The Tariff in Our TimesTarbell, Ida M. (Ida Minerva)
History
The Tariff in Our Times
Tarbell, Ida M. (Ida Minerva)
Tariff -- United States -- History
At the same time Henry Carey threw himself into the debate, writing a
long series of letters to public men. Carey was at this time over 75
years old—and a more fierce and dogmatic championship of a cause could
not be conceived than his of high protection and of paper money.
Originally a free-trader Carey had early concluded that society was too
undeveloped to practise it, and that a long period of protection must
precede. His views on social and economic subjects he had elaborated in
many volumes, the first of which had been published in 1835. The chief
of his works are his “Principles of Political Economy” and his
“Principles of Social Science.” Both of these have been translated into
a half dozen European languages, and they certainly must be reckoned
with largely in tracing the influences which have made for protection in
our time. Carey in spite of all his hard labor saw the people recede
from his views in 1846, and the return to protection in 1860 had given
him unbounded joy. He wrote Morrill frequent letters of counsel and
instruction when he was at work on the bill of 1861, urging him always
to more arbitrary action than his just and reasonable mind relished.
“Nothing less than a dictator is required for making a really good
tariff,” Carey once said to him. So convinced was he of his position, so
sure that he had solved finally the economic problem that any discussion
or criticism spurred him to the most intolerant opposition. After
Richard Cobden’s death in 1865, Carey said in a public gathering in
Philadelphia that he regarded it as one of those instances of special
providence for which the United States had especial reason to be
thankful; for, said Carey, it was the intention of Mr. Cobden if he had
lived to have again visited the United States; if he had done so he
might have lectured, and so have done great harm to the cause of
protection.
David Wells was a particular abomination to Carey. His reports pointing
out the unjust discrimination caused by certain tariffs, and the fact
that wages were not increasing in the ratio of expenses Carey charged to
be untrue—juggling of figures paid for with “British gold.” One of his
pamphlets answering Wells he headed with this quotation from the New
Testament: _Then one of the twelve called Judas Iscariot went unto the
chief priests and said unto them “what will ye give me, and I will
deliver him unto you?” And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of
silver and from that time he sought opportunity to betray him ... and
forthwith he came to Jesus and said “Hail Master,” and kissed him._
As a matter of fact Wells was doing serious injury to the schedules then
in force by pointing out what they were and were not doing. For instance
there was the wool bill of 1867. It had been in operation for nearly two
years, and according to Mr. Wells wool was in a more depressed state
than before its passage. His summary of conditions was startling:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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