, 1866-03-01
THE TARIFF CONTROVERSY,
aProtection,s'' Recapitulffon.

and the old and hacAneyed arguments were
[cebly restated in dull language. In all the
dreary free trade plhtitudes cmptied into the
columns Of the TRIBUNE during the past
eight days, can find but this single para
graph Of requiring The slightest notice:
Calhoun VIZ a Fsokscionaa mp TO the period |
ghen South Carolina nulifed. {Sse article on 5ohn
G g. sslhono 9'u,. y Il SeA aeae R<sI. oc.oeeE
abont The period Nhen Calhoun changed hs coat,
viz. 1ss8 Mr. Wehsie1's drzt great speech ia 1874
IN lRe8, he became Protectionitt be was careful to
say tha he became 20, not becsuse Protection was
right, hut beaurc II was advantageous to New
uonlst, MD subsequently Free Trader"
a few words Of reply to this will answer al
practical purposes. 1st. Calhoun, it Is admit
ted, was proteaionist until he became a &C.
ccssionlst. During all that period Of his Lie |
whcn he was free trader, he was a traitor. |
lie died free trader, and died q secessionist. |
Sd. Wien he discovered the beneficial effect I
Of protection to Northern industry, snd saw |
how IL attracted immigration 10 tho North, |
and increased the wealth and influence Of that
section, he became an enemy Of protection
and rabid propagandist Of foreign free trade.
Sd. He convinced the shareholders OF his
party, that the only sure and certain way to
arrest the marvellous and alarming growth
and Development of the North Was by repeal
ing the existing protective tariff, and
forcing free trade on the country, with the
potent threat Of secession. 4th. Calhoun
taught tic cotton planters, that By repeating
plished, viz: II would secure them cheap for
eign goods and cheap Northern food. It would
cripple the Eastern manufacturer and reduce
the price Of Western farm products to half
their proper value, and check the growth Of
the free States, And this is the solution Of
the reason why the cotton States have been
such strenuous advocates OF foreign free trade.
It strengthened them and weakened their
great free State competitors.
AS to Daniel Webster, it is trne be enter cd
| public life with free trade theories In his
| brain. His mind had been poisoned by read
Ing such British free trade distractions as
4'Adam Smiths Wealth Of Nations" written
expressly In the interest Of British manufac-
turers and traders, to help them pull the
/ wool over the eyes OF other countries whose
manufacturing deyelopcment had not arrived
at such perfection as that Of Great Britain.
Of Protection on Northern industry, he be-
cnme an advocate Of the system, Just
about the time Calhoun became Free
Troder. The sane cause changed
the minds OF both. Calhoun turned
Free Trader TO Sreak down the PFC prosperity Pi 1l
ish notions Of Free Trade and gave bis great
intellect to the defense and support Of a sys-
tenn which had wrought such wonders for M
tional wealth, before his eyes. The facts, the
living demonstrations, convinced him OF the
inllary Of Free Trade theories, and won him
over to the side OF Protection, in which faith
he continued till the dag Of his death.
The assertion that Andrew jackson was
: subsequently Free Trader" is m impu-
: den. libel on the character Of Old
tectionist as Henry Clay. It Is
true, TINT after he became President, and
| visions Of second term doomed up before
him, and af1er his bitter quarrel with Clay,
: aad after Ms party had been SWING round TO
,, houn and the cotton planters, hc deemed 1t
. expelient 10 ignore the question IS far as pos
! | sible, 10 muzzle his tongue and dlssemble a
little. He did this from party necessity, but
, al heart he was Protcctionlst till the Day oi
!, rnther have hung Calhoun than surrender tie
protective tariff Of 1874 8 TO him.
3" Anti Monopoly objects to the assertion
: that Free Trade Is Copperbead dogma,
/ ! but his objection don't change the fact'
Ihe1e are some Republicans who , afo ana fret vt
Coppe1head or original secess,onist who wae
-. I not a Free Trader. Show me an original
: secessiouist and will show you Free Ira'
! der every time.
| 10 lpL pFQp0FE, III ll4lS LluCS ~ w
tbe Free Trade question, because the people
have no desire 10 hear II, and because It would
be waste Of time, words and space: The
I Free Trade bieots arc resolved not to be eou
b vipced. No amount Of fact or demonstration
can move them. would as soon think Q
convincing by logic a gang Of rebel Gnerills,,
of their error. Al such persons arc beyons
= the reach of reason or the power OF truth.
Lei me briefly re-stste Q few Of tue points
s hare proven in the past controversy.
Is 1st. Tlat the best rtwant tariff is hig
= ! tariE.
:, 2ud. That the present tariff yields thrt
times as much money to the Treasury as ah.
=. so-callcd "Free Tfnde Tartd" We ever had.
u Sd. That We can not have foreign free trad
o without loss Of revenue from imports, an
.e without a reduction OF the wages Of labor t
~ close approximation to the low standard {
money compensation paid in Europe.
+ 4th. That Foreign Free Tradc must necet
'e sarily produces equilibrium Ia prices o. good
=, and wages ol labor between this country m
% Europe modified merely BY the small COS
=, Of transporting manufactures from that t
this country.
$, 5th. Tl,st protection to American tuaustr
E consists of two kiuds-high tariff or To-
labor. II our mechanics will work as eheapl
IL tariff protection; otherwise, We must have i
9th. That free trade necessarily carries wit
re it an abandonment Of tho American systc1
,- Of hfeh wages.
ee5I 1th. That protection cannot be withdraw
from the millions Of MECHANICS who are SUI
q with European fabrics without emitting dow
?. | the wages of alI mechanics and laborars to
" common relative level
a' Sth. That all mechanics .re therefore equa
os ly interested In maintaining the protcctis
"a system, and dare not abandon II, unless the
s. are willing to work for greatly reduced wage
9th. That every time this country has tric
y y ttFree Trade'' it has been followed By dlsa
n. trouk financial convulsiou ; and every time
j. hastr1ed Protection II had enjoyed comncrcll
prosperity and rapid growth in Nation.
re wealth, completely rcfuting nll free trad
Y. theories on the subject. -.
ne 10th. That the European market for OF
80 brrads.uls Is a delusiou. myth and q snare
a. that no European people purchase IN
Re tuod from us sare Great Britain that dozc
Be European nations produce surplua food an
ed compete with ua for the supply Of The En-!
\, | llsh deficit; that they al have greatly th
y. advantage of us in the cost Of transportation
DO being so much ucarer, md consequently ca
e underseu us; that the United States does nt
nd sell to Great Britain one year with another. I
much food rs we import from the Canada
oe Hence, as matter OF TACT, this country sci
81, | little or none of ftsTood In Europe.
1lth. That we are importing at least $l0o
ut | 00G, 600 Of the agricultural products OF Eur
NJ pean farmers, wrought into the shape Of lro
cloth, muslins, glass, crockery, leather, linel
'e E and a thousand other fabrics which VIC oug'
,ri to make at home.
's' II. By pursuing this policy. We are "ro
in. blng'' and cheating our own farmers ont Of
tes home market for q. hundred million dollar
LII. worth Of their products. And but for tt
lot suicidal course Of national policy. our Wcs
~. ern farmers would to-day be receiylng NJ
I : prices for everything they gould posslb
It, grow and bring 10 market. We arc actual
III importing, In ihe condensed form Of EnroE
The an manufactures, -four times as much agricult
.ea raj prodncts rs We are exporting thithcr-1
n n Guiding even purclases of bseadstuIs fro
Canada- which We export abroad:
nd 18th. Tint small additional export
u: bresdstuHa or meats to England at any tir
"a has the effect to glut that market, because !
IL arc met On the threshold BY dozen food-p
1ss 1es dncing natious all competing for the sat
Ae market, who can transport their prodne
thithcr at fraction Of what 1t costs Us. A
whatever reduction takes place in the Britt
n1srkei, affects not only the price Or the qt,t
'ge OF grain our farmers may export, but t
ech price Of the remaining 63 quarts on the busl
Ok. which they attempt to sell at home.
IA, II would be lar Wiser for our farmers 70 ou
va va all the food they ever send to Great Dsita
esl- for thereby thcy would get decent price
not the residue OF their ctols.
n.y. 18th. That Free Tracers persistenly
i'd. more and refuse to recognize the yita1iy l
~ portant fact that an dnssriean can DO os n.
se !" s sss :. sa an nssmea a. MI Tsey :fs le'
un- to zee that Ill things common to Europe a
he America cost intrinsically the same arnou
,ad ofla1or to produce them. They reinss 70
-, cpcpfxe the excessive cost Of transporting
ea- raw matcrinls from the West ucross COL
nee r.-rt and srr,as Al, ocean. TO nav for mar
IS" factrirce that require trattu a. many ddys'
on bpr 10 n.afe a. are required 10 make hem ht
~. Ihey refuse 10 recognize. The difference
by inia,naa;a imeca nate haste. eAsAA0s
ILLS 3sth Thai tie frne Inv ofba5ter and c1cha1
The Of commodities with foreign nations Is,
lich buy from them what We need, and cam
fairly produce 1t home, Us tea from Chi