New-York tribune., 1870-12-01
NO HASN'T

Ihefe are many OF our cOuntTymcn WHO slu-
corely believe in Free Trade, as do many Others
in Projections while there is a large class who,
not having yet studied the question. have no
! decided opinion upon it-not to speak OF poll
ticians by trade who are ready to profess or
support any doctrine that seems likely to favor
their personal aspirations We entreat earnest
Free-Tnders and earnest PrOtectiOnists to
unite in demanding that the issue between
! their respective doctrines shall be made 80
| broad and clear that the ill-infOrmed and heed
! less shall be compelled to study the subject
and take one side or the other, while the poll
| ticians by trade shall, in the decision of this
! question, be reduced to their proper inSignii-
| canCe.
| If a great practical issue, affecting the we'll
being of our country and her people, cannot
| be decided just right, we prefer that 1t be de-
| cided exactly the other way. "A muddled,
| half-and-balf decision may stand for years;
while one that was wholly wrong would be
speedily and surely reversed.
We have so profound conviction Of the
benefcence and NECESSITY of Protection that
we are entirely willing to see fair trial
made of thorough Free Trade; for we are
sure that the country would not, because it
could NOT, endure it. Two years of complete,
| genuine Free Trade would secure us against
! q repetition of the mistake for at least gen.
Grafton.
| Among the hard things 80 freely said of us
ProtectiQDists by our adversaries, we have
never yet known them to assert that we failed
to make a Protective Tarif when we had an
opportunity We never plead popular igno-
rance or prejudice as our excuse for acting IN
but hGlf-hearted accordance with Our princi-
! pies, and never plead for time to acCustOm the
people gradually to their operation. In our
view, the present time is always the right
time to adopt Protection if it has been dis
cardod and maintain it if it has not. And we
are never aware of any pledges, or cOmmittals,
| or peculiar circumstances, that render partial
or total Free Trade the right thing for to-day,
though perhaps not for tomorrow.
We have now q Protective Tariff. True, the
duties imposed by it on most staples-Pig
Iron, Coal, Salt, Sugar, Wool Paper, &c.-are
lower than the duties levied by the Calhoun
D Lowndes Tariff of 1916, which were imposed
r for Revenue, with but slight regard to Pro-
lection. We think the present Congress erred
in reducing many rates OF duty, especially those
, on Pig Iron and Sugar. Still, we are content
with the Tariff as it is, as q whOle-willing to
abide by it as better than anything likely to
be substituted for il. Should it be OvertmOwn,
we trust it will give place to one founded on
the opposite principle and in perfect consist
ency with the doctrine of Free Trade. Then
the people, having given each principle a fair
trial, will be enabled to judge intelligently be-
tween them.
The one great mistake of Mr.. Clay's career
was the Tariff Compromise of 1888. Had he
then said, "The country has just rechOsen
:" Gen. Jackson its President. His party has a
"decided majority in either House. Let that
majority frame and pass just such Tariff
"as it deems best; and, if it does not work
"well, the country knows how to get rid of
"it"-we should, in the election of 1896, have
pTecluded years of disaster and suffering. By
his compromise, our Manufacturing and Min
ing interests purchased transient reprieve, at
a heavy cost to the country and themselves.
We trust that mistake may never be repeated.
The World, indeed, says:
Seeing that Protection in danger, Mr. Clay acted
Ike prudent navigator in storm, and threw over
part of the cargo TO save the ship"
! 1t seems TO us that he threw over the ship,
and only saved part of tho cargo for little
while.
The World adds:
"By that bill, the Tariff brought down 10 the rev
enue standard by series Of successive reductions
! tending over nine years."
! Yes; and, when we, at the end Of nine
years. had got down to "the Revenue stand
Gard" we had neither Revenue nor Credit,
and had to go back to Protection to reclaim
them. Why not state hdt2
The World now talks of not being willing
to bring sudden ruin on any great interest"
Ii there be any great interest anxious to be
ruined a little moro deliberately, let it apply
at The World Office. But we have heard enough
of this kind of mercy. We ask the Froe-
! Traders to submit to the next Congress
! Tariff bin which accOrds exactly and in all re-
| spocts with their principles and convictions;
| and if the trmmeIs and twaddlers who be-
! lieve in nothing but tho offices they hold or
are trying 20 secure, undertake 10 supplant this
| by one that Is "nether fish, flesh, nor good
red herring" we are quite confident that they
viii be defeated.
"DOes Protection Protect p asks one Of the
least scrupuIous manipulator5 Of facts and
iiSures for the FrceTrade League. Projections
lists think that question answers itself We
neg to propose rs next in Order-"DO Free
Traders want Free Tradef' If they do, let
then' act and vote accordingly. They certainly
VIII not secure what they want by going in-
stead for something else.
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