New-York tribune., 1868-02-19
4 DAY TO BE REMEMBERED.

Monday, the nth of February, the anniyer-
sary of the ratification of the Treaty OF Ghent,
has for many years been celebrated by certain
patriotic Americans as sort OF national testl-
val. In the crowd Of greater anniversaries
which have recently pressed upon us, the OBJ
scrvance of this day has been in measure
overlooked; yet we are unwilling that it should
be altogether forgotten, associated IA it is, not
ONLY with an important event in our history,
but with the fame of a statesman to whom we
owe much gratitude. The day, in fact is OBJ
served not so much in cOmmemOraton OF the
conclusion of our last war with Great Britain
az in honor of Henry Clay, who had promi-
nent share in the negotiation OF the treaty. IL
is the t-day of our great leader IN the true
principles of political economy, and as such we
hope it may long be kept 10y those who follow
in his footsteps.
When Henry Clay entered Congress, in his
thrtIeth year, he found the country almost
without manufactures, and the advocates OF
protection, who had formerly looked up to Alex
ander Hamilton as their spokesman, without a
leader of commanding talents. Young as he
was he soon placed himself at the head Of that
party, and all through the twenty years strug-
Gle which preceded the enaCtmeIIt OF the tarili
of 1928 he was the most effective champion OF
protection for American industry and the final
triumph was his victory. The war OF 1872,
which found us dependent upon Great Britain
for nearly all the goods which we used, and
the subsequent beneficial operation OF protec-
tive tariffs, which built up our manufacturing
interests with surprising rapidity, were striking
evidences of the soundness OF Mr. Clay 8
views; but partisans are blind, and
the detection of Van Buren, together with
the nullification threats of South Carolina,
threw open the controversy again in
the session of 1912. Mr.. Clays course in this
coniuncture was mastery. The Free Traders
had a clear majority in Congress. and reduc-
ton of duties was inevitable. Like a general
who executes a sI<illful retreat from a position
which he cannot hold he fought the reductions
step by step, postpOning the dny of disaster
and saving what he could from the wreck of
our ruined industries. The ruin Of teouse cape
in time. The revenue tariff OF 1888 Oronght
about not only stagnatiOn OF industry, but
bankruptcy in the revenuei and the country
! in 1919 was glad to return to Protection. The
tariff of that year was framed and carried by
Mr. Claws friends, he himself having retired
| from Congress but he cooperated and sympa-
tlized with them, and when nominated for the
Presidency in 1874 he planted himself squarely
on that tariff as his platform. How he was
defeated in the election of that year,
though a majority of the people adhered to his
principles all readers of Am erican political
history well remember The nomination OF
George NJ. Dallas for Vice-President by the
Free Traders was shrcwd device to hood
wink the manufacturing State of Pennsylvania.
and the publication of Mr.. Folks swindling
Kane letter, in which he made a pretense OF
Protection principles completed the discrcdita-
ble trick Mr. Polk was elected President, and
the tariff was repealed at his impulse and by
the casting vote of George NJ. Dallas.
-. The battle in which Henry Clay spent his
fife il still going on. His principles are
steadily gaining ground; but the short sighted
and the selfish are still against us. In the heat
of our contest it will be good for us to look
back to the careers of the great captains of
the past, and among them all there is none
who better deserves to be hOnOred than the
patriot whose memory last Monday was conse-
Grated to celebrate.