New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-03-20
,CUTE LOGICIANS.

We are known to favor and urge a general
and prompt Resumption of Specie Payments.
We believe this should have been attempted
almost Immediately after the surrender OF the
Rebel armies-that it could have been far more
easily effected then than it now can be-and
that it could be more easily effected now than
il is likely to be at any definite future day.
We hold that this country is falling deeper and
deeper into debt to Europe because such Re-
sumption is not effected, and that the magni-
tude of our debt abroad is a chief obstacle to
RESUMPTION which is thus being aggravated
from month to mOnth-that " the true way to
prepare for Resumption is to resume.p These
views we commend from time to time, with
such ability as we possess The public hears
us and our adyersares, and must judge be-
tween us.
The Herald-a leading advocate of wallow-
ing in the slough of Suspension till we get
practically out of debt abroad (though 1t Is
notorious Suspension tends steadily and strongly
to increase that debt)-answers us after this
fashion:
"THE TRIBUNE urges Resumption OF
Specie Payments; let it resume such pay
"ments itself Let its paper-makers, writer's,
printers, maiers, clerks, &C., &c, demand
"their pay in gold and take nothing but
"that. Let them test the sincerity OF The
"TRIBUNE's professions with regard to Re-
" sumption"
Can any one need an answer to this demand
How can we pay in gold while we receive all
orr dues in deprecated paper which the Gov
eminent has made a Legal TENDER In short,
can any one need a refutation of The HerdldS
sophistry9
Yet the shallow and stupid must think it
smart or we should not see it initiated as fol-
lows in The Chicdgo Tribune:
"IIow much do the papermanufacturers Of Belgium
buy from TIIE NEW YORK THlBINbl ahd why docs III
paironze them and Thereby break down the price Geo, OF
papcrmaker 20 cents pound rather than send OF To
SaTper IaSoTi We kS this thing OF booking one
way and rowing another, ~ the philosopher Oh IhE
TRIBUNE is doing
Our Chicago nameSakc, with others, initiated
a demand by the Press of the country that
printing paper should bc imported free of duty.
4 subordinate in this concern was induced to
unite in THEN memorial, signing it as in behalf
of The TRIBUNE. This impellcd us to state
that we did not unite in that mOyement-that
we deemed il unwisc and unfit that the duty
on printing paper go per cent? should be taken
off, especially since our own papcr-makers were
required to pay an excise tax, income tax, duties
on chemicals, Sc. The price Of paper was then
quite high, and the act in question would have
greatly subscred our own immediate interest;
yet we resisted il, aud il did not prevail. We
believed then, rs we believe now, that the
true road to cheap paper lies through an in
crease of the duty rather than its removal
through the calling into existence of new paper
mills rather than the closing of any We now
have.
II seems that our publisher has bought and
used some paper imported from Belgium, on
which the twenty per cent. duty has been duly
paid into the Federal Treasury. And Why
should he not have done so? il there be
aught in his act inconsistent with our princi-
pies, we cannot perceive it.
Three month. since, the Western journals
associated with our Chicago namcsakc petitioned
Congress 10 remove the excise of three per
cent. Oh advertisements in newspapers. That
excise has called on us for over $4,000 the
past year, and we have paid it. We should
gladly have kept the money, but our country
needed and required it 80 We not only paid
it but opposed the repeal of the tax. Yet
Congress has taken il off, i'll disregard of our
protest; 50 we shall cease to pay 1t after the
close of the present fiscal year
Now, then, ought we-becauSc we opposed
the repeal of that tax-to persist in paying it
after it is repealed What says our smart
neighbOr who thinks we shall he bothered TO
answer our shadow at ChicagoP