Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1830-02-18


20 commerce aud agriculture; nor should il be our po
hcy to per'evsre in measures tending to our ca
p'tAi, aud weaken our means OF defence.
Our present tariff is certainly national in one re-
spcct-h IL injurious to every interest aud to every
section Of the county. Our manufactures, commerce.
anc agriculture, may still slowly advance: for the
erg'es oi Young country may resist the repre- sing
tendency OF the worst Z! laws: but what would he the
ceIetltv 81 heir march were we 10 reduce du,es
on raw materials, our taxes on navigation, and our
heavy bnrhens on agriculture. IL would be
csn'ola'Ion to us II the taxes have imposed upon
Ourselves hal any tendency 10 give permanent encour
asemrnt TO our own manuf ictnres but, unfor,u
ntt"iy, the provisions, OF tariff singu-
iarly and ingeniously cdntrved, that the only
suit OF our taxation, must be to perp-tuate the
naury even m our own narket', OF the manufactures
oil Great BRIAN. Bv exaain,ng the statement No. L,
II will he perceived ht, actually giving pre-
MUM to the Briiish manufacturer OF eleven dollars
value Of S2to 81 so per yard. We a:c, sf.ctualy
PROHIBITING our own manufacturer, from using various
kinds OF wool, which are grown only in England anj
Scotland. aud required Tor the manufacture Of very
large portion OF coarse woo!ens We have Imposed
AN enorm'u. duty vn'he fine woods of England S,xo-
ny, aud Spain; while the itsh msnutacturer he sides
having mas supplies uniformly cheaper, pays on all TO-
reign wool. only from a half penny 10 a penny per
pound We have deprived our hardware IN ,nutactu-
rers OF all chance Of competition with their British ri
va's by charging so high duty on their raaeti
ais, that, ia many instances, the dhy the lat
ter, actually amounts to than the entire #
the foreign manufacture. Our manufacturers Of cord
age, also, sTr about to he driven from our ma k-ts
der the operation OF our own laws Our tariff is
thing but tissue OF such ab'urdfes. BY no rule OF
calculation, can expect that mlnufacur
can be permanently cheap as foreign fabric. while
we persist in imposing enormous duties maize
rld', or higher impohs the material than ca the
manufacture. Our existing revenue laws tend, inevi-
ahIy, 10 p-rpetuae the manufacturing ascendancv OF
Grea Britain. Her great advantages exhibited in
the statement referredo Will. Engiand che pens the
cost OF her manufactures. by admitting wool, hemp.
max, iron. lead copper, dye su,, Sc &C. SC. at the
least possible duties. and while raise npo-,s
raw materials, TO rates which almost forbid their i'm
poriaton-ev-n surprising eq ial advantages OF capital
and iabr-it ia manife-tly impossible, that American
should ever be as cheap as British fabrics.
'ile TO suppose, that because we have levied du.
e- on some manufactures "a high rs, and 100, and
200 rcr cent that we have, therefore, protected them
That, because, under such laws. we have stimulated
our capitalists to ovsrdo, for season, parucuiar
oanrh oil 'nuiacture we have saquentiy secured
permanent and cheaper supply. Internal COMPETE
tons under such laws, are temporary and iruitless
except in too generally effscting the ruin Of all who
adventure in such legislative srerulations So long
the cost OF producing the manufacture. under the per-
manFnt taxes Of the Two countries on that msnuiac-
ure ies' in Great Britain than in the United States,
your capital must he wasted in these competitions; be-
cause the cheaper fabric Of Great Britain, will find
it' way int, consul option, through every in,pedi-
neni which human ingenuity can eonrive. THE true
inquiry Tor the Statesman is not what results Temporal
~ and speculative competition may produce, hut in
which country, under Its permanent and regu-
'a'loHs the manufacture he proiuc ed the cheap
eat rate! And If he finds ,ha, by the laws Of Ills own
country, the fabric cannot b. nroduc az il
can be IN Great Britain he ought nd
increase OF the duty the msnufac ture for that
yer can afford more than temporary relief throu Oh
rninous comp"t'ion besides The imno,sihility Of
naoently excluding cheaper fabric The only sound
ana pertinent remedy tots remove those taxes the
Manufacture which increase il. cost so as TO enable
your own manufacturers TO make cheap or cheaper
iabrics, and to save them from idle dependence
the execution OF laws, which cannot be enforced
The only nqnry. repeat, ia. what cante fabric be
produced Tor in Great Britain, ana in America; under
the taxes ard regulations Of the two countries? If
Inc ma'sr''s consumed in manufacturing woo-ns,
are taxed 20 to 40 per cont higher in America than
in Great Britain The manufacture must be p.rpetuated
In the latter country; internal competition the ormr
must BE- rninoa.. an! the wool growers Of Am .rica
must inevitably, in the end, Ioss their home market
'r their produce. The sane rule applies 10 tina iron
manufacturers of Great Britain and An,erica-ti. for
NOR procure' his raw material at 30 to $50 per ton the
Latter paws f'r the same rs 10 $3.50 The result is in.
evitahle, and il our law s changed time will ac
oOmpl-h it, The proprietors of our rolling mills will
then see what has become Of the home m,rket for their
pro iuce Oar iron ard woollen manufactures are 40
multiplied and various, and returns ara 81 general
that is difisu 10 illustrate the tendency Of our pre-
sent lave. by statistical results shelving their opera
ton on these branches Of industry. Besides. are
only beginning gradually TO resz. the influence Of
our existing tariff the manufactures OF wool and
IRON. What will he the result, the House will be per
f'cy able 10 comprehend, when they look TO the for.
anil prps"n, conhi iaa OF the manufacture OF cord
age-one OF the most Important interest. OF the conn
trY in national point Of view. Under our prese nj
tariff this manufacture must be inevitably and "a pd-
iy destroyed. Statement No. L. will show the impor-
a'ions Of cor1ase since 1878 Our navigation AZ the
Committee will prove, has not increased since that
um' ]" ne i've years previous 10 1924. that is from
1919 10 1928 inclusive there were imported Of tar I'd
corig' and cables, 2I09129 pounds. and in the five
years afer 1924 from 1925 To 1929 inclusive SOP 76l
pounds. The cause il the heavy duty on hemp, the
raw material; the consequences. drivin. tire manui,e-
ture from the United States TO Rus.ia destroying our
own manufacture Of cordAge, and ultimately eayin,
our hemp growers without rkei. The same state
ment confirms this view Of the question: bv showing
the gradual decline Of the Boston corsge mills. in the
coo'uRpton Of hemp They man featured 430 tons
in 1926 30J in 1927 236 tons in 1928 and in thu
suit OF our policy. According 10 our returns there |
we're impoitd ia 1928, l6i 096 pounds about equal
TO The whole bve years importation previous To 1924
this is our return. WIN we examine the Ru4 |
sian account OF cCrage xporied, shall anoter
extraordinary Ell ct Of our late tariff policy Although
here we're imported into our country, thf ough the
Custom Hou's, only l64096 pounds, there w.re &C.
lualy exported in the same year, from st. Peters
burg alone, IN >NtysiX vessels 10 the United States
D',7sl p'od' Of cordage, equal TO 56S tors or 35i2
go pounds, making a surplus OF 1873 22f pounds
more than was entered at the Custom Houses Of the
United aies This il readily explained by the fact
hat the ships in that trads were furgi.hsd with doi-
Bile supply OF rigging, out OF the eordage exported,
rordng TO the ST Petersburg returns This short his
Tory OF eordage manufacture, illustrates The ruin
BUS operation OF present tariff the
Di wool and iron, which eHsctunily destroyiog
1t home and ensging and perpe uatiug in Great Br.
lain. The same rules viii apply TO every msnufAc.
lure in the Union except plain co;tons and even these
10 not escape the incidental effects Of policy So I'M
friendly 10 Industry GENERALLY ,hs nanu-