New-York tribune., 1872-04-06
INDUSTRLiL LEGISLATION.

DIsCrSsION At TIE LIBERAL CLUE - PROF.
PERRY ON FREE rRADE-REPLY OF HORACE
GREELEY.
Prof Arthur Latham Perry regarded rs the
abest champion Of Free Trade addressed last evening
large audience the Liberal Club Oh free trade and kin
drod subjects He spoke for some lime on currency ana
condemned the Legal Tender which he held
was unwise ana mischievOus. Referring to
protection. lie cOnended that the miller who would
have "a law passed compelling persons to bay
hominy and -four at his mill solely because
they could buy the commodities cheaper and better
elsewhere, type of the Protectonst. He considered
Protection crafty, deylsh and dangerous and stated
that its sole aim artifciay the price ofdomes
tic goods 10y a foreign. If the tariff does not
create he asked corresponding rise in the price of
foreign goods, how does 1t afford any pro-
tectionl The perfection Of Protection Is
the death of Revenue, while perfect revenue
tariff would he the death Of all Protection. The duties
& s Ineso Id o' n az thon "a widely dstrib1ted He as
serted also that Protective duties Just three times
higher than in the time OF Washington ana jefferson. anu
that they are enacted to sustain Ola estaoisheu huus
Horace Greeley replied to Mr. Perry, saying that the
early tariffs passed TO bring industries into exist
euce, not TO sustain any already firmly established
These tariffs were avOwedy Protective showing clearly
that they were adopted for benehcen common ends ana
not in the interest of monopolists" who did not exist
Tic IrOtCCtlOnistS alWtAS
they had In view and successive iunphs from lsG
TO ls2s when the most protective tariff was adopted
The country pronounced emphatcay in favor OF Pro-
lection in these days bccause the quetonhad been dis
cussed at every hearhstOue. and the opposing argu-
ments had been presented by able Orcbe eXponents OF
their respective sdes. The American people have never
sanctioned Free Trade except when deceived by
Marty cues such rs Polk Dallas, and the
Tariff of 40" He asked If Gen. jackson ;
letter faVoring Protection means OF creating new IN
dustries was completely in Conflict with Professor
assumption that the true IfOtcctOnist Is miller
rates from himself He showed that Protection does not
necessarily the price ot commodities IN order 10
be effective by rcserying the national market Tor the
products OF national labor II lmarts staUlty 10 INDUS
tries, encourages the investment or capital, slim
uates domestic competition expands the capacities or
the people and brings the producer and into
closer relations thus creating conditions Whlcn secure
the highest reward for labor and promote the interests
OF the entire community.
that account cheaper and better Than II
their sale liallo 10 DC lmpcded by
the product Of foreign presses. He SAID thit
former tariffs have been more protective than the
present because foreign competition was not so aggres-
tive So far Protection being incompatible With rcve
nue. there larger paid annually into the treas
ury under Protection than III the Free Trade period
Prof Perry here asked If Protection had ever cstab
shed sefsustaning industry Nh. Greeley iustanced
the beet-sugar industry Of France, and Amer
lean edge-tOOls, which are actually exported aud
purchased i'll preference to those or BRUSH make
lie cOutemned Intolerance Of opinion, holding tnat
those who with him upheld Protection were no less
wise nor less honest than the Professor.
Tie discussion listened TO with great interest," and
eliccd tratIOus respectively from the friends VI
both tAe National and Free Trade policies