Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-12-19
The Tariff Convention FiaseO,

1t is difficult to decide whether the
managers and manipulatOrs of the So
called National Tariff Convention, who
were good enough to provide a two
days entertainment for our cold hearted
aud unsympathetic citizens, are TO be
congratulated or cOmmiserated. One
may congratulate them, perhaps, on the
exceeding fraukness with which they
disclosed their preparations for a grand
campaign against the public treasury.
albeit the fTankness has a strong Rob
Roy flavor; but cOmmiseration is the
only feeling which the signal failure of
the more prominent figurantes to carry
their points is apt to engender. Let US
see in what and wherein that failure was
most conspicuous
The leading spirits of the convention
that is TO say, the men who had the big
gest axes to grind-clearly, where Judge
Kelley, of Pennsylvania, and NJ. John
Roach. The former had an ingenious
little lOg-rOlling scheme to secure for the
prOtectionists the support of Southern
and Southwestern Congressman, namely,
the removal of the whisky and tobacco
taxes. Everything depended upon the
convention committing itself to this pro
position, and a neat resolution to that
effect was injected into the ponderOus
and prOsy address near the end, when it
was probably expected the auditors
would be so exhausted or sOmnolent that
the cOlOred person in the fence would go
through without notice. The scheming,
however, did not work. The delegates
were wide awake enough to see the point,
and with almost one accord they de-
clartd d that the moral sentiment of the
country would never put up with 'free
whisky" aud free tobacco" Dor any
thing of the kind; and so, in a storm of
virtuOus Indignation, as it were, the
resolution was voted down. 1t was Mr..
Kelley's best card, and when lie lost that
he lost all In the face Of such failure.
therefore, il is clear that whatever plans
and projects for raiding the Treasury
may be formed at Washington this
winter will have to be pushed without
the concurrence of the two Virginias,
Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri and other
Southern States. Mr.. Kelley, however,
it must not be forgotten, Is a statemen
of fertile egpedients, and it is quite pos
sible, therefore, that when the session is
fairly underway he may be able 10 sug
gest ways and means for recovering
| in the easier handled committee rooms
At Washington what has been lost in
| the convention at the Cooper Institute.
But il the distinguished statesman
/ from Pennsylvania was q failure, what is
TO be said Of Mr. John Roach? His
j scheme, evidently, was to commit the
convention to an acknowledgment that
| the subsidy system is a prOtecuOnist
principle. and that the only way to revive
+! the American mercantile marine, there
fore, vas to keep the door shut against
| free ships. and, at the same time, to open
the Treasury 10 some three or four
private shlpbuilding firms (mOTe especial
liz his own who want the tax payers TO
| guarantee them against pecuniarY loss in
prosecuting a business that, without an
/ amendment of our navigation laws, con-
/ fessedly cannot be made to pay. The
| convention listened to his written argu-
ment on the subject, but we notice that
| it declined TO commit itself in any man
ner to his suggestions OF FeGOmmenda-
/ tiOns. There was the intermittent great
| applause from the clsque, but nobody
seems to have deemed it worth while 10
] bring Mr.. Roach's proposition to the
| formal judgment of the convention. 1t
/
/ finally to nothing save the formal ex-
| preston Of a selfish sentiment, to be
/ forgotten almost as soon as uttered.
/ Hence, we repeat, that Mr. 1Ohn Roach
was as sad tiascO as Judge Kelley.
What, then, was the real outcome OF
this much trumpeted cOnventiOn2 No
/ thing, in fact, save the adoption of the
] following resolution:
I'll 81 r,.r,l
cheeks. proprietary articles and matches be
/ abolished"
We believe nearly everybody was in
! favor of the abolition OF this class of
taxes-if the condition of the Treasury
would alloW-even before the convention
met. We do not believe that even the
free traders would say nay. To resolve
in favor of it, therefore, was about as
sensible as to resolve that the sun shines,
or that the tides rise and fall, or any
thing else which necessarily meets uni
versal assent. Under these circum-
stances, therefore, are We not justified in
characterizing the whole thing as a sad
failure2 1t was called prOfessedlY in the
interests of protection, pure and simple,
Dut the convention declined to place
itself on the record Ia favor OF ''little
more" There had been some tolerably
vigorous expressions of an adverse public
opinion from almost all points Of the
compass since the movement was origi-
nally set on foot early in the autumn,
aud these, together with the Pension
Office requirements, doubtless had
wholesome restraining effect. Its chief
engineers wanted certain things &C
complished, which the convention turn
ed its back upon, and the only PROPOSE
tiOu to which it could be got to commit
itself, it so happens, was already a
matter of universal assent, even before
the convention was thought of. 1t may
well be asked, then, did ever so tremend-
Gus a mountain bring forth so in
finiteSsimRl mOusel