The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-06-30
Protection and Free Trade from tho Eng.
lish and Amerlcan Standp0ints.

1t must be confessed that on some questions
Great Britain occupies peculiarly lofty and
noble position. Though it was plain that the
abolition of slavery would bring ruin upon her
colonies in the West Indies and seriously
impair the trade of the whole empire, yet Par
lament boldly and firmly promulgated the fiat
of emancipation. Though in England there
is more religious bigotry than in any country
in the world, yet Catholic emancipation gained
complete and substantial triumph. Though
the English are the most severely taxed people
under the sun, and pauperism has become
among them an evil which threatens to be over
whelming, yet England was first to adopt the
principles of free trade, and is up to this time
the only country which has adhered to this
broad doctrine of the political economists.
With us all this is different. The abolition
of slavery was forced upon US by stern mill
tary necessity. Religious tests we never had,
and consequently can take little credit to our
selves for refraining from intolerance. Pro-
lection to American industry is hobby which
our people voted down nearly thirty years
ago, and yet it troubles us to-day as violently
as Banquos ghost troubled Macbeth. We are
an eminently conservative people, and cling
to our old theories a long while after they are
exploded, and nurse our old traditions long
after they are dead. Consequently pro-
lection and free trade are looked a. by us
through different glasses from those by
which they are revealed to the English
vision. The great body Of our people
think protection illogical and impracticable,
but they lack the courage to adopt
out and out free trade. Men like Greeley,
who know little or nothing of the economical
principles they are trying to inculcate, raise
such terrible hue and cry in behalf Of
enormous tariffs and conjure up SO many
imaginary evils as the consequence Of free
trade, that it is scarcely to be regarded with
wonder that the people should shrink from the
very thing they desire The young men,
almost without exception, are free traders, the
West and the South are for free trade, and
even New England is beginning to show much
free trade strength. But nobody is willing to
take without precaution that which seems 70
ali leap in inc dark. Besides, the obligations
of the nation require heavy taxes, and the
indirect taxations of the tariff have their at
fractions.
In England there was but little of this hesi-
tation, and there is no disposition to 60 back
to protection. The adoption of the principle
of free trade was it's adoption once for all.
Now it is to English interests that other
nations should adopt it also. Looking at the
question from different standpoint than ours
and regarding it from the side Of interest, it is
natural that their hopes should be as lively as
our fears. If with the Marquis of Rpon the
wish had not been father to the thought he
would not have been so easily convinced of
the speedy success of free trade in this coun-
try. While such nonsense as Mr.. Greeley
preached the other day about shoe manufac-
turers going to Canada after the Inauguration
of direct taxation, because labor and lumber
are cheaper, is listened to with COM
placency, free trade with us can gain no
complete and absolute triumph. There can
be no question that the English members of
some degree to conclude the recent treaty on
some ill-grounded faith in the fruits of revenue
reform. Fully one-half the republican party
believes in free trade, but still Congress is
not afraid to impose high duties on imports.
If the revenue reformers came into power
they would only amend the tariff laws by an
experimental code of their own. The Mar
quis of Ripon will scarcely live to see the day
when his prediction of the success of free
trade principles in America will be realized.
The English and American standpoints on
this question are, as we have shown, 80
widely different that it Is scarcely to be ex-
pected that statesmen Of the two countries
should reach the same conclusion in any view
of the subject In England free trade is an
established fact, seeking to strengthen itself
by alliances in every part of the world. In
America it is still an open question with
babblers like Greeley and the World and the
Post trying to enlighten their little arrays Of
readers upon it. Their essays make very
heavy reading, especially as they always sue
coed in proving nothing; but they keep ham,
mering away nevertheless. Now and then
one party or the other gets the ear of stray
Englishman in this country and pours it full
of erroneous notions. Ripon goes home
believing the Americans will speedily become
absolute free traders, while Tom Noddy is
impressed with the notion that we intend
making our tariff so high that England would
do well to buy MS off by paying our national
debt We can only hope that both parties
of our idle twaddlers may before long be
wearied out, or that one or other of them may
learn something of the subject on which they
assume to be the teachers of the people.
Stolen Bonds Dangerous Property.