The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-06-05
The Frce-Traders--

AFRO doing very foolish things. MT. GREE
ivy has surrendered protection. ana ket' '.l II
out Of the presidential campaign. tic leaves g
.,,n x,hcct entirely to the people. and VIII
sirn auy tariff hill that Congress may pass
sbould he bc elected President. That IS All
advantage 10 free trade. That the most pow
crruI advocate cf protection Ehouid agree 10
abstain from pressing it. upon the country =
Enthusiastically gain to free trade.
This is good reason why the irco-o""'
should be content; hut there is Sct "'''''r'
reason why the discussion Of c''''r '''' ,"
or protection Is now SuIcrcf's'o"S. '"
so large debt AZ we owe, the 'he'"eh'a' i'"ii
,.,.;or to domc>tic industry from nfii ne
,,ossorr % bear the buffhen Of the debt ana
,,,.rnnent EXPENSES should 't sufficient TO
..,;rfr the protectionists, while the free
traders arc surely not so stupid rs TO prefer
direct taxes 10 duties on imports, wlicrcWitti
TO sustain this burthcn. ,es
So there was really no occasion for the
Jrcc-,n,de farc-up. With such plain Facts
10 prove the utter folly of their proceed
ipcs. we are compelled to look behind the
curtain for some motive which does not APP
near in front of it. Is 1t not trick sug-
gested by the GRANT party and intended 10
favor the money interests of certain parties
represented by Mr.. BELMONT, who runs the
trcachcrous World newspaper? We believe
in the honesty of Mr.. BRYANT; but nc rs old
and feeble, and was easily led into the trap.
Free trade is All iDtirmity with him. He
can meet anywhere and join anybody i'll
resolving about it, and he can talk OF it as
long as he has one to listen TO him. He has
certainly been used as q catspaw IN very
useless delibcration without a reasonable
prcteXt.
The meeting at Steinway Hall, New York.
adopted resolution protesting on behalf o!
the meeting great disappointment at the ac-
ton of the Cincinnati Convention because
nothing was done for free trade. The rcso-
luton was simply dcccitful. The members
of the meeting could not possibly have en-
pected TO see a frce-trade plank in the plat
form ut Cincinnati. They knew that the
Convention vas composed Of both free
traders and protectionists, and that both
sides were so strongly represented that
DISRUPTION of the Convention would have
followed the adoption Of either policy by the
majority present. Those Steinway people
knew, moreover, that with the tariff we
are obliged TO impose upon imports it would
have been folly for the Cincinnati Convention
to disturb the question. The protcctioniSts
have enough protection and the frcc-iraders
cannot reduce the tariff, and would not II
they could. The Cincinnati Convention
knew this also, as well rs the Stcinway leo-
pie, and the latter were guilty Of great and
tisrcpuablc aflcctation in saying they were
disappointed in the action Of the Cincinnati
Convention OH the subject. That action was
exactly what every sensible and reasonable
nlau in the country foresaw TO be the wiscSl
aud most just.
But what claims had these grumblcrs upon
the Cincinnati Convention? Their ca,lSclcsS
and unreasonable complaints are the best
answer to this question, They show fore
gone hostility to That Convention, and tie
transparent attempt to conceal the fact is TN.
tircly in Keeping with tho tactics of The I'EI-
MONT and World party, which the country
believes to be employed with the view of re-
eecting GRANT.
Most of them, we believe, were Republi-
cans. At least the most prominent amongst
them-Mr. BRYANr-has been Il member OF
the Republican party since IFS foundation;
and did not that party, FOR the sake Of a
uniun Of all parties, sink the tariff question
and leave It altogether to the congressional
districts? Most assuredly it did but what
that party did Is all right with Mr.. BRYANT
and the World, but they cannot tolerate
such q thing in the Liberal Republican
party, which they are scheming to defeat.
The fact is, the tariff has for many years
been middle to parties. General JAe1AoN's
"judicious tariff" was pretty good protcc-
tive tariff and both Wings and Democrats
have differed amongst themselves with re-
gard to it. 1t has been for many years true
that it was impossible to divide parties strictly
upon protection and free trade. Mr.. GREE
LEY, seeing that it is impossible to divide
upon that question and rescue the country.
abandons it altogether like patriotic man.
rs he is.
All things considered, the liberal observer
will he bound to admit that the frec-tra,le
paiaver i'll Stcinway Hall was very SUPER
fluous affair, and not to he accounted for on
any ground except that it was stratagem--
poorly discuiscd-tc damage the Liberal
ticket and strengthen GRANT. That's all.
How ,Io tho frv Democrats who h,po ;,,;