The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-07-12
THE TRIBUNE AND PROTECTION.

Some weeks ago we took occasion to point
out what we considered the anomalous and
mischievous position of the New York Tribune,
on the Turco-Russian Question. The discus
sion between US was continued for short time,
until suddenly broken off, by the refusal of the
Tribune to answer, or even allude to, our last
article, in which, with great reluctance, We were
constrained to expose its extraordinary incon-
sistency. The fair inference was, the Tribune
being silent, that the article was not to be an
swered.
Meantime, the question of Protection having
been incidentally referred to in the course of the
discussion, the Tribune wrote an article on
that subject, proposed to us to reprint it in the
Era, and reply to it, promising to insert our
reply in its columns. 1t is Question, not now
before the People, question, requiring much
attention and research, and to do full justice to
it and ourselves, we should be obliged to waive
for the present the more important claims of
the Cause of Freedom upon our columns. Be-
sides, the Era has but one editor, who must at
tend to manifold duties, while the Tribune has
twenty, so that one alone could devote himself
to the subject of the Tariff. These considera-
tons would have fully justified us in declining
the invitation of the Tri6une-but more for
the sake of defining clearly our position on
the Question of Protection, and putting our
readers in possession Of our general views, we
reprinted the Tribune article, and more than
answered it. Since then, the Tariff writer in
that paper has been going on with the discus
sion of the subject, making our article the text
of series of elaborate editorials, intended to
expose what he considers its fallacies.
We are content. Our views are before the
readers of the Tribune, and we are willing they
should be subjected to the most searching ex-
animation. On looking over the articles of
our friendly opponent, we see evidences of
much research, much earnestness, much skill,
but nothing to invalidate the force of our argu-
ment. We could easily strengthen our tables
by additional ones, expose the plausible objec-
tons raised against some of them, indicate
weak points in the argument of our opponent,
but, for the reasons above stated, we forbear.
Certainly, we're the question of urgent import
ance, we're its claims upon our attention greater
than those of the Slavery Question, or even
equal to them, it would give us real pleasure
to interchange ideas on the subject with our
courteous OPPONENT of the Tribune; but this
pleasure must be deferred. Meantime, several
illusions in the Iribuns's articles make it
proper that we should state our entire igno-
rance of the facts, figures, or arguments, of the
L,urnal Of Commerce on the Question of tho
Tariff, having never exchanged with that pa
per, and knowing it only by report, and through
occasional quotations, as a virulent enemy to
the cause of Freedom.
Governor johnson, of Georgia, who is a cam
didate for reelection, says that if Kansas is re-
fused admittance into the Union because of
having Slavery among its institutions, he will
endeavor to procure State Convention for the