New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1866-02-05
CIyR Us LIGHT

I'M recruits to the organization aforesaid, and
establishing branches thereof. So far, he IS
earning his bread in a lawful calling, and we
have nothing to say. But Mr.. Stern should be
careful to keep truth on his side; and that be is
not. For instance, in his st. Louis meeting, he
said of his employers in this CITY:
"You will see from the character Of the officers of the
League that il is composed of Of all shades Of potfl
cal opinion and that Mr. Bryant is at its head
Now, this conveys a false impression, and
was intended to convey it. The Free Trade
League derives its impulse and its 'sinewS OK
war from Europe, while it looks for its votes to
the Copperheads. There are not four persons
connected with the organization who are not
either already in full communion with the
Democratic party, or preparing and expecting
to be so before the next Presidential Election
And this Mr.. Stern cannot but know. lie says
to the St. Louis Disciples
Il have been asked how ii possible with oar heavy
National debt to organize system OF free trade Can
we pay the iyteres, National debt We have me
free trade system Ny answer is believe, losleal!
correct that for the very reason OF our DuIlDg Ma
tonal debt II Is necessary for TO Daugufate Oc
of free tradehat is to say policy OF revenue tai
interest, and not policy OF protective iatln nh!
person who has reflected the subject WIZ see a. once
that n revenue tariff differs In every respect nom
protective tariff protective tarih IS levied LOT the
purpose Of prohibiting importatlons OF foreign goou
and other goods taiin is levied Tor tne Pu
pose of counting the importation OF foreign goodsior
the purpose OF getting the largest amount OF revenue
and experience has shown that tne Tner you
i've per cent tariff would bring in more than ten pei
cent: and ten per cent larger amount than hileeh
per cent"
Now, if we had no experience in the
premises, this sort Of talk would not seem sol
reckless as it now does. But in les. we made our
Tariff Protective-the highest this country ever
had-in defiance of the shrieks and denuneia'
tons of the Free Traders (Mr. Bryant inclusive),
who insisted that our "Black Tariff would
stop Importaions, destroy Commerce, and dry
I'D the Revenue. A few years experience
utterly coniounded oil these predictions. I'M
portatons were not even diminished; Com.
merce hourishcd and expanded; the Revenue
steadily increased and we next had the Free
Traders clamoring for reduction of the Tarifi,
on the pretext-not that Industry and Trade
were depressed-eyen they had not the hardi-
hood 10 say that-but that the National Debt
was all but paid off, and the Revenue so redund-
ant that it must somehow be reduced.
Well they prevailed; and our Protective Du-
ties were gradually reduced to what oil the Free
Traders agreed was the proper Reenm Standard
twenty per cent. That point was hnany
reached by annual reductions in lci2; when the
Free-Trade millennium was fully inaugurated
But the Reconne Tariff failed to yield even
Twenty Millions per annum; the Government
without fraction of debt, and in time of pro-
found peace, fell hopelcssly in arrears; there
was no money in the Treasury; and this great
Nation sent its hat around to all the banks and
great capitalists Of America and Europe, ana
could not obtain Of them the pa.try sum or
81. 500 900 on its bonds at six per cent. Free
Trade had run us completely ashore.
We had TO return to Protection if only to OBJ
tain Revenue; and forthwith all was changed,
as if by magic. We had ample Revenue, pros
porous Trade, and a well rewarded, thriving In
dustry; even our importers did better than they
had done or could do under a Tariff Of their own
contrvng; and, as we have never since had so
low Tariff as we then discarded, our National
Revenue and Credit have never been so iorlorn.
Mr.. Stern, being then in Europe, may be igno-
rant Of these facts; but he ought not to remain
so; and his employers ought to teach him to-
avoid assertions which they and we all know to
be groundless.
Mr.. Stern proceeded TO inform the 81. Louis
cOniederatcs that
owe lof the Free Trade League In this Cityl have
received number o: pirate contributions ilom mer
chants in New. York rs hicn as 500 and sl.OO1 We
do not ask of hillary organizations anything In the
shape OF money any other aid except that they shall
organize themselves are organized, and dissent
nate our opinions in tracts which may be published"
Why "prirate contributions Why does
the League refuse to let us print the names of
these public spirited merchants" And why
should Ner- York bear all the cost Of running
this costly Free Trade machine, printing all the
tracts, &C., &c.l If Free Trade is TO be estab
lished for the benefit of all our people, why
should not st. Louis pay her share of the ex
pensel Is it right that doctriaaires like Messrs.
Bryant, Field, and Opdyke, or played-out dandies
like Carl Benson, should tax themse Ives 1.-THE
Of their income to enlighten the farmers of the
West as to their own pecuniary interest! Do
you believe they are likely to do it
People of the United States you note our
call for the names Of the men who are putting
up their 81 Zoos and $500S to break down the
Protection of American Industry. You see,
too, that those names are persstently concealed.
DO the wire.workers imagine that you don't
know phyl