The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-10-23

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fcothold for 1860 in solitary Northern State,
To this end the mplacable and treaoherous
fire-eaters Of the South, whose bread Of life is
agitation. secession, dsunion and civil war, are
actively working in behalf Of Douglas for with
them nothing is more desirable than purely
sectional organization of parties, and that politi
cal chaos and revolutionary confusion from
which reckless and worthless ilbusters and
loafers are az likely to rise to the surface as
honest men. In this downws-.Gs vendency Of
/, parties ana racii6ns to sectional discords and
civil strife, the only remaining bulwark of safety
is the federal administration; and we dare say it
will rise in the confidence of the country as the
party leaders and cliques which have betrayed it
will sink into public contempt
| Trade, Tariffs and Noney-The Causes which
Stimulate and Deprcss the Republic Of
Commerce.
Whenever the times are good, business brisk,
| speculation prosperous, values advancing, and
every one is impressed with the belief that he is
doing well or getting rich, the public mind Is
| perfectly satisfied with the existing Legislation
| affecting public economy, and every advocacy
| Of a change is exceedingly unpopular. But no
| sooner does the aspect of affairs change, and
times become hard, business curtailed, the bub-
| bles Of speculation broken, values shrunk from
| their imitation and every one impressed with
vague fear that he is getting poorer, or likely to
| do So than Immediately all kinds of protective
projects are started, and a vague impression is
| produced that everybody would be great deal
better off for little special legislation in favor
| of his particular branch Of business. Men be-
come dissatisfied with existing legislation, and
| without any regard for its consistency or incon-
sistency with the principles that are the corner
| stones of public as well as private prosperity,
are willing to lend an ear to the hope that some
change in the tariff or currency laws of the
country can be made to improve the remunera
ton of their own particular occupation.
| This is the key to the present twaddle in re-
gard to protective tariff, as well as to that Of
former times. Ambitious demagogues endeavor
| to impress people with the belief that they can
devise scheme of legislation which shall put
money in everybody's pocket And the greatest
wonder they profess to be able to perform is,
that they can do this remarkable feat without
taking the money they are going to bestow so
lavishly out of the pockets Of anybody else. 1t
| is only at time when men generally feel that
almost any change would be an improvement
that such nonsense will go down with the public.
The entire country is suffering from the reaction
consequent upon the fever of speculation which
held possession Of it for several years, and which
broke with such fearful results year ago. The
| money value Of almost everything has fallen
greatly; but the truth is that relative values re-
main very nearly where they were before. Yet
trade is dull, manufactures depressed, agricul
tural and mining productions in langud demand
and the exchanges of products of all kinds are
carried on with apathy. There is one great fact
consequent upon this state of things Abstract
and moral questions are completely thrust aside,
and the public mind will entertain only such as
have practical and material bearing. Kansas
and popular sovereignty, bred Scott and aboli-
tionism, with all their kindred issues, are con-
| signed to oblivion.
| 1t is this state Of the public mind that will
| press upon Congress, during the coming session,
the consideration of questions Of purely econo-
| mical character. With the decline in values,
and the accompanying decline in the quantity of
exchanges the ad ralorem system Of our tariff has
proved complete failure and its cumbersome
machinery and unequal operation have come to
press sorely upon commerce. Its petty exac-
tions o. forms and certificates and its nice dis
ordinations Of values. huctuating with the
daily rise and fall Of thousand markets. are
now seen TO be sore burtbens, when during a
prosperous era they passed unnoticed. The IT,
riff must undergo revision, both in its charac-
ter for producing revenue and for the equal dis
tribution Of the burthen Of taxation. But il Is
fallacious to suppose that il can be in any way
made an instrument to produce general rcv-
val Of business. such a result can only be
brought about by some great external cause.
| which shall open new channels for trade. and
new markets. both for the supply and the con-
sumption OF products.
II, for instance, Cuba were brought into
| the Union, there would be an immediate
humiliation Of that adverse balance Of trade
| which for the last few years has accumulated to
twenty or twenty-five millions Of dollars yearly
| against us. She would take from us-in return
| for the sugar we receive from her-hour, meats
and cotton goods to that amount. which she is now
prevented from taking by special Legislation.
This alone would bring about great activity in
the production and exchange of those great
| staples which would have an immediate effect
upon every branch Of business in the country,
and produce reciprocal action upon each COM
muniiy that would be highly beneficial so, too
with Mexico. If the now unproductive mines
and fields Of that republic were open TO Amcri-
can enterprise under an American guarantee Of
public order, there would be a vast field OF en-
ployment for capital and labor that would operate
like magic upon both countries. Not only would
business revive with us. but so great is our in