Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1829-08-03


supply ourselves w.th many articles OF manufacture
such hats, shoes, coarse clothing household furni
ture, and every species of farming utensils
But tins trade once 50 beneficial both count
kas long ceasedto yield ITS former profits g. remain:
TO be seen how the chunge has aected The price of
bour in this country. We will notice our chief RI
clcs of export in succession.
! Our breadstuffs, OF which we have great and
increasing surplus, have sometimes been profitable
articles ofexport aud sometimes not In most parts of
Europe the prices of wheat, except an times of scar
city, not such to d.fray tn, cost orransporta
ton. To Eugand, however, owin,r To the hiuh pri-
ces OF Its ra produce (the effect u its preat wealth
nid dense popuation) the export commonly pro-
table under the dsadFantag re of u heavy duty But
after the peace Of 1915 the land owners of that conn
try, who have great influence its councils pro-
cured the exclusion of foreign grain from their
Tor the sake OF raising the price fcorn at hone.
Thus deprived of what was formerly the most ex-
tensye market for one o our chicfartcles of export
aud finding no new vents, except 10 small extent
III Spanish America, It's price has fallen in proDur
ton, and with il has declined the value of the land
and abour III the large district which wheat is c-
tvatcd This policy of Great Britain, IN relation TO
gram, has indeed been lately )di ri as To sub
stltute heavy duty Tor prohibition: hut the duty be-
ing 50 regulated as to increase he market price
CT corn dlminishcs, 1t will in ordinary years be su.Ii
Gent to put stop TO the trade and course prOduc
the effect OF a prohibition.
Although the importation oftobacco has been for
biddcn altogether by no European nation. it is eve
y where subjected To oeavy duties and other rcslrc
touS' by which It's consumption is greatly diminished
Thus Great Britain imposes aduiy on it Of about
" SIX cents pound the effect of which is to lessen
Tie consumption, probably one BALI and France lin
us he quantity thatmay be imported much small
al proportion OF what her people would purchase
and pay heavy duty for, If the present restriction
,N!cro removed.
The article of cotton has indeed been free from all
restraints ana discouragemcnt whatever IN Europe in
Consequence of It's furnishing, beyond any other CON.
Eohty, the materials VI proi,nbc ENVIRONMENT TO the
La, 81
cLrrcd To increase the quantity brought into market
still faster than the demand increasing us a,
ncel, and to produce the depression OF urlce
that has taken place In Our other sta pies First. is
culture has been substituted in some part. OF TIN,
country Tor that Of wheat and tobacco when the lat
ter had ceased - be proi;ujlc. This chanre has
taken pace to great extent IN the southern and
eastern parts 81 virginia, we'll as jn NuJ,h C.rn-
lima and Tennessee. Probably more than Giy thou
sand bal m year now find their first market in
richmond and Pccraburr, where, until ll,cv there
was NOT a single bale. Secondly. It's cultu,c has
also Increased IN other Countries, "a in Brazil aud
Egypt. Thirdly. Bat principally, 10y reason of the
great emigraiicns which have taken place from other
parts O! the Union 10 thr cotton growing states OF
Alabama, Mississippi and Louis una. aIu consequence
OF tiIs Increased cultivation OF cotton in The United
tatcs tie quantity whlcn, from 1902 to 1896 aver
aged one hundred X fourteen thousa I'd bales wear
from 1873 10 1899 averaged four hundred and thirty
seven thousand bac,i having thus almost quadrupled
81 Twenty I'VE years. The excess would probably
nave been much greater If the quantity consumed i'm
thc United States and exported To France aud other
countries had not increased, in the period, in a
much greater proportion. BY the united operation
ol these uat1Wdrd circumstances the cultivation of
cotton has, for several Years past been not more mo-
atao!e than that Of wheat an tobacco: nOl indeed
could 1t ever be long .olhcrwI-c, seeing the facility
VIE winch our citizens migrate to new climates and
pass from one employment to uvother, provided only
II To be agrlculturaL
The causes ihat have been here us-ir ncd for tho
lo" prices winch our staple products have recent,
borne, originating principally Ia tL, mistaken policy
/ OF foreign nations some persons may indulge I'll,
hope that they Will be tcDpUrary,--that they Wi
! either yield 10 negotiation, L. sOuuder ycys o
/ political economy. Bat besides t..ut suu ,Sptcta
lions arc 2nwaTaHtcd by all past experience there l.
a cooperating cause which mast not be overlooked
and which is equally beyond the reach of foreign an,
domestic policy: / mean the greater rate n wI;c!
our raw products increase beyond the European de-
mdhd, arising from our more rapid iuCreasc al num-
bcrs. Whilst oar population doubles in less then
twenty Eve years, that OF western Europe scarce y
doubles IN coEtn'y, and surprising the production
and consumption of each nation to be in proYoguun
TO Its numbers, the supply OF products is Away,
increasing faster than The foreign demand for them.
Our growing demand fer their manufactures would
also tend Ia Increase sii ilster than Tie supply NJ IL
were not for The improvements which machinery la.
hitherto been continually receiving. Whenever this
progressive amCllUr0..Cn ceases, VI much abutes we
S!a IS long a. we remain an agricultural people, be
constrained to enter the market, both as bsysrs and
sellers under still Increasing disadvantages. Our
mere increase OF population. surprising no aids To
DC derived from Improvements III husbandry. or new
iaclLlcs OF transportation, about thirty three Der
cent in ten years Ui those aids it is perhaps :tv
per cent
This very active. and general cause OF an augmon.
ted supply coucurrng with the restrictive policy OF
foreign nations Ia lcscnng the demand has occasion
ed redundancy III all orr agricultural products and,
consequently genera. depression of prices, by which
me prchls OF labour with us are upproTmnted to
those ol a far d'nsCr population. Thus common la
bourcrs who formerly hired for eighty or ninety
dollars year, would not command the last year more
That from thirty 10 forty dollars. When it il con--
dcTcd that the wages of labour, even where it is
lowest constitutes so ldrgca part Of tic value of man
Waoturcd commodities. (frcm twenty five TO forty
per cent aud even mUrc) % Is evident that where we
could not manufacture 10 advantage before. we may
manufacture with profit now, if we had the rcqui-
site skill and capitol.
ln the next number shall continue the subject
and compare tho prices of laJuur and tho profits OF
capital IN Virginia and those countries from which
sic Is now principally supplied with manufactures.