The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1871-09-07

:, When, Oh the 18th Of March last, tH
't question came 10 direct Vote, an,
N the only choice lay between leavin!
,, the duty as il was, or repeating it al
II together, the house of representative
If voted for the repeal, ayes, Ia to 4
p nays. But the senate did not act, ant
D the high rate continues. Neither Ia,
principles of protection nor Of com
mon justice will tolerate 4 rate which
S. after the cost Of transportation Ina,
been paid, puts American salt into TN,
free trade markets of Canada At :
lower price than our people can buy
it.
The recent history Of the duty on
coal affords another equally fnTcibl,
illustration Of the folly of retaining
the tax on an article when il confer
D so small a benefit and Offends 81 large
a portion of the people. II l were
seeking to destroy the whole system !
could derive no means more certain "a
: accomplish my purpose than by Te-
J tanning unchanged such taxes as
b these.
Again, there are duties which are
positively injurious to home industry.
: Take the hat manufacturers for exam
{ Pile. Nearly all the materials of
which il is composed must he obtained
from abroad, but ihey bear much
higher rate of duty than is levied ON
the imported hat itself. This, OF
course Injuries the manufacturers and
increases the cnst to the consumer, and
puts but little money into the tresury
! earnestly warn you, fellow citizens,
that We are in imminent danger of
repeating again the old folly Of divid-
ing our people into two hostile camps
One determined To resist any TeVis-
ion Of the tariff, whether for the sake
of reducing amOuntO Of taxation, for the
more equitable distribution of burdens
or for theTemOVAl of unjust and anOm-
alOus provisions ; and the other, strik-
indiscriminately at the whole tariff
system, without regard to the great
industries which have been built up
under its influence. Within the last
half a century the industry and bIsi-
Hess of this nation have again and
again been tossed up and down he
/ tween these opposing factions, and
each in turn has brought the reaction
I by its own extremes In the light of
our past history it will be Il crime if
We repeat the folly. Business needs
1AaAhlAAANT anu lN al Alil-
stable
The partial revision of 1870, which
I took effect on the lst of January, last,
! has borne good fruits. One hundred
and fifty articles were placed upon the
free list, and the rates ofsome others
reduced. Yet the treasury received
from the tariff eleven millions more
during the fiscal year ended June 80,
L.,
reasons which Justified that act still
more strongly require the continuance
Of the work. | believe this revision
can be made, and should be made, not
only without injury to American in
duStry but 10 its benefit. And ] use
the word industry in its broad and
proper meaning. IL is labor in any
form that gives value to the elements Of
nature either by extracting them from
the earth, the air or sea, or by modify
ing their forms, transporting them 10
them To market, or in any way max
ing them better fitted for the Use of
man.
In this work it is eminently safe to
trust the republican party, and emin-
emily dangerous to trust their OppOn-
ents. The democrats seem to hate
the present tariff system, because re- /
publicans made it. They denOunce it
as robbery, and their representatives
voted almost unanimously against
the act which reduced it twenty-thTee
millions of dollars
In the hands of its friends, the sys-
tenn will not he destroyed, but will be
amended, anC made to conform to the
wants OF the time, and to the most en-
lightened financial policy. IL is true,
there are wide differences among re-
n nHblli6ea4Sr lisa t.Af1mSelyeS on the theoret--
ject; but | can not doubt that, with
wise fOTbearance toward each other,
and an earnest regard for the public
good, the study of this subject will
lead to an adjustment, not violent and
revolutionary, but just and cOnserva-
tive, in the better meaning of that
word.
DEMOCRATIC DOCTRINES OF CURREN-
CY AND THE DEBT.
Though / had read the currency and
debt resolution of the late democratic
convention, / looked upon them rs a
sort of post LiOrtem eulOgy of an eX-
pIOded doctrine, and designed merely
as a compliment To Mr.. PendletOn, the
distinguished chairman of the con-
ventiOn. | was, therefore surprised to
find that General Ewing, i'm his re-
cent speech at Columbus, has treated
the resolution seriously, rs liyingar-
ticle of democratic faith.
General Ewing, for himself and his
party in Ohio, still insists on paying
the 5-2l bonds in greenbacks. Body
snatching was never regarded as
specially cheerful business, and To eX-
hume aud reclOthe this deaG body of
rascality, requires eXhaustless re
sources of cheerfulness, nerve aud
stomach. While / admire the cOur-
age and ability of the General, | can
not allow some of his statements to 90
uncOntradicted. He says that the re-
publicans generally We're in favor Of
the payment Of these bonds in green
backs, until General Grant was inaug-
urated, and then turned around and
insisted that they should be paid in
gold. II is true that when the ques-
ton was first raised there was some
difference of opinion among the re-
publicans in regard to the letter Of the
law, aud some were disposed to take
advantage Of n possible Interpretation
of it. and make the outstanding green
hacks receivable for bOnds-dOllar for
dollar. But the national republican
convention of 1865 brushed aside all
subtitle casuistTy and resolved to pre-
serve inyiOlate the public faith by
keeping both the letter and spirit of
the law 7 will not restate the ar
gument, but ! will call the attention
of our democratic friends To single
fact.
In the house OF representatives. July
., 1865, in reply to 4 remark Of the
late Mr.. Stevens, of Pennsylvania, /
reviewed at length the proceedings Of
congress in regard to the passage of
the act of February p, 1S65-which
authorizes the 80 lOan-quOting the
remarks made 10y different members
Of Congress at the time Of the passage
i'm regard to the mode of payment of
the loan. After giving date and page
for all the citations made, / summed /
up the result as follows:
81 have carefully gone over the pro- !
ceedings Of congress as recorded in the |
Globe and Journal of the house, and !
/ have not found an intimatiOn, made !
member. that IL was even dream /
eel LllAL the llIlllttli4il VI llAC1G tRiiAAl1 d
could be paid in anything but gold.-I
On the contrary, all who did refer to |
the subject spoke in the most positive |
terms that as a matter of course they 1
We're payable in gold Congress !
siOnal Globe, July ., page 81.
All parties were challenged tO deny /
or disprOve the correctness Of these ci- !
tatioms, which were published broad |
cast a. a acampaign dOcument,pending .
the presidential election. Up to tins 1
time no attempt las been made 10 de |
ny the correctness of the statement ] I.
have quoted, and of the further fact /,
that the executive officers of the gov
ernment at the time these bonds were
negotiated took the same view as that 1
taken BY congress, and that both par /
ties u the contract understood its 7.
terms tO stipulate payment in cOin.-i
The national conscience approved this /
position Of the republican party, and I
the subsequent enhancement Of the .
public credit proved again the old /
truth that in the long run honesty is /
cheaper than the most skillfully dis I
guised FasCaiity. But the most re-
markabIe feature OF democratic fiHan- !
ces 4 = the clause Of the new platform /.
which General Ewing calls the "Fi- !
naneial new departure" and which /
L.. .-.srrs.. ~. -..srl ri tIflenNsarEr nf