaged
in drinking rum, quite as much as it would
ruin yours were you to show up the closing
years Of the freetIsde periods tina. ended in
"l-24 and l-42. Again, when you wish TO prove