New-York tribune., 1870-11-14

Il
we're barely worsted in 1914. Such frauds can
rarely DO repeated.
The Republicans cannot succeed in 1879 by
disclaiming the work of their own hands. II
the country decides against Protection, 1t VIII
40 decide by elevating the party most hostile to
Protection to power. II it prefers the Free
Trade policy, it will prefer that 1t he expound-
ed and administered by those whom it has
long known rs Free-Traders. Polk. Dallas,
"and the Tariff Of A." may be forgotten
cry; but its recollection will be revived by
any attempt of the party that reverted to the
policy of Protection to win public confidence
by turning its back on itself.
The Republicans will enjoy great advantages
in the inevitable struggle if they stand proudly
by their record. In the first place. 1T IS very
much easier 10 pick flaws III any Inrlh bill
that may be framed than to frame one; and
our adyersaries must now stop cayiling at this
or that detail of the present Tariff and try their
hands at framing one less Objectionable and
more satisfactory. There are tens OF thou
sands who find fault with this or that item of
the existing Tariff who will find great deal
more with any substitute that human wisdom
can devise. Then the naked fact that the as
ambiguous phrase Revenue Reform y is
plain confession of conscious weakness. " Free
"Trade" has definite meaning most people
know what is intended by it but who can be
sure what or how much is implied by "Reve-
"nuo Reform9 ~ Are you going to breach
fortress with balloOnf
Our advelsarics will not he able TO pass such
a Tariff bill as viii suit them through the next
Congress; but they will be obliged to frame
one. submit it, see it beaten IN the Senate if
not in the House, and go to the country upon
it in the ensuing Presidential contest And
then they will find themselves iDpaied upon
the forks of their own sOphistrics and false
pretenses. Take for example their habltnal
assumption that duty imposed on an imported
article raises proportionally the price thence
forth not only of the entire import, but of the
domestic product made in competition there
with. They proceed to impose duty of SO
per tun, or OF twenty per cent, or any amount
you please. on imported Pig Iron, while
they impose no corresponding excise on the
homemade article. One of thcnl-say
the Hon. J. Snooks-takcs the stump
in defense Of this Tariff, and is con-
fronted by querist who asks-"On what
"plinciple have you framed this bill f'-"On
"that of Marshalls resolve, for which we all
" voted in 1S7O-that no higher duty should be
Imposed on any article than that which
would give the largest revenue from that
"artcle-in other words, that the idea of
Protection should be utterly rejected and
scouted.'-"Nery good this duty OF twenty
"per cent. (or whatever it may be) on Pig Iron
Z" is levied purely for revenue ~" Certainly"
"IIow much Pig Iron will we import under
at ~" Probably Half Million tuns per an
INFLOW much will we make at homer
-"I presume about Two Million tuns."-
"Then, Mr.. SnOoks, you propose, by this Free
"Trade Tariff, to put Six Millions OF Dollars
"into the pockets of our American IRON
masters in order to get One Million and
Half not out of theirs, but out Of Ours (the
CONSUMERS of foreign IrOn), into the
"Treasury Is that the idea ?"-Full of
CAB as SnOoks notoriously is, how do you
| think he would satisfy that querist How
| justify to the audience his vote for such bill
| 1t is very easy, if you accept the Free Traders
premises, to inyeigh against the present Tariff
not nearly 80 easy to justify any Tariff at
ALL Questions easily answered on the assIlinp-
ton that Protection is wise and beneticent
become absolute stumbling-blocks on any other
basis. If Protection is a mistake or an impOs-
ture, then it is wrong to tax the poor man
twenty per cent. for Revenue on his imported
coat, or hat, or shoes, while the rich mans
ditto, if made at home, goes free. Messrs.
demagogues you may have forgotten your con-
temptible slang about high duties on the far
mers' log chains and low duties on the bankers
| god-chans but when you come To frame
tariff can you doubt that they will rise up in
| judgment against you
| Republicans if there b. any of you who re-
| gret that one Of the first acts Of your party
| after its accession to power was the enactment
of Protective Tariff we submit that you
may wisely and profitably study the matter
carefully, thoughtfully. II we did wrong then,
our adversaries will come into power at the
next Presidential Election. For our own part,
profoundly convinced that the National sredit
could not have been upheld and the Union
maintained in the absence of such Tariff,
and that Protection is as benignant in Peace
| as in War, We propose to fight it out on that
line, and to ask the People to stand by us in
| 1872, because we are what we have been, and
are proud of all we did to maintain the in
tegrity, uphold the credit, and cherish, diversity
and protect the industry of our country
TIE EASTERN QUESTION REOPENED.