Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1820-08-29

STOW II SO LOerally--reau before you
write.
The next clause proposes duty of 80
per cent. on woollens. In Mr.. Dallas
tariff it was proposed at %. On cot
tons, of 33-the same as proposed by
him. Both are now at IS. These be-
ing among the most important items in
the bill, the house must indulge me in
going fully into the reasons which have
induced the committee to propose the
additional duty. 1t would seem almost
unnecessary to convince this house, that
the interest ofthe nation required that it
should clothe itself; that it ought to feed
itself, will not be denied.--yet food is not
more necessary than raiment; and cam
not see how any people can be indes
pendent who must look abroad for that.
At all events, the committee have
thought that, in bottoming this bill ON
this national principle, that we ought to
feed, clothe, and be able to defend our
selves, we placed it on ground that could
not easily be shaken Our motives rise
highcrthan the interest otmanufacturers
whether they make or lose money now
whether this bill tends to enrich one
or another, or all classes of society, has
scarcely entered into our consideration.
The nation must command its own con-
sumption, its own means of defence
The last war found us destitute. beg
the house to remember what the gentle-
man from Kentucky told us the other
day--that our gallant soldiers were des-
titute of clothing, until the governmenr
connived at smuggling, to procure cloth
from the nation with whom we were con.
tending. National feeling, if not inter-
est, should forbid the recurrence of such
a scene---it shall not be charged on the
committee of manufactures. If it was
right in 1916 to impose a duty of 25 per
cent. on woollens and cottons, prnci-
pally with view to revenue, there will
be found a strong reason for its increase
in the duties now imposed by the Bril-
fish government, OF six pence sterling on
every pound of wool, and six per cent.
ad valorem on cotton wool, imported at
ter the 5th January, 1920. Wool has
been an article of export from this coun-
try to England. The new duty excludes
1.-THE ports are now shut against your
provisions, they will not permit its i'm
portation till the price of wheat is 10
shillings sterling bushel. Let those
who complain SO much that the agricul"
tural interest will suffer by this bill, re-
fleet on these facts. Let the farmer de-
eide whether it is most for his interest
to purchase his clothing from the foreign
manufacturer, who will purchase neither
his wool nor his provisions, or the do
mestic one, who will give him a market
for both, in his anxiety to guard against
the profits which may accrue TO his
neigA6ors and countrymen, by the sue
cess oftheir manufactures. Let him be
sure that he falls into better hands by
trusting himself to the liberality of for
eigner8. 1t is feared that there will be
a monopoly and desire of speculation,
if our own countrymen can supply our
demands; yet there seems to be no fear
that our course of policy should give
that monopoly to the British manufac-
turers, Hundreds, thousands of our cit
liens, are out of employment; they
would add infinitely to the national
wealth, to our independence, and save
its resources at home, if their labor was
employed in converting our raw materi-
ais into fabrics for our own use. But it
is contended that our true policy is to
employ the labor of other nations, pay
them the profits of their manufactures,
for the purpose Of directing the industry
of ours to productions which can find no
market abroad, and have no value at
home. These new duties imposed in
England on wool and cotton, ought to
awaken US to our situation; no part of
the country ought to be more alive to
their effects than that from which
the opposition to this measure is the
greatest. England does not wish to
encourage the cotton of America
She gives you unequivocal indications of
her policy. She will take it till her
colonies can furnish her supplies
Though her best customer, though she
now depends on US for the raw material
to support her manufactures, she takes
wool from the continent, cotton from US
but imposes heavy import duties,
(Which are haid by uS who consume the
MANUFACTURED articles. We thus fur
nish her government with revenue, her
laborers with employment, while ours
are idle. l am afraid we are not aware
of the bold and dangerous experiment
we are trying. We are now to decide
on the course of internal policy which
shall best develop the resources, pro-
+l,o ;,,,l,,etry apb cacure the ip1e-