Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-01-17


log held accountable for proof Once to COZ
sent to such a thing by tie deliberate action
o. Congress, is to leave the public IN posses
sion, not merely Of the liberty but OF the
icentiOusness of the press, and thus 10 destroy
the value of the former by consentlng 10 the
latter To be just to itself and TO the people
of the United States, Congress should hold
every respectable member OF the press respol-
! sible for the proof of anything special and
defnite asserted against the integrity Of its
membership If the proof is wanting the
disgrace of q false accusation will at least
fall upon the newspapers through which it is
is made But, without regard to any conse-
! quences which may attach to an accuser, or
tie press in his control, let US have our legis.
lative bodies above public reproach, and not
by etfeoting contempt for the press sink be-
meath it,"
These reflections of the SIM will find re-
Spouse. wc take it, in the minds of all right
thinking men
The Tariff.-We take the following puugent
and practical remarks from late number of
the Charleston Mercury, and ask for the ideas
they embrace upon the philosophy of the cur
rent revenus-obtaining system of the Govern
ment Of the United States, calm consideration
on the part of Congress, in the belief that they
will strike the minds of all with force:
1--WE are compelled 10 repeat ideas that we
have frequently uttered, but this is absolutely
certain, that the Government of the United
States IS exclusively supported by exactiors
upon articles of foreign production, which como
in competition with those produced In certain
portions Of the ConfedeIacy. Weleave out of
consideration the value Of the public lands,
because, under the present system Of squan-
deriDg they have ceased to be q su. startial
part of the revenues Of the Government The
expenses Of the land system. the annpities to
the Indian tribes for their reinq aishment, the
military cost for their defence, and the eno--
nous donations to every sort OF scheme OF ~.
ternal improvement, more than swallow I'D
the GovernIuent's share OF the proceeds Of
sales We have, then, commerce alone as the
means OF supporting the Federal Government,
and Of that commerce single section-the
abused and prosecuted Soutb-furnishes the
only permanent nutriment. Alone, the South
relies upon itself, upon the natural profits of
is own industry for its sustsnance. In addi-
tion to its own support, it bears the great
burden Of supporting that eXtravagant Gov
erEneIt which lives upon It's commercial ex.
changes.
Take S single example: The American,
just published Ia Boston. furnishes US with
bcrstfCl list OF manufactures in Massachusetts,
Tucse amounted altogether, in 1855, tn $685.
S20,68i. or sav three hundred ,1;!li- u ~ dol
las. Counting over Ibis list, r.ie great arii-
ciss ,ro U..ErtIcturss c: cotton, wool, leather
and lTpn. ur5., which there 3-e protective du-
ties Of D dad 30 per cent. Nearly all the
lesser iteDIs would come under tho came de-
scrlptiOn; AM & is fair TO state the. there s
levied in favor Of the entire manuiactur;n.
industry Of Massachusetts, by the action Of
tie Government, tho enormous tribute of fev.
enty-fye millions Of dollars annually. Allow.
ing to the manufacturers q profit Of eight rer
cent annually on the profits of their industry,
and making the liberal allowance that they
sell their products, on On average, 10 per cent
cheaper IL the narke. than tie foreign arti
cles, the result is that the people Of the United
States pay annually more shan forty five mil.
lions Of dollars, as a bounty 10 support the
manufacturing industry of a single State, and
that State represented in the Senate by Sum
ner and w ilsnn, and in the House by Buflin.
game
. We do nGt envy Massachusetts,. Her p1Os-
perity has been derived by sucking the blood
of the Confederacy. Without it, her manu-
featuring Industry would never have existed,
and could Tot new live. ReIeal our Protec-
tive Tariff end all this vast network of profit
able industry end enterprise would rot AMI
perish, without leaving a memorial behind il.
Even the boas;ed school for seamep,n the
tioD Of her politicians, been dependent for
their very existence upon the bounties Of tie
Federal Government
In the meantime, what has been tle con-
fi.ion Of the great Industrial interests which
have supported the Government Of the coua-
try Tho tobacco, cotton and rice from the
South have been, for half century, the great
articles Of our export, and, by consequence,
tic great sources of public revenue They
hIT
when nominal duty was levied upon cores
poIding articles, there was nothing to com
pete with them in the markets of the world
and in pure shame, under the Tariff of 1916,
these nominal duties we're removed. They
have lived by their own vitality, and have a.
pended, for their supremacy, upon the intelli
gence and systematic labor of the Southern
by the professed philanthropists of the people
who have fattened On its abundant results"
The Hon John Barney-Ihe fair reader
will find on our FIRST page to- day, still another
very interesting chapter Of gossip, from the
pen Of that veteran leader of the haut ton
and solace to gentle ladies the country over,
tie Her John Barney. 1t is characteristic
as much so as his late rschsrrhe, earnest and
that the two-Mr. Buchanan and Gen. Cass-
had made the bargain that :uTns out to be NO
bargain at all, st ali We shall on Tuesday
next treat the Star readers to another bril-
liant chapter from the forthcoming work Of
Mr. Il wherein he will shine as the very
Fresnei light Of literary. fashionable and 20.
litical gossip
The House Investigating Ccmmittee.-We
hear that the session of this committee held
yesterday extended to six hours duration.
To-day the Hon. 6 W Chase, late a member
OF Congress from New York, was examined, it
is said, in connection With newspaper rumo..
concerning the pending Minnesota Railroad
Land Donating bill, and that the completion
Of bis examination was deferred until Monday
morning next
hessrs kirgman the correspondent Of the
New York JoEyn0i of Commerce, and J S