New-York tribune., 1884-01-04
GEN, WEBB ON PROTECTION.
TIE TARIFF, PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE.
An INTERVIEW WITH TIRE VENERABLE EDITOR

Watson Webb was met By reporter CT lHE lu-
HUME carly in December and asked fos his oIlA''hSC"
TIE taIin " i am ready u answer any fe"SoH"o.o
Questions on that subject" was sabStaAtlaHy Us
answer. His remarks given below eV.hce 'he '"L1
vcor of thought and expression that chai iaCIel'%e"
his writings and Utteraaces IN the past. he PiO
sented an outline of the political Nltdatloh Us nAou
bv The election of Mr.. Carlisle TO tie hpt"h' sup -
tie House Of Representatives, gave an account OF
his ovp career as an advocate Of the princpe oI pro-
faction fcr American industry from the time wheh'
mere hov. he published series Of articles on tAo
s;biect. through the conflict with his early hle1u'
General Jackson. add down 10 the present Gay
S,jd the reporter by way ofintCoducng the matter
"What do You think Of Mr.. CariaieS elcctioA 10
the SpeasershipP ,,.,no
al look upon it as special providence Iep"e" '.'
Csne-sl 81 was In favor of Mr.. Randall, bccauAe
lie isa gentleman of spctless character ard FAVOR
of nro,e,;ion 70 American industry; and because 10
was q War Democrat and stood 10y his couhliy'
when rebels aud traitors sought TO destroy II, MI
CARLISLE may not have been a seceaSion'sti Oul ho
was a rebel and traitor TO his Government; az" 10
,,,.,ns the unreconstructed South, large portion
Of which is honest and patriotic. but the mass Is
as reckless and INSCRIPTIONS IN the eHoIt
Ia regain the control Of the Nation were tie bul
lvinp bragrarts who sacrificed a million OF lives
and uutod millions Of treasure TO destroy cur Gov
eminent and establish sectional Government Vi
their own based upon slavery. l wrote some So'iS
ago that all we wanted to put down secuonalS anu
free trade was TO bring the issue between protection
and free trade fairly before the people; ana pre-
dictcd that IL was impossible for our opponents 10
prevent that issue in 1884. But dId not pIe'i'cV
| and could not foresee that the Solid SOUTH in
graspng for the control of the Nation they 50 Ie
| Gently sought 10 destroy would voluntarily ana so
| 10 IL 1-pt ~
| those whom the gods wish to destroy, they first
| make mad"
| ALWAYS A PROTECTONIsT.
| al believe you have always been a tarh man.
| suggested the reporter
| "Always was lieutenant in the Army at
seventeen and at nineteen wrote articles for pub
| Bcation in favor of a protective tarltt. General
Jackson was an old Fcderalst and in favor OF pro-
tectiye tariff and of bank of the United states
and when resigned in 1927 naturally, beng the
son of an old Fedcraist and in favor of protection
to American industry and of a United States bank,
| became what was termed Jackson man. and de
voted Tie Morning Courier of which was proprietor
and editor to the election Of my old commander to
| the Presidency But when President Jackson aban-
doncd his support Of protection, for what his friends
! called judicious tariff and made war upon thc
United States Bank, because its officers would not
prostitute it TO political purposes, and finally re-
moved from its keeping the Government deposits, |
publicly abandoned .hIs support, denounced HIM III
| The C0urcrdRd Enquirer, and gave the maine OF wing
| to the elements of opposition to the OoNcihMchI;
| And for now nearly sixty years have never ldhcd
! 10 advocate tariff fol tbc protection of American
industry aS an absolute necessity Tor the prosperity
| ,,,d y,alf,r" of tle country We have repeatedly
tried the experiment of lower duties, virtually ap-
preaching free trade but always with the same re-
s1lt namely the destruction Of the industry ol the
country the checking Of its growth and the NmPoF-
| cTismcut O! our people. e., r.,
| We tried il by Mr.. Clays compromise with Ca
| houn in 1882 by gradual annual reduction 3l the
tarn i'm order TO prevent secession, and IN obedience
| 10 the demand of the slave power; ana Whdl was
| the result? That gradual annual reduction Oh ooI
tariff of 1S2S rapidiv cXtnCulShcd the fires OF lttI-
seven Of our then hfty-rght blastiurnacrS; ana II
.los.i fine door, of our cotton and wOOlcn factories
and sent tlciT inmates. ana all the inmates oi "Hf
| workshops and mlueS. back to the soil 70 become
producers instead Of consumers; nnill wheat IN me
| West could not command twenty cents per 6u,HaI'
| and our farmers and abCEeTS were rapidly DcCDM-
ing p4upers except in the one article OF i"od! men
! arose from every State, ana county, ana lo"h- ana
| from every hamlet ana farm thIDuSh3uI lHG I%H'|
| fine cry of universal distress, ana demand IOl q
! ti!tH f,g protcctionl And for whom GId that cry
! demand protection For the manufacturers No;
the, lad virtually ceased to be: but for the farmer
| aud faUn-ahOTrT, the mechanic, ana tAe great
mass of IL. people of the United States and their
| demand was heard. Such 'dlIh OF duties was
| tara fixed upon the paupeT labor OF Europe - re-
! opened our workshops and manuiactoricS, and
| trade had ca4t upon the soil They once again be-
came cousumcrs instead Of producers, and FURNISHED
our farmers with home market at rcmunerating
! prigcs-wJTth, 10 them, more tah an 'Ae markets
| OF the world save IN very eAccpiIoHaI years,
Let not the present generation forget the eApf-
rrDcc Of ;hcr fathers more Than fifty years ago ii
il he provuce of an intelligent and educated pco-
Ule 10 learn wisdom from the teachings OF the past
| and our past uumIstakab!y Prociama ihdt ldiin
for protection 5 absolutely necessary Tor the ihue-
| psudrucc Of the Nation aud the prosperity OF our
country.
TIE LESSON TO BIZ LEARNED FROM ENGLAND.
| ave must never forget that Sir Robert Peel,
when demanding a repeal Of the Corn Laws, was
| asked On the floor of Parliament how that measure
would benefit the people Of England, while it would
| 80 greatly reduce the national income, promptly
responded that il would reduce the price OF labor IN
the manufacturing districts to the iuI, extent mat
IL reduced the price OF bread! And when called GA
TO explain, he stated that the British manufacturer
recognized fixed price of labor that u W fGgu-
| lated solely by that amount which WOud .,urchaSe
sufficient food 10 keep together the BODY and soul
OF the operatives that the repeal OF the Corn Laws
| would reduce the prcc of labor in the manufacture
ing districts to the full extent Of such abandoned
duties: because the rule would still be 70 pay as
| wages only sufficient to keep the operatives body
| and soul together; and then England might put at
defiance the tariffs OF tie Wolld, ana sun l9rce mel
| goods into every country where there was demand
| Tor them! he was right Parliament recognized
the force of his reasoning and repealed the Corn
Laws; and since then all English statesmen and all
English writers aud few freetrade fanatics IN this
! trade in the face Of the fact that the laborng
| classes in England have been made pauperS-ms-
cradle, starving paqpersI3y thg SdoPuon OF me
| prOspared beyond all example by our adherence TO
the principle of protection TO American industry,
upon which the prosperity Of our tsun!ng interest
| the wcli-dong Of our laborinE classes, and the
wealth and happiness OF the whole country, are Gi-
| rrctlv Dependent Agriculture the basis Of our
National prosperity, aud It's hand maids, commerce
| and manufactures, are ITS mere cmanaUons and tie
tendencies; and, therefore, the farmer 1t Is whose
welfare requires and demands the protection afforded
| by cur tIin
A RENEWAL OF TIE CONTEST OF SECTIONS.
| "The great Rebellion gave to the South enormous
additional power By the increase Of members in the
! House Of Hcpreseu tatiyes; which was Unavoidable
nnlss we had bccn sufficiently wise. after whipping
them into subeCtiOu, 20 Tctnsc them all pdrtClpa-
ton ia tie government OF The country during the
lifetime Of the present generation; measure which
| ll,+v l.,t.ft