New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-04-06
MR.. WELLS AND HIS FRIENDS.


Government the responsible and influential
post of Commissioner of Revenue. 1t seems
to us that the vast majority of that party
under which he holds his Office are entitled to
be treated by him with common fairness and
honest candOr. This is all we have asked OF
him; this we feel that they have not received
in his late Report and supplementary letter.
He has dealt them four blows. as follows:
l. Mr. Wells asserts and reiterates that all
his inquiries and reflections have led to the
conclusion that system Of moderate and
iudicious Protection is that best adapted
TO the present condition Of our National
Industry and Finances yet his statistics
are collated and marshaled with evil
dent intent TO induce and diffuse the
belief that Protection is a mistake, delusion,
and a fraud. We have the hands of Esau with
the voice of Jacob And every Free Trade and
Copperhead oracle, disregarding Mr.. Weiss
professions, is circulating and growing over his
utterances as showing the madness or knavery
of Protection. DO men as clever as Wells
really misconceive the drift of their owl. incul-
cationsf We think not
III. Mr. Wells, in his letter, protests
that he has been actuatcd 10y no desire "tO
exaggerate the unfortunate facts Of our Ma
tional Industry" and adds:
HAD the wages OF tho dsy-laborers upon railroads.
common roads, canals and the Of farm hands for
the round year, been embraced tho tables would have
shown even greater wrong TO the poor from Tue joint
effects OF an Inflated currency, and unequal TAXATION
Here it is asserted as fact that the con-
dition of the Laborng Glass is relatively worse
to-day than it was in 1860; and it is thereupon
assumed that this is the natural effect OF a
ia a.
"inAated currency and unequal taxation"
These are assumed to be the obvious and only
causes Of the alleged deterioration. Here Mr..
Wells ignores entirely our great Civil War,
with its unprecedented destruction of property
and its enormous accumulation of public as
well as private burdens. For four years, q
very large share of our peoples energies
were devoted TO killing or Gripping each
other, burning and otherwise destroying prop
erty, and heaping up mountains of Debt-nOt
such Debt as we had previously incurred for
the construction of Canals, Railroads, &c, but
Debt which represents only destruction and
ravage We are now paying not less than
Three Hundred Millions per annum as the
permanent cost of that War, in the shape of
interest on Government bonds, pensions to the
crippled and bOunties TO soldiers generally, the
interest and principal of State, County and
Town debts, &c. &c. This Three Hundred
Millions is not less than tenth of the annual
product of our National Industry; and its
burden is felt by all classes, from highest to
lowest. We do not believe it possible to screen
the Laboring or any other Class from bearing
a part Of it. Was it honest, was it candid, in
Mr.. Wells to ignore its very existencef
III. Mr.. Wells seeks to diffuse the impress
sion that our unequal taxation" favors those
manufacturers whose industry is protected at
the expense of the rest of the community; yet
the Average ddrdnce in price Of their products
since 1860 has actually been less than that Of our
Agricultural staples whieh enjoy no direct Pro-
lection. Acareful scrutiny of Mr. Weiss figures
would furnish much evidence in support of
this position but Mr.. Wells is careful not to
recognize it. He would have us believe that
Pig Iron and Textile Fabrics have been un-
duly enhanced in price under our recent
Tariffs yet they arc not so high relatively to
the prices Of Flour, Grain, and Cotton, as they
were in 1860. In other words A farmer who
had $1,000 worth of Cattle, Sheep, Butter,
Corn, Oats, &C., &C., to sell in 1868 could buy
more Iron and more Cloth with his surplus
product than the same quantities would have
bought in 1860. Why does Mr.. Wells carefully
ignore this TRUTH
" Mr. Wells gives statistics which show
that the prices paid for piece work in the Boot
and Shoe manufacture have increased but mod
erately since 1860, and on one OF two items have
actually fallen Off Here 10 eoaceals tas feSs
that very great labor-savins devices and IA
ventions have been adoptea OF perfesssa p
this trade since 1860, whereby twice or thrice as
much per hour is now effected in some
departments as formerly. Boots and Shoes
are made as cheap apart from tho cost of
materially as of old; but tho YorlkWen