New-York tribune., 1869-06-05

TyfOW COIIe6 OF AltbpICS1 NdOubShONS Va O0NON' -
hot-houses, at many times the cost Gn labor) OF
its production In tropical regions, then would
,b6yise encourage its growth among us at all.
THE Free Trade badinage about protecting the
Growth of Pine-Apples in Minnesota, or OF
ARROW Root in Maine, extracting sunboams
from cucumbers, &C., SC, is simple buffOOnery
Sn evasion of the true issue. l quite compre-
hend that even international and trans-Oceanlc
+, Commerce has benefcent functiOn-that OF
difnsing among the inhabitants Of all zones
and countries those natural products OF each
TO which the soil oP climate of another is
iupgenial, so that all may enjoy, IN measure
the blessings dvinely bestowed upon each'
And, so far from wishing to obstruct OF I'M
nede such diffusion, acquiesce most reluc-
family in the imposition or retention Oh any
duty or tax whatever on those products OF
other clmes which cannot, because OF natural
Smpediments, be successfully grown or rlValed
on our own soil. Show me that Nature mas
interposed q serious barrier to the growth OF
production of any staple in my country ana
will strenuOusly insist that no duty De imposed
nn the importation of that product unless for
. ravenne and that this shall be removed so
soon as the Treasury can spare its proceeds
. Now let me show, without reference to ex-
;stinp interests, wherein and why l would ap-
Div the principle of Protection:
Tea is grown almost wholly IN Chna'
.Japan. India and, wherever grown at ALL III
Iotitudcs and climates whereof parallels are
found in our own country. And we have al
ready ascertained by experiment that the Tea
iDlant terminates, fOurishes and natures IN
SINNER Smth Carolina and in East Tennessee
It should have been tested long since at
hundred different points throughout the Union;
Int there ia no room for rational doubt that
so large an area of this republic as of China
will produce Tea abundanty ana continuously
under proper cultivation.
Now it is Inevitable that so long as the Tea
drank by our people shall continue to be grown
in China and Japan, the consumers here will
nav quite apaIf'from and above any tax or
duty imposed on its importation by our Gov
ernmeuO three to six times as much for their
Tea as the Chinese growers receive for IT,
The Old Hyson for which our drinkers pay IN
the average full dollar (sDecie) per pound,
over and above the tax which goes into our
Federal Treasury, has doubtless been bought
of the grower for twenty to thirty cents per
pound; the residue of its cost to the consumer
4less taxi being made up of the profits and
charges of the various traders and forwarders,
agents and brokers, through whose hands it
mas passed on its way from the interior of
China to the interior of the United States.
want to save the Millions on Millions thus
ANNUALLY expcnded-I believe uselesSly, waste
fully expended. l want to divide them between
'ths grower and the consumer of Tea, or to Sc
cure them to him where the same person shall
be both grower aud consumer. / believe that
to pursue this policy is TO increase the reward
,Of Labor generally, and especially of American
Labor. Instead of One Million persons grow
ing Tea in China, One Million more mining
Gold and Silver in Nevada to pay for that Tea,
and olher Three or -Four Millions employed as
merchants, factors, shippers, navigatOrs, canal
boat men, brokers, &c, &c, &c. in transmit
ting tho Tea from the grower to the consumer
exchanging kiS product for the Gold and Sill
yer WhereWith the Chinese are mainly PAID
and forwarding that Gold and Silver (Or some
eQuvalent) to the tea-grOwer, would have
Two Millions of our own people growing Tea,
Two Millions more producing the various
staples and fabrics that our ea-growers would
require in exchange for it, reduce the whole
number required TO effect the necessary eX-
changes to One Million, and save the Gold and
Silver to reinforce our now dishonored Cur
Teney and pay off our enormous Debt.
Now / protest that, in maturing and avOw-
ing this conviction, l have been nowise I'M
pelled hy contempt or hate of the Chinese-of
their pGganism, their. pOlygamy their pigtails,
or their Teputed fondness for stewed puppies.
Whatever there may be Of evil or of good in
their peculiarities lies entirely outside of the
range OF my Economic conceptions and i'm
pulses. Nor have been swayed by any special
addiction to Tea, or to Tea a-growing, nor by
any desire to enrich present or prospective
Tea-greweTs, much less to endow them with
a Monopoly, gainful to them but baleful TO all
others. l have no peculiar affection for them
no desire to promote their interest otherwise
than as it is identified with the general good.
] perceive and admit the possibility that
certain persons might, by an carly importation
Of Tea-seed, OF by growing large quantities Of
Tea-plants for sale in advance of most others,
secure to themselves peculiar advantages; but
this is an incident which did not desire, and
care not to Obviate ] do not see how those
persons can be justly reproached as monOpolists,
any more than the grower OF new American
Grape or Seeding Potato. And if they should
proceed TO grow Tea in advance of their neigh
bors, and should sell their early crops at ex-
ceptionally high prices, l Should be rather
inclined to rejoice over than dcprecate their
good fortune, because l am sure it would incite
more aud more to embark in American Tea
growing, till the profit thereof should be
reduced to an equation with that of other de-
partnents of our National Industry. Unless a
regard for self-interest has been eliminated
from Human Nature, and water has ceased to