The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1869-06-22
From the Cincinnati Enqulrer.]
The High Tariff Ouessian.

| The question ofa high tariff was al
ways, In fact, in this country, a sectional
one. The New England States, witt
Pennsylvania, may have been benefited
By it. All the other States, and particu
larly the Sonth and West, were seriously
injured. The cream of their wealth is
annually, under the high-tarif regime
skinned Off for the benefit Of the manu-
facturers Of the extreme East and the
iron mongers of Pennsylvania. They
have grown rich and prosperous beyond
precedent in consequence of the tribute
they have received from those sections.
The politicians OF Pennsylvania and New
England have had the wit to so estab-
lish themselves with partisan organiza-
tions, and have been SO Industrious in
intoxicating their specious heresies, that
they actually had i'll the past powerful
support in the West and North, among
the people whom they were robbing by
their eNactiOns for the system by which
they were robbed. Thus, in the olden
time, there were no States which were
more opposed by interest to high pro
tectivc tariff than Ohio, Kentucky, Ten
nessee and North Carolina, yet ali those
States for years voted the Wing, which
was the tariff, ticket. Kentucky pro-
duced the father Henry Clay) of what
is called the American Systematic
American extending no further than
to New England and Pennsylvania.
Massachusetts-which had every thing
to gain by this tax upon al the other
States for her industry--was not more
vehement for a tariff than Kentucky,
which had every thing to lose, The
South first began, under the auspices of
Mr.. Calhoun, to protest against this
spoliation ofnearly all the States for the
benefit of few of them.
But large portion of the West, with
mconceivable blindness, was led by the
negro ignts. fatuus, and constrained to
stand strongly by the Eastern manu(ac-
turers who must have laughed in their
sleeves at the Stiffness of their dupes.
There are very few, however, who are so
obtuse that they can not learn by time
and experience. The West is recovering
its sense, and on this subject will no
longer allow its partisan attachments to
mislead it. --''.r..
For some years all the tariff votes in
Congress have been divided between the
East and the West-.the former for the
tariff and the latter against it-irrespec-
tive ofparty. In this city, IN Chicago
and st. Louis, the great representative
points Of public opinion, every paper, no
matter whether it is Radical or Democrat
is opposee to the present thieving high
tariff. In the smaller cities and in the
rural districts the preponderance in that
direction is similarly manifested 1t is
evident that hereafter the New England
manufacturers can not throw dust in the
eyes of our people, and that, without dis
tinction ofparty, they will resist the out
rageous and rascally taxation to which
they have been subjected. There is in
this good omen for the future. The
West is becoming so aroused on the tar
iff, has such mighty interests in it adverse
to the monopolists, that the latter will be
obliged to succumb. it is true that, by
the subiugation of the South, and with
its representation in Congress by the
carpet baggers from the East, the lat
ter has acquired an advantage over the
West, but, it is an abnormal state of
things that can not long continue.
One of the most gratifying events
which oflate years has come under our
observation is to sec the Chicago Tribune
the Cincinnati Gazette and Commercial
and the St. Louis Democrat taking open
and bold ground against the so-called
Protectionists (robbers) of New England
In the future the tariff will be one of our
leading issues. The Constitution only
gave authority to Congress to levy du-
ties for revenue purposes, When it
passed beyond that, or assumed to pro-
tect A. B. G. in their business avocations
it went beyond its authority, and its acts
were really null and void, and would have
been so decided by any Court that would
honestly have carried out its interpreta-
ton in its original spirit.
We are glad that this subject of tar
iffis being taken out bipartisan politics,
and that the men of the West, whatever
Their political atfinities may be, are not
in favor ofbeing robbed by the East, and
that they understand and thoroughly ap-
preciate the speciously false arguments
which in past years have reconciled and
hlindnd them to IFS effects