New-York tribune., 1870-12-12
THOSE WHO DEBATE SHOULD REID.

down to 1928.
THOSE UHO DEBATE SHOULD REID
The Frpe-Tradcrs as n class cylnce that
ovcrwcening contempt for their adyersarlcS
which impeled the Wise King to observe that
"Pridc goeth before destruction, and a naughty
esprit before falln They rarely read aught
that contravcnes their own views; and, when
they do read, it is with the rooted conviction
that nothing good can come ont of Nazareth.
Hence, they waste columns IN fOrtliylnS
positions that nobody disputes, and remain
obstinatcly ignorant of matters that 1t deeply
concerns them to understand. Here is an
average sample from The World:
1--WE shall be too happy discuss our shipping Interest
with TIE TRIBUNE to any extent 1t chooses. and we
promise candid answers to all fair questions But THE
TRIBUNE must first show its colors aud tell in what cause
it Is fighting.
"Is it for against the revival OF our PROSTATE nav
gationl Must the shipping interest regard THE TRIBUNE
as a proessed friend. nm avowcd enemyi II, as we
suspect, it's real animus Is deadly hostility to commerce.
fardealing requires that II should define its position
We have evidence that THE TRIBUNE ay0rs any move
mcn for recovering lost prestige on the ocean. We
charge it with unreenting hostility to commerce. Ii
keeps up ceaseess remonsanccs against the waste and
folly Of eXpending in transportation 80 much labor Which,
II thinks ought to be devoted to production. lt main
tans that we ought to manufacture the articles we inn
port and If import nothing can OF course export
nothing a no people are such fools to give away their
PRODUCTIONS receiving nothing In return. THE 1EIBUNEs
pet theory strikes at the roots OF commerce. and we wish
10 be Informed whether it accepts rejects this logical
consequence If II Is true policy to produce every
thing at home importing nothing and exporting moth
ing to pay that nothing what need have Of ships
II strictly follows from THE TRIBUNEs theory that the
building and sailing Of ships f. miscirccted Industry
and that the commerce, once boast which
wish to revive, is pompOus and prodgal nuisance
II THE TRIBUNE accepts this legitimate deduction from
il principles it Is idle to waste time in discussing with
It irrelevant questions relating TO the proper methods OF
recovering lost shipping 1t is ridiculous to bother
heads 10 how thing ought to be done, II 1t ought
not to be done at all.
"No skulkngi Tell u.s. yea ornay, whether you favor
the revival Of lost navigation oppose it. We shall
then have an integibe basis Of discussion. II you
do MT rant shipping the question to be debated between
is narrowed TO the single point whether commerce
with foreign nations conducted in American bottoms Is
desirable. Whether this is the real ground OF conro
versy between us other, depends upon how you
define your position"
Comments by The Tribune.
The World plumes itself on its ignorance of
our essays on Political Economy, first pub
lished i'm these columns, since collected and
reprinted in a handy volume. Those Essays
could not fail to give the information now
required of us ; and, in fact, that first written
(but printed as No. q discusses this precise
subject more elaborately and carefully than
we could now afford time or space to do.
Witness this paragraph from PIP. $3.50:
"Undcr,tand once for ALL that dO not propose con-
trayenton the laws OF Nature OF any of them II
my countrymen can only grow coffee or alspicc caout
I I'm lnth at
| the cost lin labor OF its production in tropical
| regions, then I would nowse encourage its
| growth among us at all The Frcc-Tradc bldinage
about protecting the growth of pueappes in Minnesota
or OF arrowroot in Name extracting sun-beams from
cucumbers, &C.. &C., is simple bufioonery in evasion Of
the true issue. quite comprehend that inter
national and trans-Oceanic commerce has benchcent
fnctiOn-hat of dtusing among the inhabitants OF all
and countries those natural products Of each to
which the soil climate OF another is ungpnal so that
all may enjoy, in n measure the blessings diyinely
bestowed upon each. And, so far from wishing to OBJ
struct or impede suchdiusOn, acqucsce most reluct
antly in the imposition retention Of any duty or tax
whatever those products Of other cimes which can
not, because Of natural impedments be successfully
grown riyaed soil. Show me that Nature
has nterposcd serious barrier TO the growth pro-
ducton OF any staple in my country, and Will srenu.
ously insist that duty be imposed the importation
OF product unless for revenue and that this shall
be removed the Treasury spare its pro-
ceeds."
Need we say one word more on this head
There may be those who think it better for
our Navigation and Commerce to have raw
materials transmitted from all quarters of the
globe to Western Europe, there manufactured,
and the fabrics shipped to us: we judge other
wise. We consider that mistaken and pern-
ciOus commerce that takes our Cotton and Food
to Europe, transmutes them into Fabrics and
sends them back to be bought and worn by
our people but show us that anything can be
produced in another country decidedly and per-
manently cheaper-that is, by less labor-than
on our own soil, and we insist on importing
that thing, and charging none but strictly Rev
enue duties upon it. But that Commerce which
takes Wheat from Minnesota and exchanges it
there for Fabrics which could be made with
as little labor in Minnesota as in Europe, while
the cost of sending the grain to Europe exceeds
that of producing it in Minnesota, seems to US
wasteful, injurious Commerce, and we seek
to discourage and minimize it by coaxng mil
lions OF producers of Metals and Fabrics over
from Europe to ply their yocations as near the
great wheat-fclds of our continent as may be-
All this, our readers have long understood
The World haggles over it because it darc not
think and will not read
--
HiTTTON ID tIV