The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-03-18
THE SPEECH OF MR.. CARLISLE.
What He Really Did Say at the Dinner of
the New York Free-Trade Club.

New YORK, March flowing to some mis-
apprehension, Mr. Carlisle was unsupported in
the Geographic account of his speech before the
New York Free trade Club, and the speech was
tonight again telegraphed to the newspapers.
Below viii be found the Speakers remarks as to
tariff:
Under the liberal policy established by the Con
Sttutlon our means of internal communication
and transportation have increased, and are
still increasing, while under the restricting
and obstructive policy of Congress our merchant
marine once source of pride and profit, has al
most disappeared from the seas and unless
something can be done to arrest its fur
Their decline it will disappear entirely
Free commercial intercourse between the States
has encouraged trade, promoted the develop
ment OF our national resources for agriculture
millions to the wealth of the
people, while the protective system
maintained by congressional legislation, to
large extent at least, shut us out from the
markets of the outside world, limited the pro
duction substantially to the demands of home
consumption, and in many cases actual
ly arrested the further development
Of great industrial interests. Applause
Under this system, when any highly protected
manufacturing industry has reached stage of
development which enables it to supply the
home demand, its growth must virtually cease.
because its products can have access to no other
markets
The Constitution not only prohibited the
States from laying imposts or duties upon i'm
ports or exports, but it expressly delegated to
Congress the power to lay and collect taxes,
duties, imposts and excises to pay debts and pro-
yldefor the common defense and general welfare.
This is simply power to raise revenue for public
purposes. [Cheers. 1t is wholly separate and
distinct from the power to regulate commerce be-
tween the United States and foreign
nations and among the several States
and with the various Indian tribes,
which is conferred by another clause of the Con
stitutiOn- The two powers were delegated from
entirely different purposes, and it is a monstrous
abuse of the power of taxation to use it, not
for the purpose of raising revenue but
for the purpose of prohibiting commerce.
lCheers 1t is impossible to still greater abuse
that power than to employ it for private instead
of public purposes. LApplause.l
Let no one pray you, misunderstood me on
this point The experience OF mankind has shown
it is almost, if not quite impossible to devise
any system or scheme of duties upon imports
that will not incidentally, in greater or less
degree, either injure or benefit private indus
trial interests and / have never hestated
to say that I would rather benefit
them than injure them but what L mean to as
sert is, that when the primary principal OBJ
ject of tax imposed by public author
ity is to foster private interests, it
IS not a legitimate use of the power
lCheers.) Whether what is called protection,
direct or incidental, is or is not really beneficial
to protected industry is a question about which
l imagine there will never be anything
like perfect unanimity Of opinion; but
whatever may be my opinion upon that ques-
may be condition, under which it would
not be wise to make sudden
change, even from bad policy to a
good one Applause.