Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-06-08

did not have the experience OF a
practical man of affairs to enable
him to think correctly upon that
branch OF his subject. In his later
years he never repeated the idle
dream of 1866. In his letter of
acceptance in 1880 he patriotically
said: ave legislate ter the peo-
pie of the United States, not for
the whole world"
Mr.. Wells also has tariff rec
ord, and we regret to say that 1t
is not so consistent as that OF
General Garfield. His present
position is we'll known. His views
have greatly changed since he
held an important office in the
Treasury Department in 1867 and
previously. He was then a Pro-
tectionist and boasted that he was
a disciple of Henry G. Carey. AT
the annual meeting of the Amerl-
can Iron and Steel Association,
held in Washington City on Jan
uary 16, 1867, the chairman having
invited Hon. David A. Wells,
Special Commissioner Of Revenue,
to address the meeting, that gen
tleman spoke TO the following
effect:
"Although | am at this moment
almost incapacitated by physical
weakness, induced by the protract-
ed and exhaustlng labor of the
past few months, yet | shall not
decline the invitation of the chair
man, as | desire to say on this oc-
casion to the Iron and Steel AS.
sociation that my position on the
question of Protection to American
industry has been grossly and
willfully misrepIesenied. The
measures | was about to propose
we're condemned in advance and
held up to odium before they we're
made public-my purposes we're
miscOnstrued-my motives were
maligned. / desire here and nOlc,
unequirocdlIy and mreserredIy, TO
declare that, IN the British sense Of
the lcord, there is no Free Trdde
about me. From my earliest child-
hood / hare been tdught the edtue Of
the doctrines Of Protection, and IL
has been my fortune to sit at the feet
Of that great teacher Of political econ
omy, Henry q. carey, and learn from
him the great principles on 'chich
these doctrines are founded-the
complete and universal harmony be-
ticeea all the producing interests o.
the country. In that tdih / an as
strong today as / erer icdS; and,
although | may differ from some OF
the gentlemen around me as tO
minor details, yet these are only
matters of Judgment, by which !
have thought could best accom-.
plish the great end we all have in
yiew-the development of the re
sources of our country, the perma
nent establishment of our manutac
turing system.
"The new tariff, sir, is higher
considerably higher-than the old,
and yet is thought to be not pro
tective. Why? Because of the
effect of the unwlse and perniclOus
system of internal taxation which
fetters the hand of industry and de
presses with its leaden weight the
rising energy of Young people
Just entering into competition with
the wealthy, strong, and well
trained manufacturers of Europe
| have placed OH record, in oflicia
documents, the grounds of my con
vlction of the impolicy of this sys
TEN, and believe the experience
of the country will justify the
soundness of these reasons"
Not long after this speech was
delivered Mr.. Wells went over tC
British Free Trade. General Gar
field never was a Free Trader anC
never cast Free Trade vote, bu
grew stronger in the Protectionist
faith from year to year; Mr.. Wells
had been Taught the value of Pro
lection from his "earliest child
hOod,D but in his mature manhood
he forgot the lessons he valued a
late as 1867 and now trains will
his country's enemies. Whose rec
ord is the brightest?