Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1824-02-24


this effected, than Immediately the price was
raised upon The c0tton-gr0wer and The extra
price then paid would he more than equal to
ten years protection Of our own fabric. What
~ u, on the general principles of political
economy, that secure an abundant supply OF
any article made, .and its good quality 1t is
competition. And the real question now be
fore Congress is, whether these men of-Inver-
ness and Dundee shall continue to have the
monopoly. or whether there shah be an Anne
rcan competition to counteract them The
gentlemen ask, what is to hinder the COMPETE
ton at present why cannot we now make
the article! | reply to them-that il is only
Tor want Ut certain and steady market,
guarded against the sudden influx of goods
sent into il from abroad for the very purpose
OF Frustrating our Manufacturer The Scotch
merchant reasons la this way-ifI can, by
selling my goods for one year at half Or a
quarter Of their value, or by throwing them
away altogether, secure monopoly OF those
goods for ten or for twenty years, I shall, on
the whole, be a gamer. But, if II is asked,
how n sudden influx at low price can so soon
destroy the American manufacturer (? the
answer is not difficult. il is to be found not
only in his comparatively small capital, but
IN the character of our people, which has in
It mixture Of Impotence with its activity
They soon become di-gusted and discourag-
ed with a business that is not immediately
productive; and, in this particular mauufac
ture, the persons employed are go easily turn.
ed to SOME other branch of industry, THAT,
unless steady market is secured, the estab-
,sn'nents can have no permanency or success.
But, from my knowledge of this manufacture.
now assert, allowing the present average
price to be 80 cents, that, il the proposed en-
enlargement Is given, in less than 2 months
the American will be furnished at lower rate
than the Scotch article.
Something was said about the nature of the
American hemp. Itis true, that large Dor
ton OF that now raised is dew-rOtted-but, in
the State of New York, and other parts of the
Union, as well as IN Kentucky and Ohio, much
rs also water-rotted. And there is not a
doubt, that, iflprotection be given, enough
could he obtained for all uses, both maritime
and manufacturing. The quantity required
was not so very great--,a yard of hagging
weighs only pound and an half So that,
allowing four millions.of yards to be- made,
only SIX millions of Tbs: weight of hemp is
NEEDED. But there is another Improvement
lately discovered 10 the preparation of il, by
which the necessity of both dew roting aud
water-rottInS is completely done away with
ana that Is, by suffering it to remain one year
10 stack process takes pl,ce which renders
the hemp, at least IN texture and appearance
equal TO any of the Russian. Besides ali
which, late improvements have been intrs.
duced into the dressing, which superseds ei
ther rotting or stacking. :,
DIR. CLAY then went into calculation to
silew that the estimate OF The rate per cent.
stated BY some Of the gentlemen in Opposition,
was incorrect.
But what, sir, is the principle on which the
tnr1 fr.,s,, .
he Will protect our manufactures as soon al
we are able, without protection, 10 go ON with
the manufacture. Sir, protection comes first in
the order OF nature il is while "A thing is in
feeble infancy that it needs protection. 1.-THE
gentleman is going TO wait till the American
manufactures, operated against by the legisIa.
ton OF The unlverse-o opposed by foreign go
vernments-resisted by foreign captal-com-
bined against by foreign companies, and
tswns, and cities in every part of Europe
shall, unaided, attain TO strength and yigor
before he will protect them, he will never have
the opportunity, or, if he have, his protection
will be as thankles, ss it will then be I'M
necessary. Sir, IT not only can happen, but
II has happened and Inverness
have driven America off the field. They
Frustrated us in 1915 and IL, and they
had the uDdispnted monopoly of our whole
market till 1879, and they knew how to use
il too.
But this may happen, even where there is
no hostile design against our establishments.
The market failing him 10 Europe, the Euro
pean manufacturer finds an accumulation of
goods upon his hands and this is the market
W which ne has the best chance to dispose of
item he pours them into our auction rooms,
and the effect is just as baneful as if il were
done out Of the most determined hostility.
Grntlemen seem to wish this state of things to
contIDue-they would leave the monopoly
where 1t is-leaye as dependent on q little
scotch town. We, sir, wish 10 destroy that
dependence by setting up an American COM
petition.
Mr.. G. here referred to letter from a per-
son of competent information at Lexington.
which stated, on the revival of manufactures.
IN 1929, million of yards of baggiDg had
been made there, and had reduced the Scotch
price from 80 to &c cents.
MIR. OWEN attributed inconsistency to gen
tlemen who FIRST deprecated sectional feelings
ara sectional discussions, and then immedfs'
heiy referred 60 their own state and district
He accused the Chairman Of the Com mittee
OF Manufactures of some want Of candor in
evading the objection Of the gentleman from
Maryland he ought 70 have declared at once,
what would be the operation of the bill Mr.
o. then recapitulated the statement, which
went to make the duty 10 cents, and co per
cent. which he reduced 70 ruie-of-three-
statement-if three cents give 20 per cent.
what will 10 cents give He summed up the
policy Of the bill as amounting to this, that
the Esst and the West must Cooperate, and
the South must submit and contribute lie
reprobated this policy, as not calculated for
the benefit the whole Union He said il
WAC a mere calculation Of sbiliogs and pence.
The manufacturers in one district said to each
other, we have got such and such capital.
u we can levy a contribution on the other