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

| "i our agrlcul:ursts, that some scrlIus Of
grain on hand, Is national Efessi,T; they
serve the purpose which public graiIares did
IN ancient times, TO supply dricirn, years the
very year, sir, after the Engl,sh farmers called
Tor maximum on corn, from their supposed
abundance, the year 1916, such was the scarci-
y that 1t rose to E6, sterling the quarter uf
eight bushels; even ~ this land of plenty, In-
dian corn sold at s 10 per barrel, and -four az
near To- 4 continual surplus, then, re-
peal, is public blessing. = -.
But it is said, that the late war. and the
double duties, gave an encouragement, which
caused infant manufactures tn spring up, and
that they ought To be sustained by govern
ment, tiil they become strong enough 10 with
stand foreign competition. No doubt, sir.
that, since the peace, the manufactures have
suffered great reduction in their prices but
In TINS they participate in comIron with every
class oi Their fellow-ci,izeps, nay, sir with ev-
cry part of Europe. hir. Lowe estimates the
TAU 10 agricultural produce at GO per cent. and
IN that ut manufactures AT from 40 to so per ct
me same cause operated in Europe and A.
m"rica from 1892, Till 1914, except the fever
'sn truce which followed the peace Of Amiens,.
all CIVILIZED Euiope almost was in arms kaif
miilinn of men On the side Of France. about
the same number on the side Of the allies
TINS created an lh9imense demand for ordnance,
munitions al war, clothing, subsistence this
demand gave new aim1,ns 10 their produc-
non, and enhanced tae prices 10 ap enormous
extent upon the peace of 1914, this demand
was greatly diminished, anu consequently the
prices OF every article fell To peace rate The
'a''s"nr Whch followed, corresponded to the
preceding excitement. Let me present to
the committee, the description which Mr..
Lowe gives nf lhe prominent characteristic nr
the nalonal embarrassment of England since
Wt peace of 1914 use his avn words "a
uehciency OF employment, among part of the
lswrr orders, and distress, from insufficipncv
of-wages, at those intervals, wien provisions
were high priced. In the middle ,lasses, whe-
iher merchants, manufacturers a. asricultu-
rsts, The general ground Of compliant has been
an lnadrauacy of profit, Il disprn,ortion OF
prices 10 the cast OF production. Ire princi-
pal cause of these and other difficulties. WAS.
doubtless, as explained in the preceding chan.
Ter, the magnitude of The transitions, TIM sus-
pension oi government expenditure, and tina
consequent overstock of hands" He hen
considers thu evil M aggratated by the pub
lie burdens, and the rXpense of living brinsr
higher tHah among their neighbours Il
Towards the close OF the Europ ean war, wa
were drawn iaio IFS deI curing vortex with
one of the bcliigerenis the same ex,raya-
CANT enhancement o! price occurred here, for
every article require for the public service.
ar individual consumption upon The return
~ Pear', mere, as III Europt, every thing re-
turned L" lis natural peace price. The same
stat" 81 'h,rSs, however, pervaded the Whole
society the ship owner, the merchant, the
tir'nrr, ali shared The same fate. l regret thai
war prices ailHrrd too many ,t:fsuns to nm
bark IN manufacturing pfolrcis ever In Mas
sachusets alone, Learn, that 95 manuiactur-
ing COMPANIES were INCORPORATED IN four
years. But, Mr. Chairman, will shew that
the manufacturers have no cause of COM
plant against the 0Oternifienl on nv cOrlra-
~, that The Governn nj has acted wi n great
llhriality IN them /; until tie year i8ls, iherS.
was ~" Jury, EXCEPT On carriages and their
paris, higher than I29 pier cent by Tie act
oi l3I2, the permanent dulles were doubled.
thus raising them from IL 2 TO IS per cshf. /
there was duty of l2 per cent; called the
mediterranean fund, laid in 1904, and contin-
uad by Successive acts to- 1918, when il ca
pIrrd, but IL was no part If the rprniangnt
duty the act of 1919, which doubled the
duties, declared that it should continue IN
force Tor one year after the peace; ami hn foh-
ger I; here then was fair warming, TO all who
Engaged IN manufactures they were pur-
chasrrs with notice, In 1915, however,
tn" manufacturers represented, that the transit
lion irOm war ii peace, made il necessary 10
! 49, s''N'' " continuance OI pro-
tectlnn accordingly, by the ACT ofthat wear!
ne continued the IS per cent the war du-
ties, on cotton aud wd0IIen for three years.
and then declared it should be- reduced 10 90
per cent. before the lapse of those three
years. we again continued the 25 per cent on
cottnns and 'vOOlrns Ia 1926 and now NJ arr
asked Tor Further protection. This atate of
Facts, and history of legislation, will certainly
acqnt us ot any charge of want of liHcfaIitt
az TO The great articles of cotton and yyOollen:
Let IT'S now take the case of iron. In 1916.
that article WAS subjected to Is duty vt 6 Q per
ton It was raised, IN 1919 to sis. | GnH
10y the document from the Treasury; by di.
'idinS The wR5l' 'lue Of iron imported by
the number tOns, the price per ton is g55
and fraction. Now, it will be found Thar
8 ID per ton IS more than g 25 pPr cent. adj
valOrrm. This was The war duty. excIudioo
the Mediterranean tuty re , | q ,pr cent. Ru,
II we take the price Ofron - the Interim nf
Sweden, where IL is made, il ID ms, more
Than s 40 or S h per ton here IL sells NJ
least, for 30; and rs the manufactures here
gets the whole benefit Of the difference he
tween the price to the manufacturer in 5we
ufh ana thr market price hsrt, his advantage
IS equal t0 brtWeen 90 and 100 per cent. The
case ct hemp is as favotablp 10 otir growers
but idrbear to 20 further into particular arr
iicles. lt may he said, in general, tina. hi.
present duties equal the war duties. let me
now, SIR, institute comparison between the
relative advantages Of Great Britain and the
United States, in manufacturing The first
thing is fuel, of which they boast triumphant
" ~ mat article we are equal tn any hatinn
nn the earth our forests 81 Owning with wood
and the bowels 0ffhe earth tebming with coal
/ The next is The raw material. As TO cotton
OF which half their exports ie composed, rs
appears from their ministerial pamrhle,s We
| rn;s. a fissy IL, ,,,f . -