Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1815-11-25

But, before venture to lift you to this
point OF elevation, let us, if you please,
discuss the subject of Jour projected wool
bill let us, before we cross the Atlantic
and the Allegany, seeif we can come to
something like common sense on the CUES
ton which you have now again set in agi-
ton.
You see the farmers distressed you see
them breaking you see the newspapers
filed with notices of sales of their effects.
The immediate cause of this is the want of
money. tie cause Of that lcnnt, howe
yer, you do not seem to understand; and,
If you do understand it, you keep it out of
sight. You say it is the to,o price oftlteir
produce you would therefore, compel the
mass of the people to pay them higher
price, not seeming 20 reject, that, II you
could succeed, you would only produce,
in other classes of men, just that quantity
of distress and ruin, of which you wish to
relieve the farmer. Ifyour Lordship was
attacked by ruiiian, who aimed at putting
out one of your eyes, and were to aim at
your left eye, should you think you had
done much by wardiDg his bayonet from
that eye to have it thrusted into the other ?
But, my Lord the foundation of your
reasoning, ifreasoning it must be called,
is, unscund namely, that the distress of
the farmer arises from the lolc price of his
produce. In the time of Mr. TuLL, that
Is to say, 20 years ago, wheat was fire
stiitHngs tashel. Its now from eight
TO nine shiltings a bushel lflow price be
ruin, how could farmers have lived in his
time ! 1t is not, then, poSitire low price,
1t IS retatipe low price, which, not to deny
you very confined common sense. / must
understand you to mean. Well, then, can
you show, or can any man living show,
that labour, tackle. horses, and seed. do
not at,cayS bear, upon an average of even
very few years, an exact proportion to the
price of wheat In Mr.. TuLL's time
wheat was five shillings bushel, and the
price OF reaping an acre of wheat was five
shIllings. Wheat is now from 8 to shil-
lings bushel ; and theprice of reaping an
acre OF wheat in this part of England, is
nine shllings. In other parts it may be
much less, labour being always higher here
than In any other part of the kinedom.-
This IS the price that and my neighbours
are actually giving at this moment. As to
the present day, [ state facts that are no.
tonOus and, as to the age of Mr.. TIL,
thousands have his work in their hands.
IL, therefore, from Che very nature OF the
thing itself,it were possible that the price
OF labour Gncluding smiths, wheelrights,
and horses should not descend and as
cend, step tor step, with that of wheat,
Whici, upon an average of years, is the
standard fthe price of all other products
OF theearth, we have proof positive. that
such has not been the case IN our own
country. How, then, must that mind be
constructed how narrow its views or
how perverted its faculties, which can see
the cause Ofruin to the farmer in the low
price OF his produce
You ascribe hlsruin 20 the 7oant ora snGc;ercs
gfmoEsy. r gllt SO far but there are fzso ways
IN winch want of q sufic ency Of no,.ev may
come the hrst IS by not receiving a suf3iciency:
the other by the dsproPortionate greatness of
me demands upon what - received The man
'.ho has i've hundred year NAV be in no wan
oil money while he who has twenty thousand
year may become bankrupt. The farmer al
ways does, because he must, receive enou,rh mo.
ney proportioned to the labour ON his en- -.
receipts and expend lures here regulate each o.
ther with the greatest corr eclness but iftbere
| DC deIDander OF money, whose demands never
| io"sf win prices who pays no respect to sea.
sons or any other circumstances who comes
Ior Irge sums many times in the year who
WIZ NOT wat a moment; who needs none of the
usual forms OF law to obtain payment, but who.
at once, layshold ofthe crop or the utensils and
"lthai whose demands are continually increas.
ing II there be such creditor, 1T IS very clear
mat, as prices fall, the farmer must sink into IN,
in. ''0 ~
Now, has not the English farmer sneb Gro.
| ultor Ills taxes, direct and indirect, far ez-
ceed the amount Of all his other out-goinps. lie,
us suppose, then man on his own land, who
PMd hundred pounds year for labor, and
iuhafed and MY pounds in taxes, when wheat
was eighteen shillnAs a bushel He was then
able to live. IT the wheat be pine sh,lIn,sq a
bushe, his labor will cost him fifty pounds. and
1t his taxes fell down to Is pounds. he would be
still where he was But his taxes continue to
De 100 1t is man fest, therefore, that the taxes,
| and the taxes only are the cause ofhisrun.
Your lordship does, indeed, al,uls incidentally
to our taxes but then, this alluson is accompa.
med with nothing to Induce the belief that YOU
WIShsd 10 POINT the attention Of your hearers TO-
wards them as cause Of that ruin, of which Won
were speaking much less do YOU hint AZ sn,
hope ofrelef IN this all-important respect. Won
say lF,he landed interest I'm which include
the land-oceuPier) willnot make kno4yg, ,ts 1ri,,
alces It cannot expect attention or redress and Il
VIII be responsible for the ruin that v1u fall IN
the growth 1t fine wool. For if the wool of ali
countries, tf1fn1'ed and Wfvthed is to be potircd
IN upon VS. without restriction, every man tbe
least acquainted with the subject will agree
with me that it never can be worth while 10
raise hne wool in This kingdom and the agri.
cultirst will aim at quantity, negleetiar ,5e
guilty If thewoolp ''6 "N
Here, again, what tumble Of IDEAS WIZ,