Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1828-03-06
For the Phenix Gazette.
To The Representatives, from birginia IN
the oagreSs Of the United States.

pisla,ure, il is, Of course, your duty TO exercise
the powers con6ded to you in The manner best
cacu ated to promote The general wel!ase" OF
the country. But as, in government like ours,
ntbe general welfare" can be ascertaintd only
BY fair and minute examination OF the inter-
esis of tn several paris; and as It is the pecu-
liar business Of the representatives uf the dit
e. rent s,a:rs 10 undt rs,anG and make faithful
exhibit of the actual interests of their immedi-
ate cor, tituen,s, take i; Tor granted, you will
permit The adoption of no important measure.
wi,hou, 4 previous investigation and expose
ton Of its bearing on the great state whose IN
terrs,s are cos6ded to your Care.
A proposition is now before you, the ohjec,
of which is "to regulate" by new tariff, 1.-The
trade of this country with foreign na'ions -
AID as The proposition is sustained by its adj
yocares on he ground, that the trade proposed
to he regulated, is injurious in its operation on
the interests Of a great majority of the nation,
it is, of course, important that the pee uliar in
rerrst ofVirginia, in relsti0rsIo it, should be
fully understood. and fairly represented. un>
der thrse circumstances then, II will not,
hope, be deemed presump,uous in one OF your
cons,i,uen,s, Eek lusi,ely al agric u,uris', and
having no personal interest that hesdoes not
hold in common with nine-tenths, at least, Of
his frlIow-citizens,l to Invite your attention 10
the following view of this important subject
By the returns from The Treasury Depart
ment for 1926, Che last tia, have been receive
ed,l it a7pears that he whole value OF foreign
in,nertarious for that year, amounted to Ss4.-
794,477, Of which S24,5 3e,6l2 were re>exnnr,-
e., leayi for domestic consumption $780,
254,s65 WORT Of foreign produce. |, appears
alsn, that the whole amount VI our own 2roduc.
TONS expo, ed aud consumed abroad, was only
S53O55,7 10, shewing'a balance against us OF
S7Ie9lS5. j. IS fair, however, TO state, that
portion Of this balance was most probably dis
charged bv the freighrs paid 10 our merchant
vessels, in foreign service, and 5y the profits m
the 2 54,43e,6l2 Of foreign produce, re- export
ed
In prosecuting the inquiry in which we are
engaged, il is important to ascertain as nearly
rs we Can, in the first place, the extent to which
Virginia participates in the estmat d con-
sumption Of III" whole country, and next, the
proportion of that consa ptIon, paid for by the
productions of her own industry. IL we tax.
actual population as the basis OF opr cal'ul.-
tion, and suppose her consumption to be pro-
p,rtioucd TO that popula lion, il will, of course,
amount TO about one-nlnth Of $50, 254, SOS, or,
rejecting fractions, to somewhat less than ST.
900 900 But if, as may fairly be presumed,
the consumption of foreign productions by our
slave population, is not ir exact proportion 10
its numhsrs, we shall perhaps come nearer The
truth, by substituting Federal or representative
numb, RS IS the basis Of calculation, in which
CASE, the consumption Of Virginia will be abou,
one-,, nth that Of the whole country, or a little
upw ards Of Sc 100000.
Our next object is, TO ascertain the proper
ton of his consumption paid for by her own
productions Aud, fortunately, the Treasury
report already referee to, furnishes the means
Of doing his with tol.rable degree Of accura
cy, The expo-, Of the whole country for 1926
il appears, amounted TO upwards OF S53,ooo,>
600, 81, 100000 Of which consisted Of cotton,
rec, and in1ign, articles produced, except q
states south Of Virginia, The exports Of all
the rest Of the union, therefore, containing
more than 100000 of ,eo2le, amounted only
to 1916 900, Virgin,a's proportion ofwhi. h,
a cording 10 F, deral numbers, would b. about
$4,000, 900, beng three millions less than her ssi
motea consumption Of foreign articlesW A por
ton of this balance may possibly have been dis
,ba IF h. r. 4
-four, wheat, corn, coal, Sc. sc. in her sister
ststes. Blu, after claiming every credit, to
which she mAy be entitled on this score, there
is too much reason to apprehend that fearful
balance must still have been left against her;
the mode of paying which, is e'inced by the
entire dissipation OF her monied capital, aecu'