It had obtained a stronger hold on the Republican party than even the leaders of that organization were aware, and it was destined to a larger influence upon popular opinion than the most sagacious could foresee.
In the foregoing summary of legislation upon the tariff, the terms Free-trade and Protection are used in their ordinary acceptation in this country,--not as accurately defining the difference in revenue theories, but as indicating the rival policies which have so long divided political parties.

Strictly speaking, there has never been a proposition by any party in the United States for the adoption of free-trade.

To be entirely free, trade must encounter no obstruction in the way of tax, either upon export or import.
In that sense no nation has ever enjoyed free-trade.

As contradistinguished from the theory of protection, England has realized freedom of trade by taxing only that class of imports which meet no competition in home production, thus excluding all pretense of favor or advantage to any of her domestic industries.
England came to this policy after having clogged and embarrassed trade for a long period by the most unreasonable and tyrannical restrictions, ruthlessly enforced, without regard to the interests or even the rights of others.

She had more than four hundred Acts of Parliament, regulating the tax on imports, under the old designations of "tonnage and poundage," adjusted, as the phrase indicates, to heavy and light commodities.