The Litchfield County post. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1826-1829, 1827-02-16

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certain profit on manufactured articles which
were to be sent into Germany, and there sold
| for money lat whatever price they would fetch.
| This operation may have cost the government
million or two, but how many millions were
lost to the continent by reason oft? The in
ilux Of goods not only gathered up as much
seecie AS had been RENTED, and more. but
ruined the German manufactures en- anGs$e
and brought millions to beggary; and there
after, immense quantities of British goods
were sent to places in Europe which before
had hardly received any, and the like effects
were produced every where. They were for
ced into consumption by all possible means
forgerieS of ships papers were allowed by the
British government, and smuggling was
carried on under the protection of the Brit
ish cannon and it was thus that England be-
came the manufacturer for Europe and Amer
lea.
But the British policy must he considered
in another point Of view. While her manu-
features were forced, by all manner of means,
into the consumption of nations, she received
no article "f their product or manufacture in
return, for their own use, except such as she
could not produce or manufacture in and for
herself. So the policy,like two edged sword,
cut both ways. Her corn bill and tariff
are conclusive on this proposition. Nay, to
such an extent was the industry Of the British
people at home protected, to enable them to
pay the taxes and rates, that British subjects
, in Europe might not eat bread, even bread,
raised by British subjects in America though
the latter were compelled oreceive- and con-
sumo British manufactures only And again
because the West India Colonies require
Nlarge supplies of British manufactures, and
Me East India colonies small quantities, spea-
king comparatively, an extra duty is levied or
| East India sugar, equal to the original cost Of
! the article, to favor the product of the West
Indies, and thus enable the inhabitants thereof
to pay for manufactured goods.
1t is useless to dwell on these matters. The
| policy cannot be mistaken. g He that runs
may read" And this is most manifest; that
the overgrown wealth and power of England
rests upon ARTIFICIAL MEANS--that
u.s. IN peculiar advantages gained over OTHER
nations, in the manner described.
Man is every where pretty much the same
in his nature, and extensively becomes, as Mr.
Owen would say, the " creature of circum
stances" What has gathered the circulating
wealth of the world, as it were. at London,
may divert it to Paris and it would be SO d.
verted, were it established that England and
France should exchange days labor with one
|
how is it when we compare British labor with
that of the United States! In the great bust
ness Of navigation, though the winds and the
waves are called her domain we have SUI
perceded her wherever our ships may enter
on the same terms as her own; and Liverpool
has almost as much the appearance of an A
merican port as British one. We are the
carriers of our own commodities, and those
| Of Britain which We receive. Navigation
mainly exists through manual labor, and, on
that account, though we talk much about high
wages in this country, we can, and do, build,
equip, and sail ships much cheaper than they
do in England. And again-the cotton man
ufacturc is chiefly excelIed in scientific po,oer,
and in this we are beginning to be. and soon
will be, great rival Of Britain. We export
thousands ofbales to Mexico and South Amer
lea, and the Manchester manufacturers have
been compelled to initiate our goods to sell
their own-to cheat the people Of those coln-
tries into purchases, for they are sold as A
merican. Why the necessity Of this deception,
what the use of such lying, wky resort to arti-
fetal means,in common market, if honorable
| competition might he sustained? But ship
| loads Of these counterfeit goods are now in the
countries Just mentioned. And again-why
subject the colonial trade to the inequalities
| -
permit an American ship from New York to
an entry at Jamaica, on the same terms as a
British one from the same place and with
like cargo, if ''free trade was practised in
stead oftalked about? But in this, as in other
cases, things are forced out Of their natural
channel, to keep up the British system oftax-
alton at home. Another striking instance of
this exertion of force is manifested in what we
daily witness. Three fourths or four fifths of
all the British manufactures now sent to the
u. States are on British account-merchants
jobbers, spectators, and bdnkrupts: much on
| account of the latter, to close their CONCERNS
And the goods thus forced into the United
States into consumption through the auctions,
sold for what they will bring as to nominal
price, destructively interfere with the regular
business ofevery American merchant or man
ufacturer.
Much more might be said to support our
broad position, that the power of Great Brit
I ain is chiefly artificial or peculiar, and not
natural. 1t cannot then exist, with the world
at peace. Except because of the stimulus
afforded to British industry and production,
through an opening of Mexico and South A.
merica for the consumption of their goods, the
British operatives have been getting poorer and
poorer, more and more miserable, every year
since their country was at peace, until they
have reached their present condition, which