New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-03-23
Resnonse bu The Tribune.

There are vast foreign combinations and ag-
gregations of capital, directed by shrewd, skill
full men, which have an enormous pecuniary
interest in the overthrow of the Protective fea
tures Of our present Tariff. It is quite mod
crate to say that they could afford to pay
Twenty Millions of Dollars to supersede this
by such Tariff as was engineered through
Congress in 1916 by the gentleman who has
inst pocketed at least $4,000 of Russian gold
for inducing Congress to vote S7,2OO,OCO in
coin for the worse than worthless icebergs OF
Alaska.
That large sums of foreign money were paid
to carry through Congress that Tariff of 1916,
we do most surely believe; yet we are not
prepared to give legal evidence thereof
Mr.. Carey, in his recent letters in THE TRIB-
uNE, has conclusyely shown, rs we think, that
the statements and statistics of Commissioner
Wells and his deputy Young are in fragrant
contravention of the truth, and that all these di
varicatons are Just such as the foreign interest
opposed to the Protection and expansion OF
American Manufacturing Industry would have
them. They msrepresent facts precisely as
that great foreign interest would wish to have
Them misrepresented, and could well afford to
pan for having them msrepresentcd.
When the Free Trade League was first set
ND in business in our City, it published the
fact that q liberal amount had been contributed
TO sustain its operations, intimating that the
money had been subscribed by our own citi-
zens. A Cleveland paper having asserted that
foreigners had furnished most of this money,
CITY organ Of the League resented the impu-
tation as q hagitious calumny. We thereupon
reauested the League to favor us with tran
script of its list Of contributors, which we
offered to print in all our editions. Was it fur
nished? Not it! We coaxed, and dared, and
exhausted every persuasive known to us, but
we could nOwise induce the League to let
the public see list of its pecuniary hackers
Can The Times affect to misc0nstrue this retl-
cence7 We know its reason, and so does tho
public. Assuredly, our American Free Traders
were not afraid nor ashamed to SEQ Their o~n
names published IA those of contributors to the
funds Of the League.
We believe we have not, thus far, dealt in |!
insinuationsn We certainly have tried to
state facts We certainly do not know how
much British gold has bee n used in the
premises nor is it likely that we could posi-
bly, ascertain, nor that Mr.. Carey could. Album
dant investigations, at Washington, Albany and
elsewhere, have shown that the more essential
facts, even when tolerably notorious, cannot
be judicially established. When "who contrib
"uted the gold" to circulate Free Trade tracts
and Free Trade orators among our people, is so
carefully withheld from us, how are We to gain
possession of facts far more damaging, if made
pnbhc, TO the cause q our sAversariess We
do most surely believe that the scope and 6rifs
of Mr.. Wells's late Report ware Influenced sy
the money of foreign rivals to the yet strug-
Cling branches of American Manufactures; but
who furnished that money, how much it was,
and who received it, are matters entirely be-