The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-03-02
The Slaughter of tho Tariff.


The Tariff bill is dead. Killed in the House
of its friends. 1t would now seem to be but a
reasonable supplement to this job to repeal
the Internal Revenue bill; at least, so far as it
operates on our manufacturing industry. We
have taxed all sorts of manufactures to such a
degree that we have placed them at disad-
vantage with foreign manufactures. That is
to say, our manufacturers of many articles
are worse off, as things now are, than they
would be if the duty on foreign fabrics of the
same sort that they make were all taken of,
and they were at liberty to compete with the
foreign article freed from all internal taxation.
1t has been shown over and over again, on the
recent investigation of the Tariff question, that
the protection the manufacturer gets by the
duty imposed on the foreign article, is in
many instances more than offset by the tax he
is compelled to pay. Actual free trade would
thus be better for him than the existing ar
rangement of duty on one side and tax on the
other. One great object in the present Tariff
has been to restore the old equilibrium by re-
moving this disability. That is to say, to ad-
vance duties sufficiently to give the manu-
facturer the same protection that he had before
he was taxed.
The most reasonable and necessary legisla-
ton to prevent the decline of our internal
revenue through the stoppage of our manu-
factories and keep our industry in motion, is
now defeated. And unless our manufacturers
thus situated are not only able to compete
with the foreign producer on equal terms, but
with the advantage all on the side of their
rivals, then they must stop. AS to their
ability to do this, it is not difficult to judge.
Not only are they unable to do it, but the
manufacturers of no nation would be expected
! to do it. No insane demand to attempt it
ha do hxya in thn of
its manufacturing industry. 1t is left to us to
set the wise and statesmanlike example of
| a legislation contrived to eXtinguish the
mechanical industry OF the country. And now
what is to be expected from it You delibe-
rately crush your manufactures. They fall, and
! with them departs the revenue tax imposed
! upon their products-a tax which now fills the
| Treasury, and without which it must lose its
! ability to discharge its obligations. What else
! Why the widespread general calamity which
! must follow such stOppage is to Overspread
| the country. You break down interests with
millions of capital invested, you PROSTATE
! hard-working industrious communities, you
create distress, you scatter ruin on every hand,
! you arrest national progress and national
| development. 1t is the old story. You stab
| to the heart the growing interests and intlu-
ences which would give life and animation,
and vigor, and prosperity to the whole coun-
! try. And it is done at the instance and under
the inspiration of foreign capital and foreign
free trade notions, imported for the benefit of
foreigners. What wretched folly, what in
comprehensive short-siglltedness The ma
tion is staggering under the load of unnum-
bered obligations, piled on its back by the
war, needing every prop of support and every
resource Of supply ingenuity can devise or
develop. And yet, with its wants visible to
every eye, with its claims pressing upon the
moral sense of every legislator, we lind a sur
tcient number of the representatives OF the
people at Washington ready and even eager
to milict the blow which brings 1t TO the
ground
The debate in the House on Thursday did not
tnm upon the provisions of the bill, but upon
tne possibility OF passing any bill this ses-
slon' Mr.. Morrill, moved to discharge the
Committee of the Whole for the purpose OF
bringing the bill to vote, and in the discus
S sion which followed Mr.. Schenck intimated
that the President would veto it, while Mr.
D Allison alleged that he had no factions opposi-
ton to the bill, but voted against the motion.
9 On this test vote the motion, which required
9 two-thirds to pass, was defeated by lO5 yeas
# to "a nays. Mr.. Stevens then moved To
n discharge the Committee of the Whole, and tC
s concur with the Senate, with the amendment;
J. already passed by the House, and an additional
If concession to the wool interest. Thus all the