The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1831-09-27

NEWPORT.
TUESDAY MORNING, SEPT. "a.

, AT a meeting of the citizens of thi.
town friendly to commerce and to ju
dicious modification of the present tariff
holden at the State House Saturday Ev
ening the 24th inst. agreeable to public
notice; the meeting having been called
to order, was organised by the appoint
ment of GEO. ENGs, Esq. Chairman, and
WILLIAM G. HAMMOND, Secretary.
On motion of Christopher G.. Cham
plih the following resolution was submitted
to the consideration of the meeting and
after full & able discussion ofits objects
was unanimously adopted, viz:
Resolved, AS the opinion of this meet
ing, that the present tariff ought to be re-
vised by Congress and so modified as to
give equal protection and encouragement
to agriculture, commerce and manufac-
lures; and that, with view of obtaining
such revision and modification, 1t is ex-
pedient for this meeting to appoint del.
egate to the Free-Trade Convention
which will be held in the city of Phila-
delphia on the Both day of this month.
The Hon. William Hunter was then
nominated and unanimously chosen as a
delegate to the aforesaid convention.
1t was further Resolved, that the fore
going proceedings be published in one
ofthe papers in this town. Signed by the
Chairman and Secretary.
GEORGE ENGS, Chairman.
VIM. G. HAMMOND, Secretary.
Upon the views and objects of the a.
bove meeting we feel it our duty to make
the following remarks. In the first place
the meeting was not of a political char
acter, it being composed of gentlemen
friendly as well as opposed to the present
administration, who on this occasion dis
avowed any political design to advance
or oppose the interests of either party,
but on the contrary united in the avowed
recognition and support ofthose doctrines
which i'll their opinions were best calcu-
lated to foster and build up the true in
terest of the whole nation as well as those
of the particlar section of it in which they
resided. In one word the ground upon
which they took their stand and proposed
to establish their system was the ground
of patriotism and not the transitory and
uncertain basis of party.-While claim
ing ofothers properregard for their own
rights g. interest, they utterly disclaimed
the intention or disposition to do the small
lest injustice to the rights and interests of
their fellow citizens in other quarters of
the Union. The necessity of some mod
ification of the present tariff was fairly
and impartially illustrated by reference
to its practical operation upon the prices
of articles ofindispensible use in the con-
sumption of the laboring classes. One
or two instances is all we have time to
notice. 1t was evident the present high
rate of duty upon the coarsest kinds of
foreign wool imposed a grievous and un-
necessary burden upon the poor, mas
much as it obliged the laboring man to
pay proportionably higher price for his
clothing than the rich man does for his
"purple and fine linen:" the duty being
moreover unnecessary for the purpose of
revenue or protection either to the wool
grower or manufacturer, as our treasury
is already overfowing withthe abundance
Of its receipts, and our wool growers are
not at all affected by the competition of
such an inferior article, which they do
not think worth raising, with the fine and
soft fleeces their focks afford, and
which yield them an ample profit. Least
of all does the manufactures consult his
true interest in aiding to impose high
duty or indeed any duty at all upon the
inferior kinds of wool which are not pro-
duced in this country, and which fman-
ufactured at all must be imported from a.
broad. Is not single glance sufficient
to satisfy linn, that every cent imposed
upon the article by way Of duty, SO far |