Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1824-07-06


bshmcnts, aud AS lar as those en-
ce,ned, would he as murh bent fitted by the provis-
lUns oil tins tili, 49, ~ pat ot the community Ia
obvious tho, rhou!d think, that, for conside
rabie lime, manufactures Of this so'', TO whatever
gn.de they may rise, Will be principally establish
ed those pats VI the county wtsrc population Is
mast dcnse, tapnai most abundant, and where the
most successui beginnings have been already made.
hut II these be Trough, he advantages, they are
s,-n,i, eoun,er-baaneed Ivy uher advantages erjoy-
rd Icy oher poiiions vi The county. cannot but re-
gard the siua,ivn vt the West, AS highly favorable
M happiness IL offers, in the abundance Of its
ard ferulc lands, such Of permanent
ptopery aud pectabiiiiy the industrious, il en-
abi,s ihem lay such foundations for compe-
peteni piovsion ivI ,hem families, il mskes such
ration Vi irecholieCs, that II need envy the hap
pest aud most "osrious oil the manufacturing COM
n,uniiies. We nsy ,aik AS we will vi well led and
weit clothed day laoorers or journey men they
not, after ALL be compared, either Tor happncs
responsibility, with HIN Who sleeps under his
rect, and cuvaies his u~n Zee SIMPLE inheritance.
With respect 10 the proposed dniy Glass,
wo"id observe, 'h., upon The hest means of Judging
mki.h possess, am OF Opin,ou, that The Cum, man
OF the Committee is right ~ stating, that there Is, IN
effect, bounty upon tc expectation Of The Brush
M,ice. think u ent.reiy proper, therefore, TO
| raise our own duty 10y such an amUun AS shall be
| equivalent to that bounty.
Auu, here NJ. Chairman, before proceeding TO
those paris Of tue e III to which most srenuuusly
oijcc vii Ice 50 presump,uous, as 10 take UP a
challenge which Mr.. Speaker has thrown down. H.
has asked Us, toue Vi inierogat0ry indicative OF
u
county ~ which nanuiacu, es have aour,shed, with
| gu, the aid OF prohibiio'y laws. He has demanded
Il IL be not policy, protection, aye, aud prohibitions
bat have carried other states ~ the height oil their
prosperity, anu Whether any one has succeeded wth
such inme aud inert legislation ours. Sir, am
ready 10 answer this Inquiry.
There is country, nor nguished among the
naiioDs in which The prngtess oil manufactures has
been Lar rapid Than in auy olier, aud yet un-
aided 10y prohibitions or unnatural restrictions. Thai
country, Tue happiest which the shines on, is
own.
The woollen manufactures OF England have exist
ed from the early ages Of The monarchy. Provisions,
designed to and aud faster them, III the blsckieI
tered statutes OF the Edwards and the Henrys. GUS,
On the conuary, are but Ut yesterday aud yell with
no more than The protection OF existing laws, they
are already at The point OF close and promising
petition. Sir, nothing IL more unphlosoi.bcai than
10 refer US, these subjects TO the policy adopted
by other nations ve,y different stale Of society,
~ TO infer that what Judged expedient by theui
~ Their early history, must also he expedent for us,
IN ,h's early part al our own. This would be- ieck
on'n2 age chromological,y, aud estimating a,l-
vance by our nuniher ot years when, in truth, We
should regard only the state vi society," the know
egc, Tue xii, the capit, The enterprise, which be-
long TO our times. We have been transfer ed from
tue stock Of Europe, IN comparatively enI,g
age, aud our civilization aud imp date back
as early as her own Her original history is also,
"ur original history aud II, SINCE the of
paraiion, sue has gone ahead Of us, respects,
u may be said, without violating TRUTH that we hayt
kept mp in others, and, Others again, ahead
ourselves. We are to lrgsla,e, then, with regard
The esent actual state Of society and own ex
perience shews us that, commencing manufactures al
The presen, hgly enlightened and einuous moment,
We need not initiate the clumsy helps, with which in
less suspicious times, governments have sought 10
enable The ingenuity and industry vi their people to
holble along.
The Eugsish cotton manu- fac,ure s began about the
commencement Of the last reign. Ours can hardly
be SAID 10 have commenced, with Any earnrs ness,
uHfii the application oi the power loom, 1876
more than eight years ago. Now, sir, hardly need
again speak OF It's progress, It's presen, extent, IFS
assurance oil future enlargement. In some SORTS of
fabrics already exporters and the products OF
our manufactures are at this moment, IN the South
American markets. We see, then, What can be
done without prohibition or extraordinary protection,
because we see what has been done and venture
10 predict that, III few years. will be thought won
dertul that these branches OF manufactures at least
should have been thought 10 require additional and
Alr. Chain man The beat apology for laws Of pro-
h'hiiion and laws Of monopoly, will he found in hat
slate oil society, not only unenlghiened, but slug
gish, in which they most generally established
Prsa,e industry, in those days, requ ed strong pro-
vocatives, which governments were seeking To adj
minister by these means. Something was waned 20
actuate aud stimulate men, and the prospects OF
such profits as would, in our times excite unbounded
competition, would hardly move the slo,h of former
ages. La some instances, no doubt these laws pro-
duced AN effect, which, in that period, would noi
have taken place without them. But our age is
wholly Oi different character, and its legislation
takes another turn. SocIeiy is full of excitement
competition coses IN place of monopoly and intei
gence and industry ask only for fair piay and AN o,e
field. Profits, indeed, in such a stale of things, will
be SMALL, but they will be ex,ensiv ely dfused pri.
ces will he low, and the great body of the prope
prosperous and happy. ~ is worthy ofremark, ,hat
from The operation Of these causes, commercial
wealth., while il is increased beyond calculation in its
general aggregate, is, al tho same time broken aud
diminished IN its subdivisions. Commercial prospe-
riy should be judged Of therefore rather liom the
extent Of trade, than from The magnitude of It's appa
reui prohs. IL has been remarked, that Spain, GER
family one Of the poorest malone, made very great
profits on 'he amount of her trade but with little
other ben, Ia than the enricbing OF u few individuals
aud companies Profits to the English merchants
engaged in the L.vant and Turkey trade were for.
merry 'vry gre"', and there richer merchants in
England some centuries ago, considering the comma
raive value oil money, than al the present highly
commercial period When the diminu,ion of proiirs
arises ION the extent Of competition, it indicates
IA her a salutary than AN injurious change
The tue course ibcn Sir, for US TO pn, sue L. in
NY opinion, 10 consider what our SITUATION rs what
our means are and how they be best applied
What amount Of population have we, in Comparison
vi h our extent OF SOIL what amount Of capital, and
labor at what price As to SIX ~, knowledge, and
enterprise, we may safely take u for granted, that
10 these particulars, We are on equality with others
Keeping these considerations im view, allow me 10
examine two or three OF those provisions Of the bill
10 which feel the strongest objections.
To begin with the article OF iron. Our whole an
nna consumption" OF 'h's article is supposed by The
Chairman OF The Committee, TO be 48, 900 or 30, 600
ions. Let us suppose the latter. The amount "ui
own manufacture lie estimates, think, nj II 900
IONS. TIE present duty on the imported article, IS
SIS per Ton, and this duty causes Of course an
equivalent augmentation Of The price Of the home
Manufacture, the whole increase Of price equal TO
S750,000 annually. This sum we pay on a Jaw una
efaI, aud On absolute necessary Of life. The
Bill proposes TO raise the duty FROM SIS S22 30
per ton, which would be equal 10 I,i25,0O0 on the
whole annual consumption. So thai, suppose the
point OF prohibition which is aimed at by gen.
ilemen TO be attained, The consumers Of the article
would pay this last mentioned sum every year TO the