New-York tribune., 1871-06-29
COWARDLY POLITICS.

The State of Maine has an immense coast
line, much ship-timber, and large population
skilled in ship-buiding and addicted to mari
time adventure. The great Fisheries are In
inviting proximity on the East the collieries
of Nova Scotia seek the factories of Massa-
chusetts, and Maine builds and mans colliers.
Her people are suffering from the great revo-
luton in Shipping in progress whereby
Iron replaces Wood as a chief material while
Steam supplants Wind as the impelling power; !;
and, while it is absolutely demOnstrable that
no conceivable policy could secure to Maine
the building of Iron Steamers, still, 1t is easy
TO make the ignorant and unreflecting sup
pose that the Tariff has somehow caused the
decay of Maine IShip-building, though it had
no more influence over it than had the down.
fall of Napoleon III. In short, there was
never safer game than for the Maine Demo-
Gratis to demonstrate squarely and shout Justify
for Free Trade They have nothing to lose
and all to gain; the ship-builders are gener-
ally Republicans and they might coax away
few by seeming intent on restoring their lost
prosperity.
And yet, their State Convention risked no
bolder, deeper utterance than this
"Resolved That the Democracy are opposed to high
Protective Tariff believing 1t to be based upon false
philosophy destructive to the industries of the nation,
deusve in its professions tax levied on the many for
the benefit OF the few calculated to foster great monopo
lies and in effect permanently to increase the income Of
the National Treasury hasten the liquidation Of the
Public Debt"
"a high Protective Tariff" they say, is
Objectionable. What do they consider high
Tariff? How is it with q moderate Protective
Tariff How with high Tariff that is indis-
criminate7 These gentlemen do not say. In
fact, they say nothing that embodies or recOg-
nizes principle, but merely beat Chinese
gong for Buncombe, making noise a substi-
tute for light.
Perhaps we ought to thank them for their
averment that "a high Protective Tariff" is
Calculated permanently to increase the in
L" come of the National Treasury or hasten the
liquidation of the Public Debt" That is
certainly an emphatic tribute to the excellence
of such Tariff as a promoter of general
thrift and prosperity all the more forcible
that the authors plainly did not mean it. But
what did they meant
A Herald correspondent, on his way to the
Convention, fell in with q well got up, bald
headed, gold-spectacled delegate-evidently one
of the old Bourbons-who, in reply to the
correspondents inquiries, informed him that
the party had gone into repeated contests upon
its principles fairly enunciated, and had come
out shocldngly routed: so last year they tried
the dodge of keeping their principles well in
the back aground, and making all they could
out of local and personal griefs: whereupon
they did great deal better and should follow
that course this year. The dialogue continued
Then the New Departure 1t is called, is more
polite than popular in your State
90" Yes, Sir Any confounded fool can see that Vaan
digham MT going to to abandon the prin
cpes for which he suffered exile unless he had point t.
make by doing believe and there are thousands
us like me In the State OF Maine, that we had no
right to take the nggers away from the souherners than
you have TO take out Of my barn. and that they'd
killed every cussed Aboitonst that entered their coun
try for that purpose, they'd have performed as much
who had crawled into my house. Damn Il, Sir they
ought to be hung now-all Of them Damn them they
are better than thieves robbers y
"And the monument OF the dark ages rushed Violently
10 the platform to calm his passions. His ideas such
they are. presented above furnish fair index to the
composition Of large share of tho Democratic party
here II Is true that such not now tho uniyersal,
xpOunded doctrines OF the organizationfor, In rea
measure, the Democratic party s adopting the New
Departure principle broached by John Quincy Adams
at Worcester Mass, in ls6s and formally placed beor
the nation by Mr. Yallandigham, the closing pablo
act Of his life SUCH at least sees to be the sentlmen