Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1820-09-05

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wish it. All have alike sunk beneath the eff
fects of foreign policy and your Indifference
laid low alike-struggling side by side.
The three great interests of the country are
tobe restored only BY your interference-they
call to you in sepulchral tones, equally to warn
you of past errors and imploring for future aid.
But, sir, listen to all alke-do not let revenue,
CRYING for loan, commerce, for bankrupt and
navigation acts, drown the voice of manufac-
lures, asking for protection, Do not, after
impartng your favors with liberal hand to
the others, reply to the calls of this great in-
terest "regulate yourselves" You will not
say so to commerce-you will give her regu-
lations, and enter on legislative commercial
war for her protection. But you will poorly
answer to the nation for your partially that
it is of no national Importance rvho produces,
raises, or makes oar articles Of cOnsumption that
may regulate itself 1t is alone worthy of our
interference zuho shall bring them here from for
eign countries That wewill regulate.
| We have been called on by the gentleman
| from South Carolina for the evidence on which
the committee have acted Ofthe description
referred to in his resolution we have none !;
and | tell that gentleman plainly, that the COM
mittee of manufactures have not acted, and
would not act, on the statements, or even affi-
dayits, of interested persons. Others may
make motives for us-but we shall not avow
what we disdain. refer him for the informa-
ton on which we have acted, to the CONNER
cial codes OF other Countries-our own official
documents from the treasury-to the able re-
ports of the committee of commerce, of the
secretary of the treasury, and to one which de-
serves particular notice from being presented
by hmself-the bill reported by the commit
tee of ways and means in 1916. repeat it,
that the profit of manufactures has not been
our leading motive, but the public national in
tercst; this nation must command its ozop CON
sumption and the means Of defence. The treasu-
ry report tells us that the ad valorem imports
of 1918 are S5S,OO0,00O, our domestic exports
only S50,000,000. This must be changed !;
we must buy less than we sell. There is one
domeStic work on political economy, better
than any imbo,tedj containing more sound po-
ltical maxms than any | ever read. The
almanacs of i" Richard Saunders" He says,
"if you keep taking out of the meal chest and
put nothing in, it will become empty"
This is the state of the nation; an enormous
| food of importation has swept before it the in
dustry of the country 56,O00,000 Of imports a
year have exhausted its resources--itis literal
ly empty. Look where you will you find pro-
perry depressed, produce declining, laborers
seeking employment nothing increasing but
debts and suits, and forced sales. The sound
of hammer does not disturb you, unless the
constabe's, sheriff's, or aucdoneer's. If the
petitions on your table do not give you the
true cause of this,-if, when manufactures and
farmers are joining in their applications for
the protection of national industry, you want
other evidence of the general dstress-let
each member of this house say what is the
l. 4 Il
have seen manufactures flourish did farmers
then suffer- Has their practical operations
ever been injurious to any portion ofthe coun-
try We have tried the systems ofsupplying
ourselves and depending on foreign nations
those who have seen the effects Of both can
best judge of the merits Of this bill. But if
you want other evidence by the cause of this
universal distress, and to find out an effectual
remedy, do not disregard the unanimous
opinion of the Legislature of New-York, ex-
pressed in Instructions to her delegation here
This is the voice of 100000 freemen. When
a nation thus complains, we are not to inquire
if women and children cry. PENNSYLVANIA
speaks in sill more decided tone-not of in.
struction or complaint, but by stop law to
prevent the sale of real and personal property
in execution, unless it sells for two-thirds of it's
appraised value. 1t is time to reflect when
such state speaks IN language Ike this. Five
years ago she was the richest IN the union;
her property was valued under your authority
at $40 millions--New-York at 273 millions;
| she has been and yet is proud state-fertie
IN resources strong IN her institutions, she
stood the shock OF the revolution, the conse-
quent peace, the embargo, and the late war,
unhurt. But she could not withstand the de-
struchon OF her manufactures, the prostration
I I. Al.
OF her industry, the deiuge OF importations,
your enormous rmposis she has yielded to
the pressure OF general distress, and, for the
trst time IN her history, has been obliged to