Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1855-01-27
Tariff Philosophy.

There - good deal al iarif phiosopny anodt w
fhe newspapers now days, and u IS sevhent nal
ihe state of The county is botherIng The bfalus
OF political economists of every class II is worthy
offemark, that hat is popularity termed "a crisis"
in monetary Affairs is sure TO shake the faith Of
many even in sound principles, Who are them
selves unstable N mind. Nor in monetary affairs
alone There men in church and -laie whose
principles are sn exceedingly lax that il is Only ne
cessary to pul .iven purpose heloe Them, and
principle l. d"llhe aely laid by until that purpose
Is accomplished la This matter nf The taIl1, we
men again uaerly al HISS Tor position and
somH who have sirennously advncatd revenue
'arf IhSi DIS likely 10 write themselves down pro-
tee IonISls, prohlbl'icnis,S, or hing else, until
anoher cycle o! infa'it has maze NJ ORGY scarce
and paper plenty, 10 be Jlluwed bs another crisis
and ca-h.
Oae al The mos coceh arguments about the Ia
rlh is tedurel hon The extravaganza Of The times
The low tarff, it Is said, fosters ex'ravaganre and
is HE fGuilfuI of our ndeb ediess Europe
Luxures are TOO cheap The poor can get al Ihrm
Those who can vi afford II are tempted by them
This may be irne tn who III the world would ever
ihIuk OF plying snch Argument against low
'antf but lhnse who have nothing else! Luxurles
will always Temp somebody y-some class of peo-
pie vino can. comparatively, bu, i'll afford them
lei the price be what il may. But there multi
tudes who abstain from exiravagance, while those
who tempted gather experience in due season
II il were possible uxures should be accessible
10 the poor the rich, though it is true that many
things deemed inxuries are pernicIous in the ex
lreme. Make luxuties common and they cease
10 be temptations. II is the scarc.y OF The diamond
not lis usefulness, that gives ii value Who would
be doomed 10 lve upon confectionery! But tor the
Hioernicsm we should say that man would die
worse than felon's deah
The exlravagance of The times, the folly of The
times, the ruin of the lines, do not proceed from
The temptation OF cheap luxuIies There are a va
re Y ol causes, each of which has contributed lis
proportion TO The whole. One of The most prolific
sun'ces of The mischief is in the desperate hurry
ol men to be rich; and monetary crisis is the
wois evil that flows from this cause Wide spread
decentralization, fraud, tEickery, ovsr-reach;ng
ming, and all sorls Of mar Glveting for the mupl
ca'l0n OF the dollar, have contributed al once cause
and Effect in the general pursuit Of wealth. Pru
dence has been lost sight of, if she has venlured
10 show herself il all admonon, she has been
secuted from the scene, with something OF The
traLtc fury with which Macbeth is accustomed 20
q back QUIZ the ghost Of his quondam lieutenant
Blnqno. Railroad Il stock specuIaiions have swamp
ed Iheir thousands. Business engagements ulieI-
ly beyond the means and resources Of the men who
have ventured their all in Ihem, have carried down
many more And how To account for these
Ihngs! Credit and fictitious capi'al are The under
laying rotlenness
Ihe peHod oi Intil'Ion-the process Of artificial
iy, has duped many loeIabie shlewd and well
meaning man. There are mui,udes of small bu
sness men who making Two, three or four thous
aid dollars-nomnaly-in '52 and Sand liv-
in1 up 10 it, very naturally believe that by The same
industry aud perseverance, and little more effort
they would make one two or three thousand more
III 81 aud '55, and they live accordingly, in al.
vance, upon credit, which working both ways,
when the reality came-that is the pressure or The
crisis, as you choose-cu both ways Reckless
men on bo;h sides carried down even the prudent
aud well-meaning.
There is in The inadequate produce OF our coun-
Try, great cause oil The difficulties we experience
Old lands that ought 10 be rich and fertile are worn
ont and unproducrIpe. Our agricultural labor IS in
efficient and Insufficient. There great room tor
improvement here. Let grain be grown abundant
ly, more abundaniy mnch more abunG antly and
tie farmer would be richer, while The price would
be much less, and that price constitute The standard
OF other values. But instead of bread, bank paper
is the standard of values, and precious comnod.
-ty il is Banking facilities for speculation in bread
and meat are curse 10 the country; and there are
some sections of the Union in which these fac.
ties are gwen to an unlimited extent for such pur-
poses.
We have only 10 examine with a candid spirit
our domestic condition 10 find ample causes for the
monetary paralysis under which we suffer, and
which will continue until the ro,enness of The
times is pursed out. To denounce The tariff is but
10 confess our inability for SELF goUernme,at in The
most direct meaning OF The lerm.-Baltimore Sun