National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1872-12-27
MIR. BOUTwRLL's POLITICAL ECON
ONLY.


MIR. BOUTwELL,s POLITICAL ECON
ONLY.
Under the above caption The Nation of the
18th instant had one Of its most pOnderous
lsadcrs--an essay intended to bo peculiarly
severe-but whose object was defeated by Its
manifest personal hostility to the Secretary
Of the Treasury.
The Nation, which is nearly always able
and just In many things, Is so thoroughly
English, and 40 sincere In its antipathy
towards what Is known IA the American
tariff and Industrial system, that 1t is never
Just nor even appreCiative of American
craftsmanship. The Nation has gone so far
In this direction that 1t seems to lay down as
a maxim that whatever Is English Is right,
and that every departure from or modihca-
ton OF Its standard must necessarily be
wrong and In the highest degree rcprehensi-
Bile.
It Is singular that The Nation cannot per-
ceiye that tariff and economic legislation
may be suitable to new country, whose
supply Of labor and accumulated capital Is
limited, but which, as an offset, possesses
great abundance Of raw material and bound
less undevsloped resources, which might not
DO best for England, whose natural resources
have been fully developed, whose raw mate
rial Is limited, whose labor Is cheap and SUI
perabundant, and whose reserve capital Is 80
enormous that It seeks Investment In three
per cent. consols. Since the people of the
United States must pay about three hundred
millions Of dollars annually In taxes for fed
eral governmental purposes, the methods Of
raising this sum may differ from those of
England, and yet 1t need not follow that the
American people, who sustain the tariff
method by overwhelming majorites when
ever the issue Is raised, are either ounces or
unmindful Of their best interests. The Ma
ton Is at war with the public sentiment Of
the American people, who, 1t may barely he
pOssibls-and we submit this point with great
dinldence-know In the aggregate as well
their own business as the editor Of The Ma
ton, and the small cotcrie of doctrinaircs
represented by him.
II the late campaign has not taught The
Nation and its English friends to perceive this
fact, and II 1t will take other crushing defeats
to enforce II, II is because they are like the
single juryman, who, having hung the jury,
subsequently made vOciferous complaints
against the obstinacy and pig medicines Of his
fellows.
The Nation lava down "A one Of ia maxIms
that imam, being by nature a producing and
trading animal, the frecr play YOU give his
faculties the more rapidly will he create
wealth" We deny that man, for the pur-
poses Of American statcsmanshIp, Is an animal
al all: on the contrary. he Ia A co-rulcr. a
sovereign, and must therefore be an intelll-
gent, educated, morally responsible and self
thinking being, or the republic cannot stand.
We deny in toto the above spccious, deceit.
full. and even immoral maxim laid down as a
fundamental princiuIo by English writer's and
frpcatrd by The Nation. IL has hcpn mt forth
precIscly ns the Justification from the Bible Of
American slavery. in times pnst. TO create n
public opinion favorable TO the unlimited rule
of wealth apainst whose sway the individual
has M ri,,hts wbateyer
What have been the natural and inevitable
| consequences Of this doctrine of the unre,
strained right of accumulated wealth IN die.
tate economic legislation Let us examine
the condition of the English people. where
the system has practically existed for nearly
| A century. for the Adam smith theory Of .de.
mand and supply" ia only an er most factc
theory to account for. and to iustIfy tn,
colossal wrongs caused by unalloyed selfish
ness consolidated and fostered nv RrIti,l
l.,,islatiop
The massss NJ the ErgIIsh neonIe-not I,
m.ntIon the IrIsb-are To-day leaving tbeI,
homes IN obtain that pbv,icoI sur1ort il
America or AustraIia which thew hive yalnI,
| so,,,,h, In ,h. land Tint ,,a,,, ,Lo,, hir,h T.