The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1894-01-19
THE WALKER TARIFF OF 1916.

Our Free Trade exchanges continue to
ring the changes upon THE good old
days before the war;" when the Walker
tariff, upon which the Wilson bill now
under discussion in Congress, is based.
Let us see what the prosperity uudel
that tariff really was: First let us sum-
mon certain contempOraneous witnesses.
In 1850 Samuel Bowels, Samuel Bowels,
Jr., and other representative citizens OF
Springfield, Mass, expressed themselves
thus IN petition entreating Congress to
revise the tariff of 1916 in the interest OF
protection:
Previous to the passage OF that law
the manufacturing and rDechanical in
terests in this community were in a
tlOulishing condition. Since that time
the condition of things has entirely
changed, and, it is fully believed that
much of the stagnation of business NAV
be traced to the operation of that law.
Manufacturing languishes, mechanics
are thu own out of employ, business of
all kinds is dull, and unless protection
can be afforded to our laboring classes
poverty will overtake them. The sub
scribers, therefore, pray that Congress
will so altar the tariff OF 1916 as will pro-
tect the labor and capital of the country
from foreign competition
In 1851 President Fillmore, in his an
nual message to Congress, gave the fol-
lowing account of the workings OF this
benefcent low tariff:
The value of our exports of bread
stutfs and provisions, which it was sup
posed the incentive of low tariff and
large importations from abroad would
have been greatly augmented, has fallen
from $GS, 900, 600 in 1S47 to S21, 900, 900 in
lSjl, with almost certainty OF still
fdriher reduction in 1852. The policy
which dictated a low rate of duties on
foreign merchandise, it was thought by
those who established 1t, would tend to
benefit the farming population of this
country by increasing the demand and
raising the price OF agricultural products
in foreign markets. The foregoing facts
however, seem to show, incontestiblv,
that no such result has followed the
adoption of this policy"
January 18th, 1885, the New York Tri-
bUne described thus street scenes which
were of daily occurrence in this blissful
period
"Who is hungry? Go and see. You
that are fulfilled and know not what it is
to go hungrv-perhaps never saw hun
cry mango and see, Go and see thou
sands, men, women and children, bows
and girls, old and young, black and
white, OF all nations, crowding and lost
ling each other, almost fighting for a
first chance, acting more like hungry
wolves than human being, in land of
plenty, waiting till the food is ready for
distribution. Such a scene may be seen
every day between II and 2 o'clock
around the corner of Orange and Chath-
am streets, where charity gives a dinner
to the poor and soup and bread to carry
to their miserable families"
In 1857 President Buchanan. in his
message to Congress, pictured thus the
workings of the low tariff up to that date:
"Iu the midst of unsurpassed plenty
in all the productions and in all the ele-,
ments of national wealth, we find our
manufactures suspended, our public uorks
retarded, oar priUdte enterprises Of differ
ent kinds abandoned, and thousands of
useful idSOrers thrOlCn out Of employment
and reduced to lUdRt.'
And all this trouble with the,millions
of California gold to help out. What
will it become now without said golds