Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1820-09-15

ia ruin Of commerce. and navigation is not
I all. To put money into the hands of the ma
nuiacturers, to Indemnify them for improvident
speculations and bad bargains, and to enable
them to repair their losses, agriculturists and
all other classes ofsociety, arc TO be compelled
by the prohibition of foreign goods, to pur-
chase their goods at enhanced prices; and this
too, after such protecting duties had already
been laid, as the manufacturers had before de-
clared, would be sufficient for the purposes OF
protection and encouragement to them.-Nor
Is this all; the revenue already much impair
I cd by the distressing state of the times, and
still more by the sacrifices made for the support
of manufactures, Will be nearly annihatcd.
and those who have already been well fleeced
to support the manufacturing interest must a.
new be made to contribute BY direct taxes, to
hill up the exhausted treasury, for the support
OF government, and TO pay the interest of the
national debt; which it will be vain to expect
, to diminish, till more suspicious times arrive
rs in fact it will require ali the economy of 60
veIfimcnti III these times, to prevent the increase
th2reof.
I'm the next place, let us enquire into the
justice and policy of the prohibitory system
recommended by the advocates forinternll ma
nuiacturcs,w who may be viewed indie ed less as the
advocates OF manufactures, than Us the enemies
to foreign commerce and navigation for, to
the bills to repeal the drawbacks on exporta-
ton, and to abolish the credits given on duties,
but to assail our commerce III the most vital
manner, and eventually to destroy it , For it
IS PLAIN, that TO repeal the drawbacks on cxpor-
'tauon, Is At once to cut of very valuable
branch of our foreign commerce, and with il,
large portion OF our carrying trade, and also
to lessen the revenue, (there being retained
on goods exported two and half per cent of
mat 1T ri .1,,s,. y
abolish the credits now given on duties, is
materially to lessen the capital now employed
IL commerce, without at all serving the rcve-
nue., or aiding manufactures in the smallest de-
gree .cr, unless you prohibit the introduce
ton OF foreign goods altogether suhicicncy
viii be imported for our own use, so Ions. as
we can pay for them, or till the manufacturers
can supply such goods, on terms equally adj
vantageous to the consumers-But the evils
which would result from the adoption of
those measures are of no negative kind; by
repeating drawbacks, our merchants to guard
against the losses which might be expected
from redundant Importations, would of course
hmt their imports to the quantity they might
suppose necessary for the home demand,
whence We should not unfrequcntly be expos
ed to suiier the evils, which would arise from
too scanty sIpPhes.-And by repeating credits
on duties, business would be thrown into few
pitalists, to the great injury of many equally
deserving and cnterprising men. But what
class OF our manufacturers viii receive benefit
from additional dutiesl Those only, who not
having exhausted their means iii undertakings
beyond their strength, yet retain a sutliciency
OF active capital and these men stand in no
need OF Legislative protection or assistance
but are already carrying on their business pro-
ilta5lv, and now that prices are much reduced
passed away, alas 1t is now too late to at
tempt by any legislative enactment, to come
forward to the relief of many OF our suffering
fellow citizens, manufacturers and others, whose
property, by the sudden and violent changes
which have recently taken place, has be-
come unequal to the payment OF their debts
And IS 1T just or reasonable, to annihiatc
commerce, to destroy the revenue, to press
heavily on the agricultural interest, and on all
classes OF society, to benefit Il small portion
OF our fellow citizens, and those too, who stand
IN no need of assistance by measures which
VIII avail nothing TO those who stand i'll need
OF 1t For, we repeat, that tn. maplfactur.
ers Ike all others who have lost their capital,
or sunk 1t in useless purchases, are morally
dead, and can only be restored to life and use
tulnesS, by discharge from their debts
Whereas, those who have contained them
selves within prudent bounds, are now carry
prospects though it may be admitted that
many OF them may have sustained losses by
the sudden depreciation of the value of their
goods, but in this way they have only suffered
III common with all classes of mercantile men
But, it is avowed by the frg,mcrs of these
measures, that they have not been led to re-
commend them, from any narrow views, or par
uahty tor the interests of the manufacturers
They tel us in plain terms, ''that their irteres
y-Q mot laafi Ir,ar ,--.Gl a.
}. Was oi ','t- importance al their UicIv they
farther tell us, that the nation can never be
Hourishing or independent, so long rs it relies
OH foreign nations for any essential articles o:
support, and that the system which has entail
ed on us this dependence, must be radically
changed. They tell us, that as soon as the
debts OF the revolution were assumed by the
new congress, system of excise and internal
taxation was resorted to, rs permanent means
OF paying the interest of the national debt -
that during the administration OF Gen Wash
ington and his immediate successor, an excise
on spirits, snuff and snuff mills, duties onrcfn
cd sugar, licenses to retailers, carriages, auc
TONS and stamp act and land tax were i'm
posed, and that in the preamble to the act
for laying impost, the encouragement of
domestic manufactures was one OF the avowed
objects of the law-that this was the revenue
system, of the founders of our government.
winch tney DO not attack, but rest upon, as
the only one on which the nation can rely.'
Let us enquire into all this, and into the
consistency ofconduct ofthcse avowed or pre-
tended friends to the system adopted under
General Washington's admnstration.-We
find, that that WIS, administration, though thew
were indeed the friends of domestic manufac-
lures, were not the enemies of foreign com
merce they imposed merely such impost
duties as would give a reasonable encourage
ment to internal manufactures, without sub
jecting the consumers, to pay for goods such
exorbitant prices, as must have been tile con-
sequence, for considerable time at least,