Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1866-07-11
speech of Hon. j. =. Morrill, on th q
Tariff.

tate perlod OF the session and IN this hot wealth
er know the dispatch Of business will be hailed
WI'h more goodwill than any discussion OF
great principles of political economy involving
protection o. free trade, or of the minute de-
tails OF tariff bill involving the present copdi-
lion Of trade, and the nice adjustment of duties
ON imports TO our system OF internal taxation :;
and l shall therefore, as matter of taste, as
well Is from The lmpossibIlity Of doing other
NIse from sheer exhaustion, trespass upon the
falence Of tue committee no longer than may
b- necessary TO show that some action is imper-
4tlveiy required at our hands, and that the
lion proposed by the Committee of Ways and
Mean, taking into careful consideration the
Circumstances Of the country, the condition of
our national finances, and the currency with
when al c0mmerci4l transaction must be CON
ducted, is reasonable and proper.
The close Of the exhibits northern loss
0y death IN the service Of not less than two
hundred nd fifty tn ussnd men, and an equai
mum 'sr, 10 may be computed, have been phys
.caIly Iucapacated tor manual labor. So that
not less than half million men, between twen-
~ and thirty years Of age-the athletes cf the
EoTld-have suddenly been Withdrawn from
tue hei-s workshops and mines OF the cid
Tree states Of the Uuon- This loss represents
I'D the aggregate, he industrial and vital force
ot less han million five hundred tnou-
sand men, women aud children and the two
million e.d men, women sud children, though
Survivors nd dependents Of the five hundred
tnyus snd smitten in battle or OF those who
r---cd ihe bitter cup OF rebel prisons, or VINO
failed Or cJmpleLo restoration 20 health AMI
-.u1dHrss of body, Notwithstanding the sweet
uttclrs tenQeret under own flag and the
.tec4uus legacies OF the war, 10 De provided
t0r,th0ugh CO suDers and no longer prod ucers of
wealth uoT pernsp- Of even he ordinary mems
ot -Ib>i- euce. The loss OF tue Soutn, though
rl.nally .sss, may he practically equ,, a.
a.-ri.r, and va more crippled by the relent-
-- tr.ck Of war
lois great subtraction from the industrial
tre-s 0- me country cannot De al once repaired.
Many Ut hose vino went forth to the var
tla4Ln Untouched by eel shot or smell, have
tHu l new fields OF enterprise aud labor, yet
uuremuL-ratlve, but promising in Inc end pros
porous homes y wave OF population has gone
southwark, hardly peEceptble now, but WI ca
likely io exhibit itself IN the returns Of the
neat c-Lsu-- Some accessiOns rom Europe
have CONE amounting 10 Two hundred :lnd
eiguty-seyen thousand three hundred and nine
.y-~vy=a No the year Is . but ;he pitlless war
clU-crptIoEs now going on there and the per-
,--us- ~ glance demanded viii most likely
.e-t he TIDE of emigration which otherwise
migL- justly have been q tcIpate- from that
q4aTter. L4e deduction to be made from all
tLese consideration, j., hat our present supply
O.. .a1ur . largely dencIent-so largely tnat
tni o~1e4 populations u th= eastern TENTS
pLi-re I'll hardy any branch Uf human Industry
and set lt more important here than eyer that
every should iud WORK.
! nop- .iolr n Am-ric. Will forever be far
more hl glly rewarded than elsewhere Ii Is so
uOS, a4d tna distinction IS The glory Of our
county, uf -ur In~utu-I0uS and Of American
policy but Just uOw LABOR, ike every hing
else, Is art.uc.aly dear. High prices must De
ptIu me capital invested Ia lands, mines and
mauu' acturrs must ue wrecked and abandoned.
bu. tar lre War, anu mad remained cur
normal c.LdI-lun, uuvisIted by unusual taxes
anI the disturbing tieOl Of an excIucveiy paper
currency, our people would nave occu led
more imprrsnsoie position against foreign
c1ulp-ti-i-n -n-- -ley occupied IN their
prev ols history. Now we are vulnerable TO
rne atJ-cS- OF any body, from any quarter, VINO
ms IN th..g 10 sell Foreign artlhcers of
brass aud Oa, ana even Of clay, We cannot re
-i-t. he axe -Dle 10 und-rsel our own peo-
l.e- Our present mount Of circulating cur
rsucy va-s- - egai tenders 80 caled) We
VI S4Ol,2j2, 40Si Of Nat.onal bank notes.
SZoD,5U .JJO OF outstanding notes OF the old
STATE b4nAa, not including those having II
tt an i've per cent of their capital S,47y,-
80 Ot fractional Currency, S27 053, ,479 O4;
and ot co.u. .Ol-d iuLere-, no r.. : lJ9, ,y26,9lU.
amounting IL aH 10 s9I7 Oh, 10 i.O4. do
uo- ct.e these figures TeprD4cn 70 ybody,
bu- 81 d tacl. 4Lu r. mons TOus fact attended by
evils inc easing day by day and the longer
cJutracuOu-lhs true remedy-ls withheld, the
more l4tiicllt vii D= found appiicton. Al
the time Of tn surrender OF Lee and Johnston,
amy terms IF settlement might easily have been
obtained from the Southern rebels, with ample
guarantees ,-r the future as they painted for
uIthr 50 mucn - deIIverance from the pains
ana p-ualfles Of treason, sud anything short OF
rXptUstIJn would nave been prOmtly accept
ei- InAt oPport1ne moment passed away
er more 10 return.
30 the traa>l-iion from paper to specie at
thtt tine might perhaps have been made with
iess strain upon the cou Try, with less inconven-
eHce I'd indIv vdu is, than II now or ever be
brought about ne people were prepared for
II Ihe goal ia point Of fact was almost reach
I'd. Nobody ", in debt and nobody was DIS
tresstd. Ine nominal reduction of inventories
would have eft ali with relatively equal pur-
chasabie values. bur, unfortunately this poll
cy I'D not prevail, and trade stands against
any reduction Of values, and Congress Itself
grudglnsy authorizes the return of ony about
four millions pr month of our huge volume Of
currency, ne preeeLc of which stImulai Is rates
and sIr-ns.e7 production. Our country from
one oi me cheapest places to live in, is becom-
lng nne on he dearest. The wages paid 10 la
hor are ma toe much, considering what those
W4geS VIII pay for II bread and meat, in rent
and Clothes. No manufactures can be made
Awhle tns state OF things lasts, 10 be sent
abroad, and uu.ess war, peslience famine &C
ours I'm ~ foreign nations, they will want none
Ot our cIru wheat, beef or pork at anyt thing
LAe ahat % costs 20 produce 1t. Our gold, it
i~ true, they largely d-spoiI US OF, and why not
As money, II i getting TO be obsolete. Gold
COIN l. ttsel. deprecated in our markets because
II i useless, save much convenient and
portable m1TciiaudZe. If used for the payment
of an existing contract, It Is worth no more
slan =qual omount of United States legal
tender notes Our whole monetary system is
Duated ~ more than fOurfOld addition To the
currec cy in circulation 1t is unnatural, and
daily begets diseases Of new type, formidable
because unknown, as well as those with which
are aread, familiar, and known TO be dan
gerCuS- Having deal with such facts, and
u eiug in posS bic to remove this incubus upon
the lsbor of the country at once, legislation
must recognize the situation, and trim sails
for such breezrs as may blow. Our imports of
foreign goods his year are nearly double what
hey were lasJ year. aud pay for hem by
-ending abroad gold and silver, and United
Saes bonds u iitte more than half their
value.
AoO,h-r reason, and one OF the most cogent,
Tor = revision # lhe tariff al this time, Is the
in-ltlclert rates uUw J. Wed on foreign woods.
Tins Is a qucsiOu which has vexed Congress
ipr forty yc4Es. Ihe evils endured by wool
rover somehow never disappear, let ths
AVS lake what shape they Insy. The hocks
rl shee y ~ South America, in Australia, at