Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1888-02-09

involve q slight reduction of the adyant-
ages which we award eur home prOdue-
tions, but the entire withdrawal Ofsuch ad-
vantages should not he contemplated. The
question of free trade is absolutely lusleV-
ant: and the persistent claim made IN Ger
tain quarters that all efforts TO relieve the
people from unjust and unnecessary taxa
ton are schemes Of SO called free traders IS
mischievous and far removed from any
consideration for the public good.
MR.. sHERMAN's VIEWS IN 1861.
The Senate and the country will be sur
prised to find how closely allied to the SEN
timent of these expressions were the utter
anees Of the honorable Senator from Ohio
when this very tariff OF 1867 was under
consideration:
I'm considering so complicated subject
rs a tariff, nothing can be more deceptive
than theapphcation Of suchgeneral phrases
as a protective tariff; a revenue tariff; a
free-trade tariff 1t imposes a burden upon
the purchase and sale of imported goods
and tends to prevent every importation.
The expression Of free-trade tariff in
wolves an absurdity, SO the
phrase protective tariff may be applied to
every bill imposing duties on imported
goods"
This was in 1867, VIXEN the large in
crease demanded in our impOst duties, by
the honorable Senator and by his associ
ates, was based on the necessity for In
creased revenue, and on that alone.
The first and obvious inquiry of every
Senator discussing the question: said the
Senator from Ohio, lis, how much Is u
necessary to raise by tariff on imported
goods, - and, going ON, he declared:
1T il, therefore, simply an absurdIty 20
talk now about free trade tariff, and to
talk about a protective tariff Is unneces-
sary. because the wit OF man could not pos
sibly frame a tariff that would prOddce
Sl4O, 600 900 in gold without amply pro-
tecting our domestic industry
Yet Mr. President, when our finances
are educed TO a gold basis, and when this
very system is yielding in a single year
the enormous sum of S2l2 600, 900 m gold,
OF its equivalent, aud when "a Democratic
administration dares 10 suggest q reduction
of this burden 10 something like the pro-
portions which the honorable Senator him
self declared would be amply sufficient for
the purpose OF protection, the Senator raises
bis voice in denunciati0n, and adyertlses
the President and his party as bent on free
/ trade and destruction. The Senator from
Ohio went further, when he was pressing
I the adoption of the high rates OF the Nor
rill tarH:
They the manuiacturersl do not ask
protection against the pauper labor OF Eu-
rope. bat they ask protection against the
creation OF our own laws. These are, our
paper currency and our internal taxation.
Ii Is not British or foreign com
petition that produces distress among the
manufacturing interests Of this country at
this time. Ii is the effect of our laws.
The chief evil arises from the deprecated
currency"
Mr. President, our paper currency has
+ long since been reduced to a gold basis; our
internal taxation to which the honorable
/ Senator alluded, in Its effect upon The man
uiacturers, has long since to that extent
/ been repealed; the stamp taxes, the income
tax. the conveyance tax, and a multitude
of impositiOns upon which he then based
/ his argument have disappeared from the
statute books. The productions OF manu-
facturers have been reduced TO a specie ba-
sis and they have been relieved OF special
burdens. Yet, 1t was at the time OF the
adoption of this very tariff that the Sena-
tor from Ohio declared;
Iii yen reduce their productions (the
manufacturers to specie basis, and put
them on the same footing they were on
before the war, the present rates Of duty
would be too nigh. Il would scarcely BE
necessary for any branch Of industry to be
protected to the extent Of the present
tariff law"
Who would believe that the same hon
orable Senator who gave utterance to these
/ expressions upon the adoption OF the laws
which have remained substantially IN force
/ ever since, could acknowledge authorship
OF the speech which was recently address
ed 10 the Senate and to the country; and
vet. Mr. President, find the speech ] al
+ Jude TO in the Congressional Record OF jan
nary D, OF this year, and the expressions !
nave quoted ia a speech Of the same hon
orable Senator delivered in the Senate on
the 23d of January, 1867, as published IN
a book entitled, Speeches and Reports on
Finance and Taxation, by John Sherman, y
and edited by himself
But Mr.. President, the honorable Sena-
tor has appealed tC
THE LABOR OF THE COUNTRY.
When we would undertake to lift the bur
deus Oh the labOring man and give him
equal opportunities IN the great struggle
for life, the Senator declares that We
would degrade him"
The Senator from Ohio has made history
an that subject also. On the 4th Of July,
1864, under his special patronage, a bill 70
encourage immigration, afterwards known
as the contract labor bill, became a law.
lis second section reads as follows:
INT al Il. Il. III - IL