Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1824-03-04

I"S'ieui'urdi INTEREST, IL cannot he de emed wor
my a serious reply. Our agricultural int
rest, IN no section Of our country. has eve
been the subject ofthis sor, of Legislative pro
, lection. Whatever may have been the spe
culatlons of our legislators, our farmers hav,
generally pursued their labors, without helm:
conscious OF any advantages derived inciden
tally from our laws, and certainly withou
having solicited any such protection.
III Is true we have a Committee on Agricul
ture hut our Committee on Manufactures
! while IT keeps in motion its wheels and trip
hammers, has kindly col+1escended to super
intend oHr ploughs and sheep-folds. Will,
other committees are furnished with spacious
chambers, the very respectable representative.
of our great agricultural interest are consign
ed to one of the most cherries cells i'm mi,
vast labyrinth. Indeed, were it not for .
remnant of respect, which we still profess fo,
our agricultural interest, and a scrupulous re-
gard for parliamentary forms, we might a.
well abolish the committee. The revpnu,
now proposed processes TO favor our Northern
ana Western agriculture but before our far.
mers accept of this protection, il would BIZ
wellto mark the dexterity of the compromise
The bill proposes To impose additional duties
but not pr0hibtory, on agricultural produc.
tons, to the value Of little more than mil
lion of dollars, while il embraces heavy duties
amounting 10 prohibition, on manufactures re-
CURED for agricultural use, to the value of &c
millions OF dollars. Before the agricultural
interest OF this country engages in this com
pact OF balanced monopolies, il would be
well To refer to the termination of similar
concern in England where agriculture is pros.
traied, while manufactures enjoy all the adj.
vantages OF this legislative compromise.
Wearr, however, informed, that our com.
mrrce Is the offspring ol Legislative bounty
and protection. shall pass over, said Mr.. G
less important regulations, to reach those
which have been deemed most essential ir
protecting our navigaton-the coasting trade
and discriminating duty.
Our ship owners, we are told, have enjoy
ed monopoly of our coasting trade.
| Now, would ask, what sort of monopo-
| ~ inns can be To the ship owners of a nation,
whose commerce has always, even in the re-
hottest quarters of the globe, driven British
commerce out of IFS accustomed channels
wherever navigation was free to both nations
| A monopoly OF our own cOasting trade 5000
miles from competition Had this been the
only motive for such regulation, il would
have been the very mockery of legislation.
But there was another, Infinitely wiser-and
one which will probably perpetIate the regu-
lat'on 1t was very naturally supposed, that il
foreign ships were employed on our coast, il
would more probably be for Illicit purposes.
than under any expectation of profit in fair
competition with an active and more sllIrnl
rival The regulation was necessary to guard
our revenue from fraud, and il is presumed
| TO be so still.
Bat we come now to that mighty founda-
non OF American commerce, ;h, discriminate
ing duty What wasit +? An additional duty
on merchandise imported in foreign ships of
| Ten per centum, not on the rdiue Of lie pier-
chdnd,ze, bmt on the amount Of The duiy. And
| here let me call the attention of gentlemen IN
the period when this regulation was adopted
al mat time The average rale of duties was
not equal to ten per cent. nd valorem. Sup
posing 1t ten per cent the discriminating duiy
would be one Per cent. on the value of the
merchandise. And yet we are now gravely
told that this discriminating duty laid the
foundations OF our commercial prosperity
This is the opinion OF gentlemen, FOR whom
SAID Mr. Z. have high respect hut attri-
butte it 10 other causes than the influence Of
| legislation.
| IL IS, perhaps, travelling little out of the
regular course OF argument, 10 trace the his
tory OF our commerce but | am anxious that
the New Bedford memorialists should know
what kind of protection the industry oftbeir
ancestors have enjoyed, and to furnish the
Hon. Speaker with another evidence, that in
dnstry can spring M and flourish, not only
without legislative projections, but in defiance
Of its hostility.
What, sir, was American commerce before
.hls government, with all its laws, were III ex-
istrncr?
we have upon record the authority Of A
Celebrated man-Of one who was an elnuuen:
| advocate Unnatural rights, till startled by the
spectre OF the French revolution, he sought
shelter under the shadow Of the throne. We
must all recollect the portrait Of our anccstors
by the mastery pencil sf Mr.. Burke. Struck
with admiration at their enterpri.ng labors.
| he exclaimed "Whst we follow then, a
mong tunbng mountains Of ice, and see
them penetrating the deepest frozen recasses
0ftbe North-whilst we are looking for them
beneath the arctic circle-we hear that they
have pierced into the opposite region of polar
cold--that they are at the aDtip0des, and en-
gagged under the frozen serpent of the South ~
Such were our ancestors, before the revs.
lution-bOld, hardy, and cntprprising--
tanclng, as we are told the " perseverance, oC
Holland the activity of France, and the dex
ferrous q firm sagacity of English enterprizp. .
Was this The effect Of legislative protection ?
NO, sir we are also told that the " colonies
~ general, owed little or nothing Wv any care of
par'iament-that they had not been squeezed
'nio that happy form by the cOnstraints Of
watchlnI and suspicious government but that
through wise and saluIary neglect n gene
rons nature had heen suffered 10 take her
own way to perfection" But the colonies
were MOI mcrclyneglected they were cramp-
cd and restricted by Parliament. hv measures
Of = character similar tothat proposed by the
CommItlee on Manufactures.
The Revolution, for timp. turned the hold
Hnd cnlerprisug spiia Of Our ancestors into =
more Curious drection-from warning with
the elements, they turned to grspple with op-
! preston. Br' our wars once ovpr--our colo
nial restrictions brushed awaY-0ur unun set