Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1880-10-07
The History of Tariff Legislation in
This Country.

In 1924, during the Presidency Of James
Monroe, was enacted the highest pTotec-
tive tariff that had been adopted before
that time. Under its influence manu-
featuring establishments were erected
all through New England, New York,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Nary
land.
In 1928, during the Presidency of John
@. Adams, the tariff was increased, Civ
ing further protection to the manufac-
turers of homemade goods, and under
it the mills and shops fiourished and
multiplied still faster.
In 1882, during the Presidency of An
drew Jackson, South Carolina, under the
lead of John C. Calhoun, passed an act
multiplying the law of Congress requiring
duties to be collected. In other words,
passing law forbidding any customs
officials from collecting duties at the
Port of Charleston. In order to prevent
the Government of the United States
from collecting those duties, the State
militia men were ordered to drill and
hold themselves in readiness for that
purpose. In this rebellious movement
South Carolina had the sympathy of all
the South. Jackson, however. was 10y
al, and he concentrated troops at Charles
ton for the purpose of enforcing the col
lection of the tariff dues. He also de-
clared that ia case of blood being shed,
he would hang Calhoun. Henry Clay,
who was then in the Senate, fearing
civil war, and being withal a Southern
man, introduced his compromise tariff
bill, by which the duties were to be grad
ually reduced down to a mere revenue
standard, the time occupied in this
sliding scale being five years.
This compromise bill was accepted by
South Carolina and civil war was post
poned till it broke out in 1861. Under
this compromise tariff bill the panic of
1887 occurred, closing all our mills and
throwing great portion of the working
class out of employment, causing an i'm
mense amount of misery. This terrible
state of depression lasted till 1912. In
the meantime the people rose and hurled
the Democrats from power, and elected
William Harrison President, in place of
Martin Van Buren, free trader, who had
been President from 1897 to 1841. This
resulted in the tariff of 1912 being en-
acted. Under its operation thousands
of mills and shops sprung into existence,
and the country was again on the road
to prosperity. In 1874 the Democrats
succeeded in electing Jones K. Polk, a
free trader, President, which resulted in
the free trade or low revenue tariff of
1s46 being enacted. This resulted in
over 200 mills, furnaces and glass man.
ufactories closed and 10000 men thrown
out of work in the State of Pennsylva-
MIA alone. The suffering caused by this
low tariff was enormous. The country
struggled on, and the manufacturers
were compelled to reduce wages to the
lowest point known previously, in order
to compete with the cheap pauper-made
goods of Europe. In 1857 the Democrat
ic Congress insanely reduced the duties
to still lower rate, which eliminated
in the great revulsion of 1857. and times
were as hard as they possibly could be-
Mr.. Howell Cobb was then Secretary of
the Treasury under President Buchanan.
Under the operation of this last tariff,
our gold all flowed to Europe, and people
were SO poor that they could not afford
to buy their usual supply of dry goods
and in spite of the lowness Of the tariff,
the demand for goods was reduced, i'm
fell off, and the consequence was a fall
ing off in the revenue. Mr.. Cobb in his
report expressed hope that there would
seon be an increased flow of goods from
Europe, the duties on which, low as they
were, would enable the Government to
lay expenses. But he was disappointed.
The revenue fell off. and down to the
breaking out of the civil war, Mr.. Bu-
chanan had to borrow money, paying as
high as twelve per cent. interest in order
to obtain means to pay the expenses of
running the Government. From this it
can be seen how the free trade tariff of
1857 cut both ways. 1t drained the
Country of its gold, closed our shops and
mills, or reduced wages down to star
walton point, and the people became too
poor to buy more than one-half their
usual supply of goods, and even imports
frH off, resulting in the Government be-
coming poor for want of sufficient reve-
nue. from the low duties it had imposed.
After the war, when the Republicans
were in control, the tariff of 1851 was
passed. Immediately manufacturers
took tremendous start, and all will re-
member the prosperous era and good
wages commencing in 1861 and lasting
till 1873, when the panic of that year
occurred. The war of the Democratic
rebellion created the necessity of an ir-
redeemable paper currency. 1t fell in
value as compared with gold. Goods
went up in paper value, and after goods
and labor were up to the high point they
reached, it was difficult to get them
down to gold value. The resumption
bill was passed. 1t was necessary evil
in order to reach the plans of the worlds
standard of value. which is gold and
silver.
Because resumption was 2 Republican