National Republican., 1882-07-26
The New York Free Trade Club.


In these July days, when the energies
are abated by heat and whoa editors
labors drag heavily, it is a real kindness
when a contributor brings in even the
smallest paragraph that may be utilized.
When this kindness is distributed all
over newspaperdom, and each one of the
thousands of editorial rooms in the land
receives circular editorial, it is sugges.
tive of the blessed rain which falls
from heaven upon the earth beneath.
What if the editorial in question be
boom for q reform association,
beer garden, or summer resort2
If its tone is dignified and its matter
interesting, what need one care if it does
promote the hobby interests of those
who furnish it gratis to all the papers?
Let us illustrate. On Friday last we re.
ceived through the mail what seemed to
be letter. 1t was addressed, editor
NATIONAL REPUBLICAN. Washington, d,
c." in what we should call schoolboy's
handwriting On the northwest corner,
as it were, of the envelope was printed
this legend: THE New York Free Trade
Club. p o. Address. Care G. P. Putnam's
Sons, 27 and 20 West Twenty
street, New York" Upon opening it
we found the following in type-writing
The New York Free Trade Club. we understand
intends to represent the tariff reform interests be-
form the Tariff Commission, and has engaged
counsel to prepare the cases We have no doubt
that suggestions from manufacturers who are
MI nj a val IN q tIn1nr hp ~
will be gladly received by the club.
Now, as the editor of The REPUBLICAN
is not manufacturer, nor the son of a
manufacturer, the above cannot have
been intended exclusively for his eye.
The "we," who understand" and who
"gladly," &C., cannot be presumed to
mean the members of the Free Trade
Club, for that body is referred to by
them in the third person. 1t must be,
therefore, that the paragraph is one Of
those volunteer editorials to which we
have made grateful reference. We are
ourself the we ".of the circular editorial.
In this view we feel called upon, after
giving the club the benefit of it's inser-
tion, to qualify it somewhat before allow.
ing it to go out as a powerful emanation
from our own editorial mind. There is
no name signed to the paper. Our only
safety in adopting its assertions is in the
fact that the post-office address is to the
care of u. p. Putnam's Sons. We have
no acquaintance with these worthy
young gentlemen, but the books which
are books" printed by their honored
father, and the magazine he pub
lished, which outshone all others,
place us all under obligations to trust
the statements of any who come vouched
for by his sons. We therefore declare
that the club wishes to figure as The rep
resentative Of all that needs reforming
in our tariff. A club devoted to free
trade is mighty kind when it thus offers
to make perfect tariff. When we re-
fleet that any tariff at all is regarded by
the club rs an abomination, we must
admire the self-denial which leads it to
handle the unclean thing. The Free
Trade Club is ready to receive "sugges-
tons from manufacturers who are placed
at disadvantage under the existing
tariff" This might refer to foreign
manufacturers. These form an enterpris-
ing class, and they have never been
backward in making suggestions with
regard to our tariff legislation.