Year: 1866

1
land members of Congress to try to shuttle off
the responsibility of the tariff bill from them
selves and to throw the odium on the West.
1t is happy idea of the ostrich too, to hide
his head in the bushes with the purpose
of concealing his tail But the success of
both of these expedients depends on the
blindness or stupidity of the spectators. If
these have their eyes open, the New England
dodge is bound to fail just as ludicrously as
that of the bird which furnishes its pattern.
The fact is that the authors of that bill of
denominations, known as the tariff bill, have,
fortunately, overeached themselves by at
tempting too big grab. The people of this
country have got used to being plundered-
| perhaps, as it seems to be necessary part of
thesystem established by New England, they
rather enjoy it--but they do not like to. be
robbed outright A slight varnish of expedi-
ency has always hitherto been laid on these
protective" schemes in order to give them
an air of respectability but now even the pre-
tense Of general welfare" is laid aside and a
programme Of plunder is prepared, under the
forms of law, which is not disguised by even
the thinnest veil Of policy. The tariff bill
which passed the House, but which luckily,
has been postponed by the Senate, was a
purely Eastern contrivanee, for which the aid
of Pennsylvania was secured, as usual, by the
offer of large duties on coal and iron. The
injustice of the measure was SO plain that the
West became restive under it, and the leading
Republican journals of that part of the country
joined with the Democratic press in opposing
and denouncing it. Among these we may
mention those three influential papers, the
Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Republican and
the Cincinnati Commercial The Tribune says
The issue in Congress on the tariff question has
taken a definite shape. is safe to say
that ninety men of every hundred in the Western
States are opposed to reducing the revenue from
the tariff by making the mpost prohbtory. And
it may be further stated that the Illinois member
who betrays the interest of the West and Of the
national treasury by supporting the prohibitory
scheme, most surely digs his political grave. II
he is resolved to vote for it, we advise him TO Sc
cure his pay in advance, and to charge the ring OF
SPECTATORS enough to enable him to retire from
Congress and spend the remainder of his life " in
famous and cOntented."


In another issue it speaks of " the impu-
dent attempt now being made in Congress to
rob every man in the United States who has
not got a stock Of goods on hand through the
instrumentality of an increase of the tariff,
and adds


II is such barefaced cheat that no man in the
community, who has not stock of goods on hant
on the sale of which he expects to rob his neigh
bors from twenty to one hundred per cent. of thei
value can fail to see and denounce it. Those who
have the bill in charge deserve the eXecTation o
all true Republicans for introducing such an ele
ment of discord into our ranks on the eve of al
important election. If Andrew johnson has
grain of political sagacity he will veto the bill ant
set himself up as the champion of the people, de
; Tending them against eXtortion and robbery, an(
protecting the treasury and the public credi
against the enormous deficit which will be create
by the sudden stoppage OF revenue from customs


The Chicago Republican speaks to tn
}, same effect, and the Cincinnati Commercial
says


The sentiment of the people of the Northwest
taken on the tariff question, unembarrassed b
other issues, would be found Overwhelmingly OF
posed TO any further liberation of the systemati
extortion which is highly developed as a grea
principle in New England and Pennsylvania, an
already the dissatisfaction is so great that W
doubt not it will result in returning to the mex
Congress number of copperheads, who wha
). ever else they may do, will oppose tariff systel
SO adjusted as to pour into one mans pocket th
fruit of the labor of a thousand hands.


In order to show the influences under whic
this bill was concocted, and under whic
this barefaced attempt to rob the industrior
classes of the country was made, it is suf
cient to refer to the occupations of some
the principal supporters of the measure
Thaddeus Stevens owns iron mills in Getty
>, burg, and wants to plumber the people Of IL
United States to make them more proftabl
Justin A. Morrill, owns marble quarries
Vermont, and wants to plunder the people


the whole Union, so as to get higher prit
for his blocks. Mr. Griswold, of Troy, !
Y, is a manufacturer of railroad iron, al
desires to prevent his fellow-citizens from bu
ing cheaper railroad iron abroad, wherel
every man who rides on railroads in Il
United States must suffer for Mr. Griswold
benefit. Mr.. VIM. E. Dodgeis interested


wire works in Connecticut, and has a larl
stock of iron, etc., on hand. He gets ten p
cent. added to the duty on iron-wire, whic
ten per cent. is plundered from the pocke
TO- of the people, to represent" whom he pa
several thousand dollars in election bribe
the one Sunday morning Roswell Hart, fro
the Monroe district, New York, is largely
terested in the salt works of Saginaw Micl
and probably also in the Syracuse salt mo
opoly, and joins the ring of plunderers th
he too, may profit by the plundering.


) Of course all of these disinterested patric
were willing to help the manufacturers


New England-who complain that they a
becoming poorer every day, on annual di


dends of from twenty-five to one hundred I
cent-to enrich themselves at the expense


the country, always providing that they--t


disinterested and patriotic legislators-be
rc lowed large share of the grab. By


graceful system of trafiicking the bill fina


got through the House, but the Senate col


not stand it, or was afraid to face the risi


voice of opposition and denunciation viii


came from the West. So the measure, W


the assistance of the votes of Messrs wills


and Sumner, was deferred till the next sessit


In the meantime, as nobody but Thad S
mas vens and the N. Y. Tribune claim the pat


nifty of the thing, it seems likely to die {


of the way before Congress meets aga


CLOTHING, TRUNKS ETC., AT THE TULl


BuILDING.-Messrs. Garthwaite, Lewis i Stu


the popular and liberal clothiers at No. 81 Ca


street, are still offering, as may be seen elsewh
ElF--