The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-09-20
Grimes on Protection.

Grimes on EEVtNSeANAs
-. ne NJ Y Tribune.
The Hon. James w. Grimes, United States
eonotor from Iowa, has written a letter touch
inc the tariff question, which we published a
few days since.
TIo ssvs truly that ''the Republican party
I,oa never taken any position on the subject
of a tariff" That is not quite correct, as he
will see by consulting the Chicago Platform oi
1860. But we quite agree with him on the
.ooir ,,o;nt that the Republican party was
sourdsd on other issues and contemplates
other ends than those OF protection or free
4rode. And we will unite with him in main
taipiue the right of every Republican to be a
,,rotectionist or free trader, as he shall see fit
III man is the less a Republican for any
oninion he may cherish on questions of politi-
cal economy.
But Mr. Grimes seems to us uncandid in his
treatment of the Tariff question. He may or
NAV not be right in his assertion that four
fftis of the Republicans of Iowa think as he
does on this question; if he is right, he has
the less excuse for treating the matter un-
fairly And when he asserts that the end
Eiavowedly sought by the advocates of the tariff
bill of last winter" was "to destroy the reve-
nue. from imports, " he says what is not true.
We regret the necessity of saying this; but
iustiee must take precedence of courtesy. We
do not doubt that the Senator can cite some
isolated expression that seems to countenance
his sssertion but we appeal to the general
tenor Of the tariff speeches in Congress, as
officially reported in the Globe, as demon
strating the lnaccuracy OF the senators asser-
tiOn.
More than forty years ago, when boy in
Vermont we heard the chief Landowner of
our section declare that, if the protective
policy were adopted, it would destroy the
revenue from imports and compel the impo-
sition of Federal land.tax: then, he said,
he should sell out his real estate and re-
turn TO Boston to spend the remainder of his
DAYS. He read the Boston papers-then all
for free trade-and he really believed that
protective tariff would have the effect he as
serted. The EUening Post reiterated the like
wild assertions in 1925 and again in lo42, as
we have repeatedly quoted. Then "the Black
tariff was to destroy our foreign commerce
and dry up our revenue from imports. EX-
perience proved these doleful prophecies
utterly mistaken. Our revenue from imports
was increased by protection, just as it has been
large beyond precedent for the last three years,
under tariff which Mr.. Grimes pronounces
"the highest ever known in civilized
country"
That the present tariff is high on many arti-
cles is true; but Mr.. Grimes keeps out of
cotton, and another on every description of
homemade textile fabrics; and thus tax upon
tax is piled upon our home manufactures,
while our inflated circulating medium increases
the cost of home production in every particu-
lar, and taxes on property, production, and
income hunt the American producer through
every stage of his effort. Governor Grimes,
we submit, deals unfairly with the matter in
suppressing these vital facts.
We quite agree with the Senator that the
business first in order and in importance is Re-
construction. We trust that is to be taken in
hand with firm resolve to complete it this
winter, if Johnson and his bacl1ers do not
prevent. But it is not possible to repress
either discussion or action on the tariff ques-
tion; and Governor Grimes, seeing that he
differs with the great majority of Republicans
in Congress and out of it, ought to treat that
majority and their views with fairness, if not
with respect He has changed, they have
not, since the good old days when we stood
together for Harry Clay and protection to
home industry; and decent regard for the
principles which he maintained through the
better part of his life should have prevented
his writing his late letter.