New-York tribune., 1870-11-30

Z" of ma are nOt.r The Republicans
odontcd a platform which left every one
free IN vote for or against Enfranchise-
mept os he Judged best. Hereupon, the pre-
determined bolt was made. We warned the
Republicans that the pretext was sham-that
Enfranchisement was certain to be carried any
how-that the real object of the boit was 10
hand tbc State over to Sham Democracy and
Free Trade. And that is the naked truth.
Mr.. David A. Wells, having more practical
knowledge on the subject OF tarlils ana re'e-
nue than his new associates, TOOK occaSioh W
hedge, as follows:
"Terc arc many things which to render the form
of tariff desirable, perhrps imperatvey the people
prefer an indirect to ary other also recognize thS
fact that the Government course OF procedure mas
given certain pledges TO Tanufacturers and Others on
the strength of which cap WI has been inVested ana
would not have that pcdg withdrawn WITHOUT warning
whateyer may be our opin,n, or my own opion a' o
CARDS the question that und ies Free Trade ana rotec
ton 1t seems to that those are not really the ques
tons at ISSUE or the abuses which. under the name OF
Protection have been nf'orted into law anu iois'oo
| on the American people,"
MIR. Wells you are clever, but it won't
do! The honest people of this country mean
to have this Tariff question settled exactly
right. We protest against tho pledges to
manufacturers and Others" No one had au-
thority to give any such pledges. If Free
| Trade ever was right, or ever will be right, 1t
| is right now and always. The day OF TRIM
mers and twaddlers is past If Protection Is
| wrong. let us have Tariff framed and passed
which shows not trace of it. Ihs
is the issue which tho Free Trade League
has chosen to mako 1p, and the friends OF
Protection have accep ed it. Let us have no
"Polk, Dallas, and $40 Tariff Of 49," this
time, but clean square contest on definite
issue of principle. Let time be taken for ap-
peal to and hearing by the country, and let
the Peoples decision be final.
Mr.. Wells has great compassion for our
manufacturers of Cutlery and Hats, because
they have to pay higher duties on their Steel
and Silk than is charged on foreign Cutlery
and Hats He leaves out Of sight all that we
have done and are doing to cheaper Steel and
Silk under this Tariff, and assumes that prices
here are wholly dependent on those of i'm
ported Steel, which is far from the fact this
wear, and we trust will be still further next
year.
Mr.. Wells ia confronted by the fact that the
country prospers under our present Tarlif,
and. lacking the brass which enables most
Free Traders to deny it, meets 1T thus:
"Tho Protectoniss NEE. them all by saying that the
country is prosperous. We the country Is pros
porous. We increasing with immense rapidly be-
the and have recovered from the eects OF
the war with rapdlty almost marvellous. But want
you to bear mind that great deal OF that prosperity
arises from causes purely natural which would produce
precisey the same results whether were republic or
a monarchy-whethor the Government WAS that OF q
king or OF president The first cause is our possession
OF so largo amount Of arabic land"
We had greater prOpOrtiOnate abundance
of "arable landr after our Revolutionary
struggle and after our last war with Great
Britain; yet years of bankruptcy, idleness, wide
spread misery, and general prostratiOn ensued.
Our public burdens we're no greater In either
case than in 1865; yet we did not then recover
| with marvellous" rapidty, as Mr.. Wells ad-
mts that we have done this time. And the
| reason we have done 80 is, that we have EN-
ployed millions of our own people in doing
what would have b, zen done for us abroad but
for our Tariff-tO the advantage, possibly. of
| Messrs. Minturn and G.. ii. Marshalps shipping,
but to the damage and loss of American Labor.
| Mr.. Horace White talks "brave words"
| about having "no truce or compromise with
Z" that form Of robbery which is denOminated
Protection !" but even he is for "ultimate
extinction "-evidentIy intent on the sapping
and mining process rather than direct manly
assault. But the sincere Free-Traders will
keep the tricksteIs up to their work.
Mr.. White airs his conceptions of fair-deal-
ing in politics as solOws:
"THE NEw-YoRK Tribune complains that we Revenue
Reformers do not for Proeconists when they arc
nominated for Congress the Republican ticket while
they he Proecton.ts) do vote for Free Traders when
they nominated. The simplicity Of this plant is
truly remarkable. II We were engaged In pastime q
circus performance, we should probably advocate u
Revenue Tariff 3e days the year. and on the SeSth go
to the polls and vote against It, H. the contrary,
mean business, we should vote tho same way that We
talk II any Proeotionst thinks little Of his principles
to advocate them s6 days in the and on the 5th
vote against them, shall be the last one to object"
That is to say If the Republicans of two
adjoining districts nominate in ono PrOtec-
ZIONIST, in the other Free-Trader, Mr.. White
would have his crOnies elect the FreeTrader
by the help of ProtectiOnists, and beat the
ProtectOnist by voting with the Democrats.
That game has been played upon us in the
recent elections to Congress. And it always
works well so long as one side has monopoly
of it. But that, in the nature of things, it
cannot have for ever.
Enough for to-day of the Free-T Traders
demonstration. When they shall have become
older and wiser, we trust they may realize
that there is another side of the question from
theirs-that all are not necessarily selfish, or
bigOted, or ignorant, or foolish, who do not
agree with them. And yet the case of Mr..
Bryant is not calo Hated to strengthen such
hopes. But they ill surely find that calling
such names as "mo ,opolists" frghtens nobody
and convinces nobody. At all events, they