241 



THE AMERICAN TARIFF. 



THE United States of America have had one great 

 advantage over all the European nations. Experience 

 whj^h these nations have bought and sometimes at a 

 serious cost the United States have gained (or had 

 the means of gaining) at no cost at all. Nor have 

 they usually been slow to avail themselves of this 

 advantage. In their system of national education, in 

 their manner of dealing with religious questions, in 

 their mode of building their cities, and in a number of 

 other matters on which national and municipal well- 

 being depends, we recognise the influence of lessons 

 taught by European history. But it would seem that 

 there is no easy way by which the true laws of political 

 economy can be learned. We find America, with all 

 the experience of Europe, and especially of Great 

 Britain, to guide her, falling into the same errors which 

 led us astray ; and when the effects which we recog- 

 nise as the natural consequences of such errors are 

 experienced, attributing them to any cause but the 

 true one. The Times recently had occasion to refer 

 to the sale of American meat in this country as illus- 

 trating the injurious effects of the American protective 

 tariff. The vessels engaged, for instance, in bringing 

 us American meat must, owing to that tariff, either 

 return without cargo to America or return loaded with 

 a profitless cargo. On this account the cost of bringing 

 American meat here must necessarily be increased, and 

 in. R 



