The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1866-01-27
The rariHOue.,ion.

That the protecriouists at the east should IN
sist on making the modification Of the tariff
= strictly party issue between republicans ard
democrats, does not surprise us; but that III
the west the republican leaders should insist
on the same party drill, Is better than we had
hoped for. Mr.. Eastman, republican state
senator from Cook County. having joined the
Free Trade League in Chicago, the-fioyai
papers of that city denounce him as a rene
eade from "the party" and call upon him to
resign. The Journal says:
Republicans of Democratic antecedents
are not found in Free Trade leagues. They dc
not consort with enemies OF the country, OF
the copperhead stripe. except here and there
a scheming politician, who fancies new
deal may give him position, Of which such
ishy Republicans os these represented IN the
Chicago League are shining lights. They
oppose n protective tariff with the same
zeal they formerly did National Banks. and
cling to free trade Us in times now happily
obsolete they did to State rights, Fugitive
Slave laws, and the peculiar institution which
composed will, it their party platform.
All these stones the builders of the new
temple have rejected.
We have often had occasion to say that
abolition Hepubieanism in TIE West was un>
natural and irrational, and had no other
mission than to serve as q tail to the big
New England kite We must see before we
can believe it, however, that the republicans
of tbs West are so completely enchanted with
their pendent condition, that they are willing
to relinquish it while the tariff instead of the
niger is the bone Of contention, though their
persistence is palpablv dragging them to ruin.
What reason or justice is there in denying to
the west modification of the tariff? The
present tariff, with the depreciation of our
own..currency, imposes aduty of IS per cent. on
oil foreign manufactures of cotton and wool.
1t is therefore wholly prohibitory. New Eng
land can then put her own price on her goods
and this she does to an extent that VIGOROUSLY
raises her profits in many cases TO 100 to
800 per cent. The nation needs an annual
revenue of 5O0,OO0,O0o. The present tariff
on many necesseres being wholly prohibitory.
the bulk of the national revenue must be
raised BY taxation on the producing classes
chiefly of the'West
Row why rot reduce the tariff Sc tina. q
revenue say OF Sl50,O00,OO0 can be raised
from impor:ations? This would still leave
some 30orl0 per cent. tariff as protection
to the manu- ,acturers-enough in all con
science- while II would case the burdens o.
the west to just The extent of the SI5O,O0O.
O0o collected by having a revenue instead o
prohibitory tariff. One hundred and fft,
;niilions taken from the burdens of the west
with the foreign demand for cereals sucl
importations of goods would create. woulG
give the west in six months all the relief sh,
can hope fer or leeds.
The tariff question involves some very alb
struse points, we know but a few facts ik,
the above, are plain and palpable to an,
common understanding. We hope for moth
ing more cheering for democratic prospects
than that the republican party Of the ives
shall decide TO go before the people on til,
tariff question Is the issue. We court tn
encounter.