Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1884-07-11


poses in Pennsylvania. The Presi-
dent endeavored to heal Judge
Woodward's wounds by placing
him OH the bench of the Supreme
Court as the successor of the emi.
nent Henry Baldwin. Cameron
induced the Wings to reject him,
and then forced the administration
to nominate Colbert G. Grier, whose
appointment was personally accep-
table and agreeableto him. In the
successful tactics then employed
by Cameron may be found the Sc
cret of his remarkable career as a
party manager in the field in which
for a full half century, he was an
active and indefatigable worker.
"The Whigvictory of l84S was
not sufficiently decisive to warrant
any attempt, even had there been
desire, to change the tariff. Gen
eral Taylor had been elected with
out subscribing to a platform or
pledging himself to a specific meas
ure, and he was therefore in a pO-
sition to resist and reject appeals of
the ordinary partisan character
Moreover the tariff of 1846 was
yielding abundant revenue, and the
business of the country was in a
fourishing condition at the time
his administration was organized.
Money became very abundant after
the year 1849; large enterprises
we're undertaken, speculation was
prevalent, and for a considerable
period the prosperity of the country
was general and apparently gen.
uine. After 1852 the Democrats
had almost undisputed control of
the Government, and had gradually
become free trade party. The
principles embodied in the tariff of
1916 seemed for the time to be so
entirely vindicated and approved
that resistance to it ceased, not on
ly among the people but among the
protective economists, and even
among the manufacturers to large
extent. So general was this ac-
quiescence that in 1856 a protective
tariff was not suggested or even
hinted by any one of the three
parties which presented Presiden-
tial candidates.
at was not surprising, therefore,
that with a plethoric condition OF
the national Treasury for two or
three consecutive years, the Demo
cratic Congress, in the closing ses'
sion of Pierce's administration,
acted what has since been known
as the tariff of 1857. By this law
the duties were placed lower than
| they had been at any time since
l the war of 1872. The act was well
received by the people, and was in
deed concurredin bya considerable
proportion of the Republican party
The Senate had a large Democratic
majority, but in the House three
parties divided the responsibility
no one of them having an abso
lutte majority. The Republicans
had a plurality and had chosen
Mr.. Banks Speaker, but the Ameri
can party held the balance OF power
in the House and on several of the
leading committees. Some promi
nent Republicans, however, remain
inc true to their old Whig tradit
ions. opposed the reduction ofduties
Mr.. Seward voted against it, but
his colleague, Mr.. Hamilton Fish
voted for it. Mr.. Seward repre-
sented the protective tendencies o
the country districts of New York
and Mr.. Fish the free-trade tenden
, cies of the city. MIR. Sumner anC
Mr.. Wilson both voted forit, as die
also Senator Allen,o Rhode Island
the direct representative of th'
manfacturs of that State. Mr.. Bell
of New Hampshire, voted for it
while Senator Collamer and Foot
= of Vermont, voted against it. Mr.
, Fessenden did not oppose it, bu
= his collegue, Mr.. Nourse, vOteC
. against it. The Connecticut Sena
t tors. Foster and Toucey, one o
5 each party, supported the measure
: ain the House, the New Englan'
Representatives generally vote'
for the bill, but Mr.. Morrill,, of Yer
mont, opposed it. The PennsyI
+. yania delegation, led by James II
+. Campbell and John Covode, did al
$ in their power to defeat it. Th
| two Washburns, Colfax, and McKe
s Dunn, headed a formidable Opposi
$ ton from the West. Humphre
\ Marshall and Samuel f. SwOpe, Q
5 Kentuck, were the only Represents
# tives from slave States who vote
|. in negative; though in the Senat
). three old and honored Wings, job
{ Bell. Of Tennessee, John b. ThomE
>. son, of Kentucky, and Henry 5
Geyer, of Missouri, maintained thel
| ancient faith and voted agains
e lowering the duties. 1t was a
$ extraordinary political combinatio
1 that brought the Senators fror
r Massachusetts and the Senator
!. from South Carolina, the RepreseT
s tatives from New England and tn
| Representatives from the cotto
!, States, to support the same tarl
! lbill-a combination which had no
i before occurred since the admin;
{ tration of Monroe. This singula
t coalition portended one of two r'
= suits either an entire abrogatio
}. of that system, and the reviva
4 with renewed strength, of tn
n doctrine of protection. Which
should be was determined by th
o unfolding of events not then fore
y seen, and the force Of which it II
9 quired years to measure.
"The one excuse given for ure
|. ing the passage of the act of 185
n was that under the tariff of lS4
|. the revenues had become excessive
!. and the income of the Governmer
). must be reduced. But it was 500
4 fonnd to be a most expensive mod