New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-02-20

ahla lsdies "most do con q egate" There are loVV
New-York ladies whose costumes when III iui
dress, cost at least Sl0O EACH Fiteeh yeMs 'eo
the Same number Of fashionable ladies' wouiu n''o
appeared adorned quite as attractvely a' al a,o'
aye expense of $50. Ten thousand children uhooi
40 90 o oro now sborately and fantasticauy
arrayed at an expense from 800 to Sioo eaon' vino
tha cbi,dre, of wealthy ctizens 10 years ago. weto
.mrlv bnt ,ppropriately attired at an expense Oh
COZ o. 90, And IL is painful 10 reflect that III con-
seonepoe of this lavish expenditure upon o'"'s
that noyer earned dollar therH are otn tou' Va
thousands without employment and suffering ior
incl food and raiment. And Last. though not least
are the millions Of gold sunk by Americans VINO idie
away both their time and their money IN Europe
Ireland is not now the only country demolailzed by
absenteeism. These great abuses ana foihes TO
srmod. nothing would DO easier than the Iesnmp-
lion of specie payments Nor does resumption III
any case necessarily involve 0Derous contraction.
We have a strongly protected and uniform nation
alize currency For Ill domestic that currency
il inst as good as gold and silver IL Is even better
than the debascd metallic currency of Austria. And
when the fact shall have been established that tins
paper can be converted into gold aud silver, INC
people will prefer the bankuotes, leaving the gold
and silver to meet tina foreign demand. The Presi-
dent struck chilling blow at resumption by sdYo-
eating tie prohibition OF I'll notes under five dol
lars Resumption coupled with such prohibition
would be indefinitely postponed. for the people
would never consent 10 - deprived OF the smah
notes Of solvent speoic-baiking banks.
GRADUAL CONTRA oTIDN FAVORED.
Anxious as am for tho resumption OF specie pay
raents would not seek il ny tdrniRg the financial
screws 80 tightly as to arrest and parayze business
enterprises upon the healthy working of which the
prosperity of all classes depends, England. as a
OF her protraced wars waited patiently
moro than % years FOR the opportunity of resuming
specie payments without dtraDging her great manu-
featuring and commercial interests or distressing
her people We. however, can, If we VIII re-
establish our national credit much sooner Indeed,
had Congress Iad the Treasury Departments paved
the way and the people with one mind braVeiy de-
termiued it should be So tho resumption of specie
raymonts might have beer hailed rs the signal and
crowniug glory in JnN aputr1chirg celebration OF
the Contonnial An0iyero,Jy Of our national indie
pendence.
Worse than all other evil. AID follies, if possible
was the blind reckless, and criminal ,quandering of
the public domain. Mcst prominent among the bad
legacies beQueathed to tie country by Mr. Greeley
is the Homestead law But must do his memory
the justice of saying that in hi, zeol0us and persist
ent advocacy of the Homestead law, he believed
that be was serving the "tofing millions" for
whoss prosperity and eleva i0a he ever labored.
And yet how few. how very lev, of those down
trodden millions ever possess III mselves of what
he regarded as their greatest boon and blessing.
The Homestead law. far as its most popular fea-
tuCo is concerned. has proved failure and delu
sion. Things winch cost n9hu3 ars but slightly
valued. There wOull have been . lITgsr number II
actual settlers growing up IN industry aud develop
ing into usefulness and prosperity, as farmers me-
chanics and artisans under tha law which fur
nished lands from the public domain to actual set
tlors at 81 . an acre than has been secured under
the plausible Congressional idea Vt voting every
man farm
If the public domain hal been preserved, VIC
should now have in the proceeds of that rich inherit
ance we hal after war for Independence,
our war with England in 1872 and our earlier Indian
wars, fund sufficient not only to pay the annual
interest of our debt. but ultimately to retire tho
debt itself. / OH .ctcd to liberal appropria-
tons of land from the public domain to aid the
struction of needed railroads through that domain.
Such aid limited t. meritOIiOus enterprises
wiss and benOfccDt. BIT the abuses AMI Bquander-
ing of the system have been alike dscreditablo 70
the Government and disastrous to the public well
fare The laad given to aid tho construction of the
Illinois Central Railroad. for instance was not only
sufficient to complete the enterprise. bit continues
to be source of large income 90 that Company.
Untold millions, in the form Of "Land Grabs"
which ought to have been reserved FOR the of
the Governme ut. have gone to enrich spectators
and capitalists If Congress. in its alacriy to dis
possess the country of its domain. had reserved to
the Government One-half or even one.iourth og all
precious metals minerals and GOALS handsome
fund would have been rescued.
NATIONAL PRO 3PERIrY FROM A POrECrvE TARIFF
All you say Oh the subj Of psotec Two tariff is
historically can never forgot the high, pros
porous and paIny condition Of or country under
the benign influences of wise protective tariff from
1918 until 1885, when the Democracy of the North TO
strengthen ard perpetuate its political affiliations
with the Sonth, began tn aGitate IN favor Of "ju
dicious tariff" During the Administrations of
James Monroe and ohm Quincy Adams tho welfare
of our people aud the strength of our Government
were promoted and augmented by an enlightened
national policy. All our interests moved forward
harmoniouslv. All tho industries of tho country
thrived. The farmer the mechanic. the manufac-
turer the merchant the importer and the capitalist
found themselves working together with recprO-
cal interest and to mutual advantage. While all
domestic occupations proved abundantly re-
munerative, our canvas--the canvas of
wel-laden ships-wbitened every
ocean and sea- And amid all this individual pros
perty and happiness, the nation advancing by
rapid strides to wealth and power. The national
debt was paid of. after which the surplus proceeds
of the public domain accumulated so RAPIDLY, and
became 30 large. to create apprchensons that 1T
might become dangerous TO the integrity and sta
bility of the Government. If we had that domain
now unbroken. to fall back upon, it would prove
stronger TO our Government as a financial resource
than Is the Bank Of England to the British Crown.
But those golden days and halcyOn hours exist only
in remembrance. History will not fear in refer
enoe protective tariff and certainly cannot in