Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1908-03-24

vi
slant development of the textile manu-
facturers OF this country that | have
ever known"
q. "As matter of history, was not
the year 1857 the year of the great
panic, from which we never recovered
until the outbreak of the war?''
Mr.. Atkinson. ut was the wear of
the great bank panic. ia which two of
the commission houses to which my
goods were consigned suspended eay-
ment. That lasted but few months
and was purely financial panic. 1t
did not interfere with the progress of
arts and industries, and in 1853 great
prosperity had returned
1--WE were building the Lewiston mills
and the Indian Orchard mills, and
was familiar with the whole business
From that time until the beginning of
the war we saw the most steady pro-
gressive condition of prosperity in the
textile art that have ever known"
The tariff of 1867 having been pur-
posely fixed to reduce the revenue,
when the civil war came on, of neces-
the expenses of that great struggle, and
were raised by the first act, approved
by President Lincoln, August 5, 1861,
entitled:
"An act to provide increased revenues
from imports, pay interest on public
debts and for other purposes"
The act of July IA, 1852, was entitled:
IAN act increasing, temporarily, the
duties on imports and for other pur-
poses"
The act of April 20, 1864, was en-
titled:
Joint resolution to increase, tenn
porarily, the duties on imports"
And Senator Morrill,, in explaining
the Act of June 80, 1866, the main war
tariff, said
This is intended as a war measure,
a temporary measure, and we must
give it our support as such"
The people generally had become so
welded to the happy effects of the low
tariffs preceding the civil war, that
members of congress had to be as
sured that these war rates, in effect
protective, were to. be only "tempor-
ary," and hence Senator Morrill, spoke
as he did.
Senator Henry Wilson, in the Senate,
in 1861, said:
ut is very easy for gentleman of
the Northwest to rise on this floor and
talk about protection to Pennsylvania
and New England and to say that his
people have no projections; but, sir,
standing here today, l express it as my
deliberate Judgment that there are not
half dozen states-and [ doubt
whether there be among them all one
80 little interested in changing the
tar'H as the State of Massachusetts.
saysfurther, as the representative of
that state, | know that in voting for
this bill am voting against the wishes
Of large portion of the people of my
state, who believe the present tariff
better for US than Your proposed tariff;
and vote, too, against my own delib-
crate judgment, for | had rather stand
on tie tariff of 1857 than take this bill !"
Several senator's: Then, why vote
for it?"
Mr.. Wilson. 81 vote for it to in
crease the revenues of the government.
L want no man to vote for this
bill in order to protect the interests OF
Massachusetts; for the tariff of 1857,
precisely and exactly as it stands upon
your statute books today, So far as the
productive industry of the common.
wealth of Massachusetts is concerned
in all its various departments, amount
ing to 1850, OOO, 900 annually, is the best
| tariff ever put upon the statute books
OF this country. That is my judgment
and by passing this bill we shall gair
nothing as state. l shall vote for the
| bill, but vote for it to raise revenue;
| vote for it as revenue measure"
These temporary tariffs were ap
| proved by President Lincoln, who wal
not stand patter." AS early as Feb
ruary 10, 1851, he said:
Every varying circumstance will re
quire frequent modification as to tn,
amount (of tariff needed and thu
| sources of supply. So far, there il
little difference of opinion among tn,
| people
He approved many different tariff
acts.
1t was during the operation of thes'
high war tariffs that protection" tool
deep root. Special interests grew u,
and fattened, immense fortunes wer,
amassed, arming individuals with tn,
| power to perpetuate highly protective
tariffs, against which Jackson, il hi
farewell address, warned the people il
these patriotic words
The corporations and wealthy indi
viduals who are engaged in large manu-
| featuring establishments desire higf
| tariff to increase their gains Design
] ing politicians will support it to con
ciliate their favor and to obtain tn,
means of profuse expenditure for tn.
purpose of purchasing influence il
other quarters. Do not al
| low yourselves, my fellow citizens. ia
be misled on this subject. The fedora
government cannot collect a surplu,
| for such purposes without violating the
| principles of the constitution and as
Stunning power which has not beer
granted. 1t is, moreover, system O.
| injustice, and If persisted in will leaC
to CORFU ption and must end in ruin.
There were few, if any, mill ionaires
and no multi-millionaires, previous te
the civil war, the people generally
were prosperous from 1916 to 1860, the
low tariff era, but in 1864, Presiden,
Lincoln had noticed change had been
wrought "as result of the war" and
on November 81, 1864, he wrote his
friend William S. Elkins, of Illinois
the following letter: ~
Yes, we may all congratulate our.
that this cruel war is nearing its close
1t has cost a vast amount of treasure
and blood. The best blood of the flower
of American youth has been freely
| offered upon our country's altar that
the nation might live. 1t has been. in
deed, trying hour for the republic.
but L see in the near future crisis an.
preaching that unnerves me and causes
me to tremble for the safety of INV