The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-10-16
Instructive Historical Facts.

y argument lar more impressive than any
/ That could be educed from mere theories or
y cool process Of reasoning. After read
ing the article, let each one ask himself
the question whether he can vote to bring
about such condition of things. A vote
for Mr.. Tucker looks strait in that di-
Freetion, and if his party should be success.
ful such would be the result. for the Dem
ocratic party is essentially a free-trade
party, disguise it as they may. Under
the caption Of Tariff reduction fifty years
ago, the Blade says:
The present generation of men under
middle age know nothing personally of the
practical workings of the Democratic idea
OF tariff for revenue exclusively For
thelf instruction we viii briefly glance at
the repeal OF the Wing protective tariff of
lo42, ana give The testimony of the men of
that day as to the blessings of the Dem
| ocratic theory when submitted to the lest
| OF actual practice.
The Democratic platform of 1914 CON
tanned this plank-the striking similarity
between which and their plank of this wear
will be noticed
Resolred, That it is the duty of every
| branch OF the government to enforce and
practice the most rigid economy in con-
Quoting our public affairs, and that no
more revenue ought to be raised than is
required to defray the. necessary expenses
of the government.
During that 1874 canvass, the same AS in
TINS year OF grace 1884, the Democratic
leaders disclalmttl any intenSion of SER
lously reducing the tariff. But as soon as
| the newly-eecTetl Congress took its place.
| the protective tariff Of 1912 was repealed,
for it. tariff for revenue only substituted.
the act going lnto force in 1S47.
The effects that are now prophesied by
| Republican, speakers then actually fol-
lowed. The law acted like Il blight upon
the country The effects were more
severely felt each successive year. Our
| imports from Great Britain alone Jumped
from SIS. $500 i'll lS4S to Sill, S42, 900 in
1858. Factories were closed down; thou
sands upon thousands of mechanics were
thrown out of work the exports of Amer
| lean product. which were expected to
largely increase under low tariff. seriously
fell off, and the business stagnation was
general and distressing. it was so bad
that Pres. Fillmore, i'll his message to Con-
gresS OF December ?, 1851, said
1.-The value OF our exports Of breads tufts
and provisions. which it was supposed the
incentive of Il low tariff and large inporta-
tions from abroad would have greatly aug
mented, has fallen from $GS. 70l .S2l in
1847 to 500, 651 1878 in 1850, and to So, S4S.-
653 in 1851. with a strong probability.
amounting almost to a certainty, of il still
further reduction in the current year.
| The policy which dictated low rate of
duties on foreign merchandise, it was
| thought by those who promised and eStab-
| lished it, would tend to benefit the farming
population of this country, by increasing
the demand and raising the price of agri-
cultural products in foreign markets.
The foregoing facts, however, seem to
show incontestably that no such result has
followed the adoption of this policy
Returning to the subject in subsequent
message Mr.. Fillmore showed that mat
tiers were going from bad to worse, and
said :
Without repeating the arguments.con-
tanned in my former message in favor of
discriminating protective duties. | deem
it my duty to call your attention to one or
two other considerations affecting this
subject. The first is the effect of large
importations Of foreign goods upon our
currency. Most of the gold of California,
as fast rs it is coined, finds it's way directly
to Europe in payment for goods purchased.
In the second place, rs our manufacture
ing establishments are broken down by |
competition with foreigners, the capital |
invested in them is lost. thousands of hon |
est and industrious citizens are thrown
out of employment, and the farmer, to |
that extent, is deprived of home market |
for the sale of surplus produce.
In the eHlird place, the destruction of our
manufactures leores the foreigner arithout
competition IA our n1qrket, and he conse- |
q1lently raises the price of the article sent |
here for sale. as as nor seen in the increased
cost Of IRON. imported from England.
The prosperity and wealth OF every ma |
ton must depend upon its productive in |
dustry. The farmer is stimulated to ex-
ertion by finding II ready market for his |
surplus products, and benefited by being |
able to exchange them, without loss of |
time or expense of transportation, for the |
manufactures which his comfort or con-
'venience requires. This is always done to |
the best advantage where Il portion of the |
community in which he lives is engaged |
in other pursuits. But most manufac- |
lures require an amount of capital and a |
practical skill which cannot be commanded |
unless they be protected. y
Are not these facts, as recited by the |
President, and which were before the ewes
of the people themselves. precisely the |
arguments used to-day against the tariff |
for revenue only" heresy of Hurd and his
followers ? Fillmore's words would make
an excellent speech to-day against IL re-
vival of the. English policy in America
There is no theoriZing about his. utter
ances. He,had the facts before him. He saw
factories closed, furnaces blown out .machin-
cry silent, men out of employment, and the
gold currency of the country going to En-
gland, and he could not refrain from di-
recting the attention Of Congress 60 the
serious state of affairs existing.
DIT &ho c1o 1
prominence. and all other issues were
dwarfed by it. All other matters were I'M
thought of after the repeal of the Missouri
Compromise. The tariff for revenue only
remained in force, and the condition of the
business OF the country went from bad to
worse until the terrible crises of 1857 took
place and shook the commercial edifice of
the country to its very foundations.
Alarmed at the situation, Pres. Buchanan,
the last Democrat to fill the office. in a
message sent to Congress December s,
1857. spoke plainly and said
Our country, in its monetery interests,
is at tie present moment in a deplorable
condt ion. In the midst of unsurpassed
plenty IN all the productions and in all the
elements of natural wealth we find our
suspended, our public works
retarded, our private enterprises Of differ
ent kinds abandoned. and thousands of
useful laborers thrown out Of employment
and reduced to want The revenue of the !
Government, which is chiefly derived from
duties on imports from abroad, has been I
greatly reduced. while the appropriations !
made by Congress at its last session for
The current fiscal year are very large in t
amount.
Under these circumstances a loan may !
be required before the close OF your pres |
but this. although to be deeply
would prove to be only u slight
when. compared. WithE the.-.suf- 1
fering and distress prevailing among the J
people, With this the Government can
not fail deeply to sympathize, though it
may be without the power. to. extend re- {
ief. .
In 1.-THE midst of unsurpassed plenty e
% use the President S words. the country
vas brought to the verge of bankruptcy !
~ a Democratic tariff policy. Our mills
we're stopped, our workmen out of employ 1
nent, our treasury empty, and before the v
lose of Buchanan S ADMINISTRATION his FL v
lance Minister hawked United States six
L.. a. = l. sr4.