The National tribune., 1882-04-22
Free Trade Tactics.


The opponents of the Tariff Commission
bill, which has passed the Senate and is now
pending in the House, are making the most
extraordinary exertions to defeat it. They
succeeded on Thursday of last week in fore
ing the New York Chamber of Commerce
to indorse, by bare majority, Mr.. Hewitt's
plan for an immediate revision of the tariff
and this action was followed up by mass
meeting of the Free Trade Club at Chicken
ing Hall on Friday evening, when general
resurrection took place of the politically
defunct leaders of the free trade party, in
Guiding that amiable but erring theorist, Mr..
David A. Wells.
We do not believe that congressional
opinion is likely to be seriously affected by
| this unexpected movement, but the advo-
Gates of protection to American manu-
factures cannot afford to ignore it, and they
should be prepared if necessary to force the
| fighting. Fortunately they have both fact
|
flammatory rhetoric of the free traders,
every business man of intelligence knows
| that there is no such urgent need for
modification of the tariff as would Con-
! gress in acting on the spur of the moment
instead of making that careful inquiry into
the operation of the present law which the
Importance of the question undoubtedly
requires. The merchant princes of New
| York, who take but a languid interest in
the growth of home industries, and
who would abolish custom duties alto
gether if they could, may be content with
! such slip-shod legislation, but the manu-
,facturers themselves know very well that it
would work great injustice to the industrial
interests of the country. Leaving entirely
out of the question, for the moment, the COM
parative merits Of the protection and free
trade policies, it must be admitted that no
radical change ought to be made in the
existing tariff without mature consideration,
and TO secure such consideration is the chief
object of the very bill which the free traders
have antagonized. A commission, properly
constituted, would be able to make
thorough investigation of the industrial in
terests of the country, their relative de-
pendence upon the enforcement of pro-
tective tariff, and the effect which the repeal
or modification of the present duties would be
likely to have upon them, and its report would
supply Congress with all the facts essential
to intelligent action. Considering how much
the business interests of the country have
suffered at various times from legislation
based upon erroneous or insufficient informa-
ton it is incomprehensible that any person
Of sense should oppose such precautiOn
against congressional blunder as the Com
mission bin proposes.
As a matter OF fact, this concerted attack
on the tariff has for its object something
more than the establishment of free trade as
the policy of the Government. 1t is aimed
also at the national revenues, and, indeed
the New York Herald boldly urges as a rea-
son for adopting Mr.. Hewitt's plan in prefer
ence to that embodied in the Tariff Commits
sion bill, that the annual surplus Of $780,
100000 in the receipts of the Treasury ought
to be wiped out. The effect of this, of course,
would be to postpone for an indefinite period
the construction of many important public
works and furnish the enemies of pension
and bounty legislation with an opportunity
to renew their obstructive tactics. The
plea of poverty would again be entered
against the claims of our eX-sOldiers, and
they would find it more difficult than ever
TO secure hearing. When one remembers
how patiently they submitted to injustice
at time when the financial condition of the
Government was not such as to warrant the
satisfaction of their claims without prejudice
to the interests of the bOndholder, this
attempt to curtail the revenues just
when they have reached q figure that will
admit Of ali these deferred claims being set
tied without interfering with any of the
fixed charges on the Treasury or delaying
any public improvement, must appear to all
patriotic citizens rs small and contemplate
almost beyond description. If the business
of the country were languishing or the peo-
pie were oppressed by excessive taxation,
there might be some justification for this
assault upon the revenues, but at the present
time there is none. Both people and Gov
ernment are prosperous, and the former, in
stead of .begrudging the latter the surplus
revenue at its command, are only anxious
that in its disbursement the claims of their
late defenders shall not be overlooked
By SUPPORTING journals which take no
interest in their rights our ex- soldiers simply
play into the hands of their enemies; whereas
by transferring their aid and influence to
such q iournaI as THE NATIONAL. TRIRITNE