Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1824-05-21

Je-Ad tic system al crutcc;.n, duties merely no.
miual AMI that, in his opinion, if all the pro-
tcctinr laws which regarded both the woai.en
and cotton manufactures, were 10 be repealed,
no injurious effects would thereby be occasi-
oned. But" he observes, with respect To
% silk, that manufacture in this Kingdom i, So
completely artificial, that any attempt To in-
60 troduce the principles otlcc trade with refer
:" encc to 1t, might put end To it alto ,cthcr.
allow that the silk manufacture is not natu-
ral Ia tins country. 4 ,cisd ice had nerc, hal
g L siH mHt!factpry. l allow that il is natural
to France l allow, that it might have been
better, had each country adhered exclusively
I" to- that manufacture, in which each is supe-
g rtur and hal the silks of France been OK
changed for British cottons. But must hook
at things as they are and when consider the
& extent OF capital, and the immense population
&c consisting, believe, of about $4,000 persons
C engaged in our silk manufacture, can ONLY
say, that one of the few points in which TO
tally disagree with the proposer of the motion
is the expectancy, under existing circumstan-
ces, of holding out any idea, that it would be
possible to rclin1uish the silk manufacture Il
6 to provide for those who live by il, by par,ia-
mentary enactment. Whatever objections
6 there may be to the continuance of the pro
tectng system, repeat, that il is impossible
altogether to relinluish it. | may regret that
&C the system ever commenced; bu. as
n
:" convenience by which it is attended, rather
: I" than expose the country to evils of greater
Z Z" magnitude" Lett be remembered sir. that
these are not the sentiments of a thcorist nor
the fancies of speculation but the operative n
pinlons of the FIRST minister of England, aclSow-
lodged to be one of the ablcSt l. most practical
statesmen e his country. Sir, gentlemen could
have hardly been more unfortunate than in the
selection ofthe silk manufacture in England as an
example of the beneficial effects of that system
which they would recommend. IL is i'm the
language which have quoted, completely ar
tiicial. 1t has been sustained by l know not
how many laws, breaking in upon the plainest
principles of general cXpediency. At the last
session of Parliament, the manufacturers pct-
toned for the repeal of three or four of these
statutes, complaining of the vexatons rcstrc-
tons which they impose on the wages Of labor :;
setting forth that great variety OF orders has
from tune to tune been issued by magisti atcs
under the authority OF these laws, interfering in
an oppressive manner, with the miuutcst de-
tails OF the manufacture such as limiting the
number of threads to inch; restricting the
widths of many sorts of work and determining,
the quantity labor not to be exceeded without
extra wages, that by the operation of these laws
the rate ofwagesiusteado Of being left TO the recor-
niZed principles OF regulation, has been arbitrl-
rlly fixed by persons whose ignorance renders
theni incompetent to Just decision; that mas
eers arc Cohpcicd py law 10 pay an equal price
for all work, whether well or Ill performed; and
that they are totally prevented the use of i'm
proved machinery, it being ordered, that work.
IN the weaving Of which machinery is endowed
shall be paid precisely at the same rate as ifdone
by hand, that these acts have frequently given
rise to the most vcxatious regulations, the unn-
territorial breach of which has subjected manu-
fcturers to runous penalties and that, the in
PRODUCTION OF all machinery being prevented.
by which labor might be cheapened and the
manufacturers being compelled TO pay at a fixed
price, under all circumstances they are preven-
tel from atording employment to their work.
men, III It's of stagnaton of trade, but are
compelled to stop their looms And finally
they complain, that, nowithstan ling these ericy
ances under which they labor, while Carrying
on their manufacture in London the law still
prohibits them, while they continue to reside
there, from employing any portion of their CAPT
tai IN the same business in any other part of the
Kingdom, where it might be more bencfcially
eoniucte;i.-Now. sir, absurd asthesc layysrnust
appear to be every man, the attempt = repeal
tte'n did not, rs far as | reco!lect, altogether
succeed. line wcavers were too Numerous
their Inierests too great, or their preiudices
too strong; and this notable instancc of pr,,ee-
'stitand monopoly still ext Is, 10 be lamcnted in
England, with as inuch sincerity rs it seems to
be admired here.
/Tr, 10 IT.