Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1824-04-16

compared with the produce, almost wholly
| insignificant
i.reter tn the same pamphlet, sir For certain
facis winch conclusiveiy prove IT, me the inef-
ficiency ofprotecting duties. In 1898, the ex-
ports of linen from g. Britain were only about
100000; of woollen, about 6 5000, OO0, and
of cotton, { 10000. Now, sir, upou the
coarse linens, thrre is an actual bounty upon
expectation. AS to wooen, it has received Il
large share Of the paterna care 0f the British
Parliament, from the reign of the Ist Edward
I" The present time-a period of upwards of
500 years. 1t has been perfect legislative
bantling in point of protecting duties vel cot
ton, the export of which, in the year 1880, did
no, much exceed / 100000, has now grown
II hall the amount Of the Whole exports of the
kingdom. The reason s, that, from the tex
tue of cotton, it is emphatically fitted for ma
chinery, and hence, the astonishing increase in
Its manufacture.
Let us now, sir, examine the manner in
which wealth. acquired by manufactures, is
distributed. Some years ago, the persons err
gagged IN manufacturing cotton in England
were estimated at 800 900. They may fairly
now, from the extension, be set down, ut least
at 100000. Ii would he large calculation
To suppose, that $4,000 of that number were
interested IN the capital; but let the profits be
ever so great, every one knows that the labor
ers receive only wages, and, that, too, scarce
ly enough for comfortable maintenancc-
or consequence, the whole profit passes into
the hands of the capitalists Here, then, of
1000, 900 ofpersons, 80, 900 receive the profits,
whatever they are, and $50 900 receive moth
ing beyond mere maintenance. Now, Mr.
Chairman, IS il the policy of this country IN
concentrate wealth In the hauds Of IA few, or
To give II the utmost possible diffusion amongst
our people ? We have been told that we ought
to have an American policy. So say /, sir
rms system suits Well the meridian OF Great
britain. III does not suit ours. The immense
burdens of that Kingdom, the large loans which
are sometimes necessary To be- effected, make
II convenenttd the British government tn hav"
us wealth in the hands q! few large capital
lists. They are convenien, Subscribers To Il
large lean for the service OF government, ar
for subsidy. With u.s. the principles Of ON
government, the whole frame of our pulity,
require us not TO make large masses of wrath,
hut rather to break them INTO smaller pieces
Great inequality i'm wealth would tend to
warp our institutions from their natural course
Sir, the structure of society in Great Britain
may he aptly illustrated by one of The stately
| columns which support the dome of this mag
nihcent halls lis base is OF ireestone {; lis shaft,
OF domestic marble It's capital, of fine Italian.
The emblem of ours is, or ough: to he a CO.
the same material. repeat; sir, that II system,
! tending {" prod0:e great inequality, may SUR
| Great Britain; II dnes not suit us. hnd, ali T.
| all, Mr.. ChaIrinan is wealth, though desirable
the only great desideratum i'm gOvernmr MT, es.
pecIaily in Ours Carthage, sir, the richest c
| ~ in the world, in her days was, at the same
time, the weakest aud, in the last great srrs-
| gle Tor her political existence, she relied for
her defence, upon an army of mrrcenary SOL
I IL.
thrown by her ps0rer neighbours, the Romans,
thus executing their famous dennncation,
DeLenda est Carthage. Sir, there are great
moral and political objections 10 The prpma-
ture encouragement OF manufactures.
shall not attempt, sir, 10 take the leciu-
reT's chair, and read moral homy To the
committee | shall not stop 10 speak of the
effects OF large manufacturing establishments,
upon the health, the manners or the morals of
the laborers; let it he, if gentlemen will have
1t, that continued toll, through the day, and
part OF the night, the continual smoke, oil,
and lamps, of these places, do not atfecr the
health ; let 1t be; that the early withdrawal ui
children Fl ON parents, and the indiscrllni1aie
crowding together of sexes and ages, do not
affect the morals let all this br, and yet
there IS AN objection in political light, which
makes me adverse TO this policy. ln England
| SIR, IT wealth can be accumulated, IL the GOV =
eminent can squeeze taxes enough from the
people TO save 1t from sinking unG:r its noun
tain load of debt, if the privileged orders and
capitalists can be kept W, it matters not, that
| hundreds of thousands, that millions of the
| people, are doomed to exist, not I've To be
considered as the machines which belong 20
the establishment with no other difference
than this, that, whilst other machines are iln-
pelledIby water, or fire, they are put into mo
lion, by that principle of animation which ma
ture implanted IN them. In this country. sir
we do not want animated machines, we do not
want piebs, o:pupulacr I'VE want men, we want
people we want citizens who obey the laws
not task-masters; who do not receive their
daily bread from the hand Of another, but
from their own voluntary labor upon their
SOIL who have some stake IN The government,
who feel and take an interest IN public alf,irs,
and are ready and wiling To defend them
selves as men and citizens in their rights of
property, and civil and political liberty What
comparison, sir, is there, betweena million of
Englishmen engaged IN cotton factories as
day laborers, and a million of American citizens
culdvaiing their own soil bUOk, sir, al the
riots IN England 10 1908, and 1919, when
whole manufacturing districts ere reused in
To acts Uf violence from the low price of labor,
and the high prices Of provisions. sudden
| check to drnand for manufactures, or a
Temporary scarcity of grain, makes wages an
insufficient resource for cUrnFuriabr indinte.
nance. Rcmoye them, and they settle down
quietly To their tasks. Reflect for n moment.
SIR, on the scpoe in 1913, when the corn max.
itnum was under consideration, when my
Lord Caslrragh, late lord Londonderry,
caused the parliament house To be surrounded
Ivy armed soldiers to keep oG, what he was
pleased To call a mob that is the people, whc
feared, by ihn high price Of grain, they woult
siarve for Bread. In This country, sir. vhrr,