Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1824-02-21

goods, out only reasonable tax upon it,
Nothing could be more fair, more equal, nor,
he thought gentlemen woudafter due cons-
deratiOn allow. more Just, than such tax.
Have wr not land enough, said. Mr.. Il. 10
raise hemp sufficient to make all our cotton
bas.ing The lands between the Ohio aud
Kentucky rivers is sufficient To make twice the
quantity necessary Tor our consumption. We
not only furnished the planters in Louisiana
during the late war with cotton bagging-at Il
very high price, admit but they could not
get It from any other country. We furnished
them baSSlng to bale their cotton at New Or
leans-aud we did another thing: when it
was baled, we stood behind it and defended
It. wish To know from the gentleman from
Louisiana, why we are To protect their sugar
by high duties, aud then To go there and pro-
tect them and their cotton loo.
Mr.. L. accounted for the decline of the ma.
nufacture of baSging in Kentucky, caused by
the low price of the foreign article, by the cir
cumstance that during the war, Russia export
ed vast quantities of hemp, and England, with
IN extensive navy then in actual service, had
use for ii. When the peace came, IA great
quantity OF the article remained on hand, and
was sold by the merchants at a low price To
the manufacturers, who made it up into bag
Sng &c. and furnished it much cheaper than
formerly. But that is now all worked up !;
and last year toleraby high price was Civ
en- for bagging.
So abundant was hemp in the Western
country, that if we impose only such duty as
VIII give the farmer "a fair minimum price, the
farmers there will keep down the ma xirnum
TO the minimum nearly and Mr.. r.. pledged
himself that the manufacturer of the West
would supply the whule country with basging
al not exceeding o. % cents per yard, if Com
siess would grant them protection, and that
they would keep it down to that price. Blu,
by laying proper duty, the market must first
be made steady in its character, so that the
foreigner cannot destroy the hemp grower
and the manufacturer both by excessive ira-
portatiuns, Sc. Basging would be sold cheap
er, so soon as hemp was allowed the same
protection as was given TO the Southern Cot
ton, &c. as the prices of coarse cottons had
been lowered since higher duties had been laid
ON the foreign article, &c.
Mr.. CAMBRELENG of New York, said "a.
had not intended to touch the details of the
bill not, at least, until the general question
was settled, and upon that he should offer bis
objections to the principle of the bill The OBJ
lcct of which was, prohibition. He, however,
felt called upon by the gentleman from Ken
lucky ; and, although not inspired, as had
been intmated, he would answer the argu-
men' OF reciprocal justice, which had been
urged, to sustain the duty proposed on cotton
baggng
We had been told, that the agricultural in
terest the South, had been protected by du-
ties, and that we must now IegisIate on the
basis of reciprocity. This argument, accord
Ing 10 the unhappy fashion of the times, is de-
signed to excite our sectional preludices and
Jeaiousies. Mr. c. did not, for moment, i'm
puie such purpose TO the gentleman from
Kentucky, Mr.. Tiimble,) nor to the Chairman
OF the Committee on Manufactures; but he
feared 1t had been used by others, for such
an object The argument is, however, utter
ly destitute of foundation; and, although its
purpose ID grave enough for reason--its tex
tHre Is too light for any weapon but ridicue
Where was the intelligence of the Chairman
ofthe Committee on Manufactures, when he
told us that duty was imposed for the pro-
lection of the cotton of the South Did he
not recoiiect that there was not a pod of cot
ton IN the country at that period and that
the enlightened Secretary of that day never
dreamt there would be ? Where was his in
telliSence, when he informed US that the TO-
bacco OF Virginia had been protected ? In
our simplicity, we had always supposed that
tnis article was staple of the country, from
the earliest settlement .of the colonies; but
we are happy to see that celebrated SANDER
upon our great-S rand-mothers, bIotted out
from the page OF history; we are happy to find
tnat they were not bartered fer this vile weed;;
we are happy to hear from such learned au-
thority, from the gentleman who superntends
our national industry, that our tobacco plant
mas only hourlshed since 1890, under the salu-
tary protection Of Congress But our admi-
ration reaches its altitude, when we some to
The duty on sugar. This duty had, before
800, reached 2 cents it is now but three
We always thought Louisiana had belonged
TO Spaln-then to France. 1t appears siDgu-
lar how this duty could have been proposed
for The protection of French and Spanish
planters. But what's this difficulty 10 our
modern logcans ? Those who can transfer
HindostaD TO Carolina, 10 1890, can, with e.
quail facility, give history a retr0grade move.
ment, and tell US, what nobody will have the
temerity to deny, that our ancestors generally
laid this duty to protect and encourage The
planters OF LOuisiand, though then not within
the circle of our confederacy.
Such is the foundation upon which this ar
gument of reciprocity rests An argument
addressed TO our local prejudices. He re-
GREETED to perceive that the debate, on every
item the bill, seemed to be- generally con
fined too much to mere local ground. II was
natIirhi--It was proper, that We should advu-
cate the interest of our state, and OF the parti-
cular district we represent; but he trusted the
time would come, when we should bring in
To every discussion more national fepIing-
when our national interests would be consulted.
The debate was protracted to cOnsidera-
bic length. We regret we have not room for
all the details. The amendment was support
ed by Messrs. Brent of Louisiana and Owen
of Alabama, and resisted by Messrs Henry
Oi Il. Tod, aud Marvin of New York.