Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1870-06-30
The

It is becoming a matter of grave doubt,
whether the present Congress vii afford
the country any substantial and adequate
relief from the e~xactions of the Ubiquitous
tariff, under which all our commercial and
industrial interests are ~groaning. The
condition of public sentiment or the tariff
question is so well understood, however,
that it is probable there VIII be something
of an effort to satisfy it, by the passage of
some one of the short bills which are now
pending, and which will effect a large re-
duction in the duties of q few leading ar
ticles, and somewhat enlarge the free list.
This will be q sort of tub thrown to the
whale" but we very much mistake the
sentiment of the country, If it will be sat
isfied with anything less than q complete
revision of the whole tariff, q liberal re-
duction of all duties, and a proper adjust
ment of the tariff on all dutiable articles,
In order that all interests may be made to
bear their proper proportion of the u s
toms. Congress has now been in session
six months and has literally accomplished
nothing, and cannot with any propriety
adjourn until it has placed tariff, XXI
.-tion, and finance matters generally, Upon
a satisfactory basis. There is a partial di-
vision of sentiment among Republicans
on the tariff question, and consid-
cradle wrangling among them as
to the meaning of the resolutions
on tariff matters, passed by their national
conventions. We will not undertake to
interpret their platform for them, but if
there is any justice in considering the &C
ton of q political party for the purpose OF
discovering its true position on any
question, the fact that the Repubh-
can party is q high tariff party, and
that, when forced to a plain and une-
quiVocal declaration of its position, it
will so avow itself, is scarcely open to
dispute. For the present tariff, with all
its odious and oppressive provisions, and
all its demoralizing and p~aralyZing effects
upon the commerce and industry of the
country, is the work of the Republican
party. In its support of a high tai i, it
has gone to greater lengths, and pushed
duties to a further extreme, than the old
Wing party ever dared to dream of. The
history of the Republican party in favor
of the most extreme rates of duty, is writ
ten in fndelible characters. If that party
ver succeeds in closing the eyes of the
public to its past record on the tariff
question, which has been so conspicuous
and decided, it will only be by reforms OF
q more general and sweeping character
than any it at present seems likely to in
augurate.
The Republican party cannot plead q
lack of information as an excuse for no
completing q revision of the tariff, for the
report of Special Commissioner Wells
and the investigation of the House Com.
mittee on Commerce and Shipping, have
given full information on the subject o.
the unequal and oppressive operation o.
the tariff laws, and the extent to which
they have embarrassed and crippled com
merce and industry. Of the twenty thou
and skilled workmen employed in and
around New York q few years ago in the
construction and fitting out of ships, moi
one thousand are now employed, n o
the two thousand apprentices, not ONE
hundred remain. Our iron trade is 81
crippled that the iron-masters of Pennsyl
pediency of closing their blast furnaces
The chief carpet manufactures of thu