New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1871-12-07
Let Wen Enough Alone.

There are unmlstsksble indications tnat d
desperate effort is to be made during the pres
emit session Of Congress to overthrow our pro-
lection policy, and to build upon its ruins q
system of free trade which will bring our work
ingmen, manufacturers, and all the industrial
interests of the country into competition with the
pauper labor, great manufacturing establish
ments, and enormous capital of Europe. The
revenue reform and free trade advocates
commenced their operations at the last session,
by ferocious onslaught upon the duty on
bituminous coal and SALT and have employed
the time since the adj ournment in Jealous,
systematic, and INSCRIPTIONS effort to poison
the public mind with their dangerous free trade
heresies
Before our paper containing this article is
published, we have no doubt the war will have
been renewed upon the whole system of pro.
lection to American labor and manufactures.
But there ought not to he doubt that the
struggle utterly to destroy, or So unsettle
our tariff laws as to accomplish the same
ruin to our industries, will fail. The bane
Of our nation has been the eternal tinker
ing that has been kept up by free trade
demagogues and Congressional bunglers upon
the tariff No sooner is a system of duties
fairly in operation and just beginning to re.
trieve the ruin which free trade had brought
upon the country, than the agents of our great
European rival commence relentless warfare
upon it.
Three times, at least, in the last sixty years,
have they succeeded in destroying protective
tariff which had revived our trade and com.
merce, created demand for labor, and restored
general prosperity to the country, and each time
has this victory of Great Britain brought ruin 10
our industry. Our manufacturers were COM
PEELED to suspend, our workngmen were thrown
out of employment, wages deprecated, labor
degraded, home market for our agricultural
products was destroyed, the price of wheat and
corn fell to mere nominal prices, and every
branch of industry was utterly Frustrated.
To accomplish this wide spread ruin our
British rivals, Of course, sold their fabrics
cheaper than we could make them until their
work was done. Then, when they had broken
down all competition here by underselling our
market they at once put their goods up to a
higher price than the American article had
ever been, and thus compensated themselves
for the sacrifice it had cost them to destroy our
manufacturers. This has been the unvarying
result OF free trade. 1t is policy invented by
the English merchants and manufacturers for
their own benefit and for the overthrow Of all
rivals, especially in the United States.
The disastrous consequences of this free
trade legislation to our national prosperity, and,
above all, to our workingmen, broad and deep
and we'll defined as its course is, do not satisfy
the agents Of our foreign competitors, nor the
men who have inaugurated this revenue reform
free trade hobby for the dishonest purpose of
attempting to ride down the Republican party.
They have resolved on repeating this ruinous
experiment during this session of Congress.
1t makes no difference to them that the Govern
ment needs and must have the one hundred and
sixty or seventy million dollars in gold the
owners of foreign imported goods pay into our
Treasury to meet its obligations to its creditors
1t is of no consequence to them that if this
amount is not realized by tariff on imports, it
must be raised by direct tax on the people,
or the Government must render itself and the
American name infamous by repadiatiOn. 1t
does not matter to them that under our present
system of protection trade is prosperous, that
manufactures are aourishing. that labor is in
demand and commands an adequate reward
that we have home market, created by our
own manufacturing interests, for 1920, 900 900
Of our agricultural products, at remunerative
prices, that the progress Of the country since
its adoption ten years ago, has been more
rapid, in spite of the war, than during any
other period 10 our history that it has enabled us
to pay the great burdens of taxation which that
war imposed upon Us, aud to extinguish our
national debt at rate unpreceaented in the
history Of the world or that the people are con.
tented, prosperous, aud happy.
All these facts seem to weigh nothing with
the men who are bent on this new free trade
and anti-American experiment. They have
resolved to force it upon the country at what
ever risk to its welfare, and however destruc-
tive it may be to the interests of our working
men. Bat we warn them that for oil this they
Will sooner or later be brought into judgment
by the people
For the purpose Of saving cent and half
of duty on salt, which is the average amount 1t
costs them, or for the repeal of duty on btu
minous coal, which none but large manufac-
turers and railroad monopolists use, the
people will not consent to the destruction of a
policy thai has enriched this nation, rendered
it independent and powerful, and built up
system of manufactures that is more rapidly
developing our great resources than ever be-
FORE If Congress has not lost the wisdom
which has marked its course for ten years past,
aud has not become alarmed at the clamor of
free trade agents, it will let weH enough alone,
and leave the people undisturbed 10 their pros
perity.