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


lection, however, said Mr.. Tod, wa have laid
duty of three cents per pound an the impor-
tsuon Of foreign cotton, which, trust, will
ever continue Ia be laid and thus the people
ofthe state of Pennsy vania aud Of other
states, for avery pound of cutiun thy euu-
sumo, pay hounty of three cents to the pe0-
pie of the South. And, doing this, they nUw
asked Of the people Of thu South 10 repay
abont hundredh part uf this bounty in the
shape Ut duty on cntun bagging. This the
gentleman from Louisiana considered Il hard.
ship. MIR. II. could not consider it 50: il was
mere reciprocity. Ii WAS an eXertiOn of the
power conferred on government iori the pur-
pose at compelling different sections of the
country To do j;istice, in some degree, To
another, Ivy reciprocaiing advantages in their
iu,ercourse Sc. If any part Of the country
required protection of this sort, il was the
state of Kentucky. All the produce which
That state en-: send 10 market was not Of one
fifth the value of the exports of do inestic pro-
duce from Georgia, or from South Carolina.
fel Kentucky is superior in numbers, and in
physical and moral strength. Why should we,
by the ELECT Legislation, give Ia one part ofihe
country So decided advantage over the
other In Consequence of the disadvantages
under which the West aboled in respect 10
Its producis, there had been great distress and
depression in the state of Kentucky. Specie
was almost unknown in the state. So much
was this the case, that no long time ago, APP
piication was proposed To he made To The
general government, to dispense with specie
IN the payment of the postage on their letters.
They have not the same advantages as the cti-.
Zens of Georgia and South Carolina, and
Louisiana, and Alabama, and Mississippi that
iss they have no fellow citizens whom they
can compel 10 become customers TO them, as
thry are To the cotton growers. From these
and other considerations, Mr.. II. was clearly
ior giving this encouragement 10 the manufac-
lures of the West.
Mr. HAMILToN said the argument of the
gentleman from Pennsylvania WAS perfectly
consistent with the whole scope of this bill /:
that, II by TIE laws Of Gud aud Nature any
part Of our country should not enjoy equal adj
rantages ofsoil, climate, &c. with another
Congress WAS to exert despotc power with
view III equal " the advantages. Mr.. IL
said he left it To the cuminitiee To say, whe-
ther this was not Tie substance Of the gentle
mans argument.
The gentleman bad informed the House
there was no specie in the State Of Kentucky
and, said Mr.. Hamilton is it possible that
South Carolina is to be taxed ill specie flows
TNundantly into kentucky, and Kentucky
is made able 10 supply us with our cot
ton baSginS Mr.. Hamilton, adverted to
the practical operation Of the item now pro-
posed To he stricken ont. We are to be taxed
by 1t, said he-how much Why, for the ben
cit of Kentucky, we are TO be taxed, in round
numbers, sixty Thousand dollars year in the
small State which represent And we are
now told that, as an equivalent for all this we
n ave received "A bounty in the shape of duty
OF . cents per pound on our cotton. This du-
ty, Mr. II. said, never was laid for encourage
ment. TWAS laid for the purpose of revenue {;
and, to shew how far that great man Alexan-
Ger Hamilton was mistaken, he in his report
doubted very much whether this country
would ever have the capacity TO raise sufIi-
cheney OF the article for the purposes of our
own manufacturers. How completely had
this prediction been fasifed We raise il
not only IN the greatest quantity, but of the
most superior quality: the finest cotton in
The world is raised, 10 threefold the amount
OF The consumption of our country. With
regard Ia foreign cuttOns, which it was sup
posed by ths gentleman from Pennsylvania,
might compete with ours, we know perfectly
well that, even in the Liverpool market the
government of Great Britain having every in-
ducement To encourage the East India Trade,
ihose cottoDs cannot enter into competition
with ours. An attempt WAS made some
years ago, to introduce East India Cotton in
TO this country: merchants of great skill and
experiences were said TO have lost half IA mil
hon of dollars IN the attempt The rivalry of
foreign cotton in this market with ours, was
sidcration.
Look at the operation of this proposed du-
Is, said Mr.. fl. We are to pay tribute of
sixty thousand dollars Il year to Kentucky, 10
enable her to manufacture tagging. five go
On in this way with every article Of our pre-
sent import, what inducements do we leave
10 Great Britain to take oar cotton There
are immense markets open to her, where she
can obtain Gotten in exchange for her manu-
factures VI We reject them. Brazil alone is
capable OF producing much cotton as the
whole United States proper; and, he argued,
II we take away the inducement which Great
Britain has to receive our cotton, we shall
IN the end lose her custom, Sc.
Mr.. II. said he would abstain from entering
at present upon discussion Of the general
principles of the bill. When the bill should
be presented for discussion, on its general prn-
cIple, lie should make it his particular pro-
vince TO point out the many objections to it,
and the character of the crusade about 10 be
waged against the interest of that pai [ of he
country which he had the honour To represent.
Mr.. TRIMBLE, OF Kentucky, referring TO AN
expression used by Mr.. Hamilton, in the close
"a hts remarks, said he WAS gratiGed that the
House was to have u rereldti0n on this subject.
Tie had no doubt il would have AN happy elect
on the minds ofthose gentlemen who were OPP
posed to the bill for it appeared that nothing
but Revelation would have any effect upon
them.
If all this idea Of the competition of foreign
cOitoDs was d bugbeaf, Mr. IT. said, he should
ike 10 know why that gentleman aud others
had been so anxious TO tax East India cotton
goods, If IT was not for the purpose Of exclud-
I