The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-12-25
MI. Tucker and Free Trade.

ltottt Niadt tltN tHNdllce, III justice To our
attlH as Journalists Especially do we re-
gard il as proper To sustainin every way.
consistent wislla sense of right, those Who
may designated 10 represent lis in tile
councils Of The nation. They haye enough
10 contend MISUNDERSTANDING to encoun-
| Ter captions criticism, on be e6nfronteaby
Frivolous objections. simply because they
i'hchl i different party nominalsm from
that which isreeognized by some Of their
fconstitHeuts. We endeavor to deal fairly
With oar political opponents, ana when
called 10 occupy nigh positions of trust, to
uphold them in everything we can, with
/ out prNlngialse onrowII views of duty
! TO the public
Mr.. THcker is the representative elect
( to the forty-ninth Congress from the 10Th
district Of Virginia. When he.speaks, it
4 is presumed that he speaks for his district
and reflects The sentiments Of the conStit-
! uencS behind him. In Ills Baltimore
/ SPEECH he did not do this. When he de-
/ cared himself 4 tree-trader it only sus-
!
canvass, bat which he denied and his
/ friends denied for him. He declared that
! be was not 4 i'ree-trader, nor was he a pro-
| tectionist, bnt held to conservative views of
tariff reform which looked to areduction Of
| war taxes, and the adjustment of customs
| legies 50 as to protect labor, and at the
same time reduce taxes. Had he spoken
4 for free trade as boldly during the pro-
gressof the canvass. rs he did at Balti-
more o. the 10TH he would not have been
elected and this he knows, II he has a cor
rect idea about The sentiments of his con
stituency
Interstate free-trade is a recognized
policy of all parties. 1t is one of the
modes to utilize diversified home indus
| tries to unite the States by commercial
ties, to recognize their equality one with
the other, the mutuality of their interests,
the oneness Of their relations and the
commonduty and object to strengthen and
enrich the Republic. Reciprocal benefits
and advantages accrue to the several
States. by the exchange of commodities of
4 the respective growths and productions,
and it is because of this Interchange that
the values created by American industry
| serve the common purpose OF national
wealth. We export only Sper cent. Of what
! we produce, and import only seven per
cent. of what we consume. In other
| words we are a sef-sustaining people, with
! our commerce so regulated by Interstate
polity that the wants of one State or sec
ton are supplied by what the other States
/ or sections produce. and vice versa.
+ The application OF this principle of
! free-trade which obtains among the States
/ to foreign Municipalities, would defeat the
/ very object which Interstate free-trade is
! designed tosubserye. Instead of mrinter
change among ourselves OF diversified pro-
duets. we would have our markets invaded
by the products OF foreign countries,
| where the same conditions OF labor 60 not
exist rs here. ltwould bring about COM
petition with the cheap labor of Europe,
| and either compel us to make the wages
in American industries correspond with
those paid in other countries. or force us
| to abandon Reproductions which come in
competitions with similar foreign inuus-
! tries operated ut less cost than With us.
! In this WaysWe would soon paralyZe. il not
destroy the industrial independence Of
/ America, and make rs the hewers Of wood
and drawers Of water for ioleign coiitsg
tries. Our protective polies is simply {,
| guard thrown around AlnpIlan ssbog
which is the source Of al patsq,a a:lltl.
The duties levied is the difference BEL,
tween labor wages in Europe aiff~lahef
wages iii America, and to abolish them
and avail of Mr.. Tuckers free-trade no
tions as the policy, would be to starye
American labor and reduce to squaIor and
want the labor class OF this country,
such as prevail in many Of the industrial
districts Of Europe.
| Mr.. fuckers citation of Mr.. Bright
| recently expressed views proves nothing,
! for Mr.. Bright is the most pronounced
/ representative Of English free-trade ideas,
| But his statements are denied by an able
writer and statistician in the st. James
| Gazette. where it is shown that wages We're
higher by 20 per cent. in that country in
the protection period, than they have been
and are under free trade.
The wealth of this country increased
at rapid rate between 1850 and 1860,
but the manufacturing interests did
not in proportion. The gold from the
Pacific Slope was the cause Of this.
From 1850 to 1850 there was taken
from the mines OF the Rocky Mountains
and the Pacific Coast over one thousand
millions of dollars, which was added to
the wealth of the country, independent Of
The increased business oecasioned by this
volume OF currency being injected into The
channels of trade. There is nothing in
the history of this country to show that
free trade tendencies have had any other
effect than to paralyZe and impoverish,
and precipitate pancs and bankruptcy
From 1850 to 1850 more values were ere
ated, under the protective policy, not
understanding the four years Of des-
dating war, than in the entire period
from the formation of the government to
1860
Asto taxes, Mr.. Tucker S constituents will !
layora war tax SO long as there is u war
debt to pay. Thepension list now reaches
$50 900, geo. and this IS q war debt, i'm |
posed by Democratic as we'll as Republi- !
Can votes IN Congress. So long rs the peo- /
pie have to pay this, they Will hold it just
and right and polite to make Mr.. Tucker
and those WHO indulge in laNpries drink
so cents of tax and - cents OF whiskey. 1t
is ~ tax that is voluntarily paid and to the
degree that it raises revenues, it relieves
the property of the hus5andfnan and toiler
from its exactions.
Our purpose, however. WAS not TO discuss
loosenotions Mr. TucleradvanceG
in his Baltimore speech. We simply pro-
POSED 10 say. as to the utterances he is re-
ported to have made, he did not reflect the |
sentiments of his constituents, ,norwil he
preach free trade before them if he should