The Connecticut courant and Hartford weekly intelligencer — Hartford, Conn., 1777-12-23 00:00:00, page 1

TUESDAY, December 1} i„%
JC^SAR to CATO. S. P.D;
SI R,
YOU have in sundry papers made many
just obferVations, which deserve the
attention and thanks of your country. — h
However, I apprehend that some things
liave escaped your notice, and that in others
you have not fully conflicted them, or fuf
ficiently explained and guarded yourfelfi
If we would think and reason justly abbot
farmers and merchants, we should confider
the importance of their refpeftive employ
ments to their country^ Superficial think
ers and talkers are very ready to give the
preference to the merchant. And 1 will
grant that this nlay be the case in some coun
tries, as in Holland, where they don't raise
perhaps bread enough to supply the tenth
part of the inhabitants, but procure it from
their neighbours by trading. There indeed
the merchant is necessary for the support of
the State, and trade is to be greatly encou
raged. Yer even there, though they are
immediately Supported by their own mer
chants, they are ultimately supplied by the
had a fufficient number of laborers to pro
duce and manufacture them. We have then
no need to import any thingfrom other coun
tries, unless at present warlike stores, and
wool, and some very few things to carry
on our husbandry and manufactories.
Some imagine that trade is necessary to
make a country, : rich and flourishing. But
this if at all true, is only where the trade is
profitable : Whereas in America the bal
ance of trade is always against her. It is
profitable for other countries to trade with
us, and hence the laws were made, to re
strain our trade. But it riever was any ad
vantage for America to trade with any of
them, only for a few necessary things, and in
flead of making the country rich, it has
been a principal means of keeping us poor,
and will be so while the balance of trade is
so greatly against us. Merchandise encou
rages idleness, luxury, and gayety ; these
things may enrich particular gentlemen#
but they impoverish and weaken the people
at large. Frugality and induftery make a
people hardy, healthy, and, brave. These
are the virtues which rendered the Spartons
^nd Romans powerful and flourdhin^ and
farmers, I mean those of other nations.
For Were it not for farmers, there would be
no fuppite, ofA^ad to be procured by the
wares of the merchant. So that their High
Mi^inefe, as well as the King himfelf are
fed by the fields from this it appears th^t
the farmers are the molt necessary and ufe
ful set of men to the support of the world
in general, on whom all others depend.
Suppose then that merchants are very ne
cessary in such a country as Holland, -where'
their immediate dependence is upon trade,-
itd res not follow that they are equally ne-
Ceffary, or that good policy requires, they
should be equally encouraged i ^ loch a new
country as this, whereland is plenty, and a
great scarcity of hands to subdue & cultivat
it. We havein this country a rich Sufficiency
ofallthe necessaries andcomfortsof life, if we
CONNECTICUT
Containing the Frefhtft ADVICES,
WEEKLY
AMD
overcome the love of money that root of all
evil. It is very absurd to condemn a pro
feffion by wholesale.
We Should then carefully ^iftingui/h be
tween the Fair Dealer and the Rum-Jock^
and Engrofas. The heneft merchant fold
off what goods he had upon hand at the be
ginning of these times, and then Shut up
(hop, and went into some other business, as
farming, &c; But the Sharper and rum
jockey forefeeing that Weft-India product,
&c. would be scarce, immediately raised his
tea to ten or twelve (hillings per pound ; the
rum which cost him about two (hillings he
fold at fix. His plan was not a reasonable
profit, but how m'ti'ch he could get out of
the country without being mobbed ^ and
thus-these gentry have gone on pillaging
and robbing the country, till they have ac
quired such immense fortunes as enable them
to set laws and taxes at defiance. For it has
been an eaf, thing for a rum jockey, &c. to
make two or three hundred pounds clear
in a week, some more, some less.
The honest merchant; the farmer, &c. be
held this fee^e with indignation and afto
niffiment. They Waited for the best part
of a year before they began to fife in the
price of their proviffons, expelling that as
it was not very difficult, the legiftature would
have done something: But nothing effectu
al has been done, as the laws have not nor
are like to be put in execution { so that about
a hundred or two sharpers and ' rum'-jockies
were like to ruin the whole ffate. About
last harvest the farmers, many of them; fold
their wheat at fix' fallings per bushel, when'
rum was Aid for thirty frillings 'per gallon;
and yet the prime cost and expend of it
were not above ten (hillings. Oh horiid
and abominable! The farmers then' found'
themselves obliged to rife in their demands#
Or throw up the business •,firice these shar
pers were prosecuting such a wicked a plan
to ruin all but themselves, and no effectual
measures used to prevent them. Thus ne
cessity not choice drove them.
It is to be observed that by the losses we
have sustained at one place and another.
among them merchandize was Scarcely
known for several hundreds of years.
There are many who exclaim against
merchants in general, as not onl, a useless,
but a most covetous set of men, the contri
vers and authors of all our internal difficul
ties and distresses. But the truth is their
temptations are only greater, because their
occupation is so much employed in casting
up accounts, and profit and loss, they are
more qyick in decerning the importance of
money, and how they may make fom&hing
out of their neighbors. Too many of them
are doubtless overcome by the temptations
of their calling. He is a merchant, the
ballance of deceit are in his hand, he loveth
to oppress, is an old observation of an un
prejudiced author. But there are among
them some gentlemen of honor and probity,
as well as in other profeffions. Such are
refpe&able characters indeed, who are ena
bled to refill: their daily temptations, and
W^^^W
sll
ginary but a real scarcity of lundry articles;'
as iroff, cattle, feather, &:c. A little con
h'der^ion will shew that thtre is not loch
an unparahelled plenty as is imagined.
Fv^r since the war commenced there have
beeri a vaff many laborers taken into the
public fervite. And the year before last
the militia were ,called for to New-York^
arid detained in the service, till lowing time
was chiefly over. Some suppose there was
not above half a^ thuch sowed as common;
ft is probable enough, there Was not fol
much 'by a quarter. This deficiency
must certainly render grain a Quarter part
scarcer than it would have been had id
riot been feir this, thou'gh the year 1 lup^
pose was fruitful as common. The wretch
ed vermine called tories don't raise
much that so they may didfefs ' the country.
The farming business is under great dif
touragemerit from the Want of laborers ;
and from the necessity there is of calling the
inhabitants into the public service. if a far
mer (hoifld lay himfelf out to raise a great
crop' , it i's a?slikely as not, that he will
be called into thelervice a nibnth or two fr rt
harvelt, or lowing time. Hence the greater
or part ate forced to content themselves
With raising only sot themselves and fami
lies; Men have riot the resolution to pro=
fecrife labor as they used to have^
Add to all this thafMrw- York. New-Jer
ries, arid Pen nfyvania# haVebeen greatly ra
vaged by(he aimies,and all the northen parts
ab'>ve Albany; and I cannot hot apprehend
that the plenty so much talked of by many
is not real but imaginary. Ithall observe.
but one thing more, at present viz. than
there .re some other things to be taken into'
the estimate as well as the real scarcity met
plenty of provisions. Certainly the l^b&f
great quantities of provision have been lofa'
as at Beeks-Killj Danbury, Ticonderoga:
These things have otcafioned a greater (bar
city of beet and pork than usual, a d great
ly railed the price of cattle. A farmer can
not purchase a good five cattle team, plovr
arid cart under £ 150, whereas in former
times he could have furnifhed himfelf w:Hi.
these for forty pounds,at the out fide, trod
is scarce so that it is eight or ten tines the
price it used to be. Hence the smith rhuft
rife proportiondbly in his demands on the
fa rmers, or he muff quit his bufinels. The
hides are also grown scarce, and High id
price, from the fame raufes that cattle are.
Hence the fhaemaker and the fadler canhoc
follow their business unless they ate ri oWed
proportionably so their labour. And wheri
these tradesmen rife, others mbit also, of
they cannot live by their trades. Cloathing
is also very scarce.
Thus the farmer has to pay a very advance
fed price to his smith, his shoemaker, hid
Weaver, his taylor, &c. And if he ^as to
fell the produce of his farm at the price he
used formerly to get, he could not live , by
his bufuftfs, but mult be undone in a there
time, which mull inevitably ruin the coun
try, by bringing a faming ,
1 have Viewed there is fiotmWef% r an imfy
INTELI„^ RNC^R.^
Both FOREIGN and DOMESTIC
COURANT,
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