New-York tribune., 1867-02-20
/ run r1pIrE ~ CONGRESS.

We do not know that the IallIl pll h"N
pending in Congress will be signed II passed;
and we are well aware that the President has
power to defeat it by simply holding it to the
close of the session. We feel that this should
not, need not have been The friends OF Pro-
lection are strong enough in either House To
have passed the bill in ample season To guard
against so dcplorable a contingency, ana ought
to have done it, Precious hours have been cul-
pablv trifed away that should have been en-
ploycd to pass this bill weeks ago If 1t shall
now fail for want of time, the responsibility VIII
be grave one.
Our advcrsarics point to certain opponents OF
this measure who used to rally under the ban
ner of Henry Clay, and claim that Protection
is a failing cause. We point i'll answer to the
vote by which this bill has passed either House
the strongest ever yet given for any de
cidedly Protective Tariff-and claim that we
have gained at least two to their one.
The line of argument on either side has
scarcely varied since 1923 and 1872 The Tariffs
of those years were denounced a5 destructive
TO Commerce and Revenue, and inStigatcd by
Manufacturing monopoly and greed Expe-
ricncc proved our foreign Commerce quite rs
prosperous under those rs under non-PlO'cctiyc
Tariffs, while our Revenue from Imports was
largely. undcniably increased by them. Manu-
featuring monopoly, so far rs it might be Nlid
to exist was diminished If not abolished by
the great increase and diffusion of Iron
making, Cloth-makng, &c. SC. under
those Tariffs. And in 10 other pc
riods of our national history WI, our Labor
more generally employed OF more fully rewarded
than under the operation OF those Tariffs.
Our appeal il from SpeciouS theories 10 un-
miStakable facts Repeatedly, IN our country
history, has Congress been cntrcatcd 20 adopt
or inyigOratc Protective policy because Labor
stood mwillingly idle, Enterprise was paa-
lyzed. and Trade bankrupt II The prayer va,
granted. sensible and general relief speedily
followed But no statesman ever had the
hardhood to urge an abandonment OF the Pro-
! tcctivc policy because Labor lacked employ.
mcnt and Business was staguan'. To have pre-
| tended that. would have invokcf general ridi-
| culc. As Il general rule, we lnvc abandoned
| Free Trade because we could stand u no
! longer and Projection because we were tired
of prosperity.
! We have twice been cheated ont Of Protection
never once fairly voted down. Ocn. Jackson,
when chosen President. WIS pIu,ibly claimed
as Protcctionist Pennsylvania gave him
5000 majority On that ground Aud Polk car
rcd her against Clay IL 1874 by writing the
Krue letter. and being commended on the
strength of it ~ 4 better Protec'ipnis' than the
great Kcutuckian. Frlnci, W IIushc, in that
contest held public debate with William b.
Reed expressly to uphold this assumption
Dallas was placed on the ticket with Polk, to
assure Pennsylvania that the Tariff of ~
would be maintaincd yet The Democratic
Congress elected with thom repealed that Tariff
by the casting vote of that identical Dallas
Polk, OF course, approving and signing the
bill!
We hope a time is at hand when thi, Tlritf
question can be argued 10 our whole People,
and the mean attempts 10 excite sectional jeIl-
ou,y and hate secuted Is they deserve. The
States that have the greatest interest IN PID-
lection are those whose mines are yet uno-
pcned their factories aud furnaces yet 10 be
built Give us adequate Protection now, and
New England will soon be ready to talk ~
old England now does but Alabama and Mis-
souri, may need Protection for half IA century.
The current arguments against a Tariff
prove il q mOnStrOus wrong that New York
should have constructed the Erie Canal. and
thus made this City the Emporium Of the New
W0rld--ultimatcly of the whOic world. For
that Canal was dug by taxing men who did not
want any Canal-whO protested against being
saddled with the cost Of one. In their view,
"ClintOns ditch was cOntrivcd TO enrich other
men at their expense and they plau.ibly in
sisted that ditchng-unlcss for sanitary pur-
pOscs-was not function of government. Had
they been needed Ncw-IOTb would have been
second Boston, while Baltimore or Norfolk
would have been the metropolis OF the Western
hemisphere.
Time and again have we asked our Western
Republicans who used to be. Whig3 How do
"yOu propose to stop the current flow Of our
"National securities TO Europe at the rate of
"Two Hundred Millions per annum? You in
" stat on an inflated deprecated Currency, which
Stimulates excessive impOIiationS; you viii
"nOt check these by higher Tariff: what wW
"you do?n They rctor that high Tariff will
not subscrvc the cnd-which is exactly like say
ing that ml-dam will not ObStruct the flow of
water. But, we had not asked them to criticize
our specific, but to set forth their own 50 their
rctort is no answer, but a virtual confession.
1t is the barrister's brief from his defcnsclesSs
| defendant" Abuse the plaintiffs attorney
We have deeply regretted the wranglings
touching details among the friends of the Tariff
We cntrcat tirss friends of Protection in Con
gress To disregard these and pass the bill in
some shape before the close of this week. We
have quite hostility enough to encounter with
out warning upon cach~ other. We can
endure vote against us from one who
| should be for us; hut woe 10 that Represen
| tatiye of a Protective constituency who shall