New-York tribune., 1871-07-11

combating the self3hness tho ndinefence ana tne I'D
competence legislative and exocutyo-which now
array themselves opposition to progress, that the ad
vocates Of revenue reform base their chief claim to pop
ular support Tho scope and nature OF this present
work furthermore Is extensive with the present most
important economical requirement OF the country, which,
embodied in single brief expression may be defined to
be chedper production. and necessary consequence
larger consumption and more erended markets domestic
| and foreign"
Now we meet this special pleading with
the statement that those who propose great
change in the public policy of mighty nation
"A change certain to involve many thousands
in pecuniary ruin-0ught to have distinct ana
positiye convictions not only that this policy
ia wrong. but that they have the right one
ready wherewith TO replace it. In other words,
they should be ready to substitute for the
system they assail another based on definite
principles and contemplating definite ends
ia not this self-eyidentf
Now we go further. and assert that
these self-styled Revenue Ref0rmers are
really ee-Traders-tbat what they really
contemplate is the overthrow of the Pro-
tective policy and the substitution there
for of that which the civilized world
recognizes as Free Trade. Such being
the vital truth-as Mr.. Weiss essay of itself
abundantly prOves-why not use terms that
every one understands-that have an estab-
lisbed and universally accepted meaning-in-
stead of employing others that are novel,
ambiguous indefnite' Why do this if the
object be not to deceive!
Mr.. Wells proceeds to set forth n general
decline of our National, and especially of our
Manufacturing. Industry under the existing
Tariff. We are producing less, consuming
less. running into debt enormously, and gene
rally in a very bad way; and for this the
Tariff is mainly responsible. The shortest
way TO deal with this dismal exhibit is to
oppose TO it the testimony of one whom its
author cannot afford to discredit whatever
others may think of it. We allude to Mr..
DAVID A. Wells, who, in his Report as Special
Commissioner of the Revenue January, 1869,
opens with a general survey OF the present
condition of the Capital and Industry OF the
" Country which demonstrates Che says:)
"a GENERAL IsCREAsE IN TIE PRODUCES oFDoMEsTIc
INDUSTRY The Commissioner Il fully aware OF the DIM
cute, attendant upon determination Of estimates in
this department: prices with the present rredeemable,
fuctuatng currency being wholly yalueless as mea-
sure while statement of quantities to be strictly ac-
curate must be considered not only with reference TO
quality but also 10 the normal
which under all circumstances accompanies an increase
OF population Nevertheless the wealth of the country
ia It's capacity for annual production and an analysis OF
this production il the surest and at present the only
available method OF testing that wealth.
speaking generally, however in the first instance the
Commissioner asserts that all the available data tend TO
establish the following conclusions, viz: That within
The last i've years cotton spndes have been put
IN operation. iron furnaces erected, more iron
smeltod bars rolled more steel made, more coal
and copper mined. more lumber sawed and hewn, more
houses and shops constructed, manufactures OF
different kinds started, and more petroleum collected,
refined, and exported. than during equal period in
the history of the country and that this increase has
been greater both regards quality and quantity and
greater than the legitimate increase to be expected from
tho normal increase of wealth and population"
And he goes on to show that we were then
making more Cotton and Woolen fabrics, min
ing more Coal and smelling more Iron, &c.
&c, than ever before. NOT, having ceased to
be Special Commissioner and accepted a re-
tainer from Gov. Hoffman, he tells an exactly
opposite story, and makes the figures support
it. We are spinning less Cotton than we did
in 1850, and all our industry seems laboring
under kindred debility! Mr.. Wells is an
advocate who serves those who employ him,
and can make ont case for either side. We
purDose to expose some of his novel fnllacics
in our next.