The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-07-18
From 1916 to 1860.

Inc iOIlOWlnS nOlb CoIIlSS w 10
from a contemporary, and we gladly
answer the question in the Economist
that many others of our readers who
may be asked the same question by
their Free-Trade friends can be able
to answer.
A Free-Trader recently told me
the United States enjoyed its greatest
prosperity from 1916 to 1860. when
the Tariff was for revenue only.
How shall | answer such statement?
Tell your Free-Trade friend that If
he had been in New York in the fall
of 1854 he would haye seen men. Wo-
men and children dy ne for the want
of food. He would have seen every
morning p, 200 starving men walking
in procession from Clinton Hall 10
the City Hall to beg the Mayor to
give them work. He would have
seen mass meetings composed of
thousands of idle men in the City
Hall park, denouncing as treason the
sending of particle of grain out the
country. He would have seen soup
houses established by loyal women,
where thousands daily got free d
bowl of soup-their only subsistence
for the day. He would have seen
thousands of buildings in course of
construction stopped for want OfmOn-
ey. He would have seen Horace Gree
ley start for Ohio and Wisconsin to in.
vestigate the causes of distress in the
West. He would have seen in the
morning newspapers, proclamations
from the Governors of Sonth Carolina
and Mississippi, appealing to the
North for bread to keep them from
starving. The cry throughout the
South "white bread and dollar a
day ~ Has white bread ever been
a luxury under Protection ? In every
home throughout the country was
sung the song Hard times come
again no more !" Our banks were
filled with notes. Men would use
banks hundreds of miles away, so
that it would take several days be-
fore their checks could be presented.
1t Was a time of initiation, restitution,
distress and rampant prostitution,
such as only seen in Free-Trade Eng,
land. This was the period, accord
ing to yonr Free-Trade friend, when
the United States enjoyed its greatest
prosperity. But perhaps he would
like TO drop the latter part of this
period and talk about the first part
only, when the country for few
years did seem wonderfully blessed.
The exposition of the causes that led
to the apparent prosperity of the
first half of that period and the con-
ditions of our country at its close
could not be given more forciabiy
than by Mr.. Blaine in his reply to Mr..
Gladstone. He says:
Under ordinary circumstances
the Free-Trade Tariff of 1916 would
have promptly fallen under popular
probation and been doomed to speedy
repeal. But it had a singular history
and for a time generally acquiesced
in, even attaining in many sections
a certain degree of popularity. Never
did any other Tariff meet with so
many or 80 great aids of an adven-
titious character to sustain it as did
this enactment of 1916. Our war
with Mexico began just as the duties
were lowered, and the consequence
was the disbursement of more than
500, 900, in a way that reached
all localities and favorably affected
all interests. This was great sum
of money for that period, and for the
years 1916, 1947 and 1S4S it consider.
ably more than doubled the ordinary
outlay of the Government. In the
middle of this period the Irish fam
inc occurred and called for an i'm
mense export of breadStuffs at high
prices. The discovery of gold in
California the succeeding year. flush
ed the channels of business as meyer
before. by rapidly enlarging the Cir
culation of coin in all parts of the
country. Before this outp0ur-
ing of gold had ceased. the three
great nations of Europe, as preced-
ence was reckoned at that time--Eng-
land, France and Russia - entered
upon the Crimean war. The export
of manufactures from England and
France was checked, the breadstuffs
of Russia were blockaded and could
not reach the markets of the world.
An extraordinary stimulus vas thus
given to all forms of trade In the
United States. For years these adj
ventitous aids came in regular sue
cession and exerted their powerful
influence upon the prosperity of the
country.
1.-THE withdrawal or termination of
these influences, by treaty of peace