The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1831-1858, 1831-11-23


Of Europe? who would bow before the woosack
of Eng land, but spurn the golden fleece of his
own soil
Aversion to manufactures has cngendcred, OF
late, biitor local prejndiccs in pats of those
States in winch they do not flourish. Not long
ago their promotion was in universal favor
| When the venerable survivor Of the trainers O.
the constitution took the oath of fidelity 10 it,
on commencing his illustrious presidency, he
whole nation thought that he proved his pairi
otism by being clothed in suit of American
broai-cloth. No doubt the consiitutiunaity o!
protecting manufactures was not then cnnceiv-
ed. Even 10 question the policy of promoting
them was limited to very few. The statesmen
and the patriots Of the South wore among the
foremost to vindIcaie both.
The general qualification Of 1915 exposed our
market to the overwhelming fnrce Of English
capital and skill, with more fearful odds than
We had TO contend against in the hostilities then
closed with Great Britain. The infiexibility of
her restrictive system, and the exuberant re-
sources OF our own country for manufactures,
alone enabled us to withstand the great influx
of her fabrics, and constrained us to protect our
market by that system which has led to our
present prosperity. Is it the cation growing
States who would subvert this prosperity and
lay US once more PROSTATE before the power OF
our rival? Those States who, for the article Of
cotton, enjoyed duty which did not merely
+ promote bat absolutely created its culture? a
tax upon all the other States, which was repre-
scented as grievance By the report OF the Sec.
rotary of The Treasury in the very infancy oil
, our government a tax which diverted labor
, and capital into new channels for the exclusive
benefit Of those States, at the expense of all the
rest tax which had not the remoest connec.
ton with the revenues of the country, but was
. imposed merely for protection? is ii, above all
nj M nj Of I'M hat ~ on
complain of a protective impost, while she en-
jays a heavy duty on indigo, which she has
ceased to produce, and which therefore all The
manufacturing States pay under circumstances
aggravated by The fact, that while they arc
obliged to submit 10 this tax article indis
, pensabe to their manufactures, the very State,
for whose benefit it was imposed, declines to
cultivate the article9
3 By special resolution of this convention, an
inquiry was directed into the moral influence of
our manufactures i'm compliance with which
we tcel authorized to say, in word, that the
imputations sometimes cast upon the morals OF
manufacturing communities have proved, nc
, cording 10 the experience of this country, to be
, without the slightest foundation. On the con-
trary, it is believed that the moral and religious
education of those employed in manufactures is,
at least equal, If not superior, to that of other
classes ofthe community.
casion to observe that the present posture of the
: affairs of the United States impress upon us
the necessity of declaring what we believe TO
BIO the sentiment of The friends of American in
dustry, IN reference to great question which
must, IN short time occupy the attention Of
Congress. Up to this period, the revenue OF
the government has not exceeded its wants
The debt has required a system Of duties that
would supply at least ten millions of dollars
q d. ito vii ,,ichp, hat
debt, under the present course of liquidation
will soon cease to exist The nation will then
naturally expect some reduction of duties Par.
ticipaiing in the common feeling on this subject
we cannot close this address without re 50 ect-
fully submitting to public consideration the ex-
| pedency of applying that reduction to such
commodities as are incapable Of being brought
within the scope ofthe protective system old
ing it, as we do, to be indispensable TO the best
interests of the American people that that svs-
TEN should be sustained and preserved, wit hout
diminuton, in its application to every branch OF
domestic industry that may be benefited by its
| influence.
Thus, fellow citizens, we have submitted TO
your consideration our views Of the cOnstruc-
| ton of the constitution upon the great ques ton
of protection. If il be the true one, you will
sanction and sustain it; iii be otherwise. let il
be rejected for the constitution is the supreme
| law.
| We have also submitted our view of the true
policy of this country We have stated and
urged those principles, on which the system OF
protection rests which we believe to be support
ed by the maxims of a sound philosophy, the ex-
perence of mankind and our own. 1t remains
with you to determine, whether that system OF
protecting your own industry, under which you
have long advanced and are now prospecting,
shall be continued or abandoned; whether you
will hold fast to that which your experience has
proved 10 BE- good, or yield yourselves tho vic
Tins of rash aud untried theory. That nearly
five hundred of your fellow citizens should con
vene, from sections of the country more than
five hundred miles apart, to consult on these en-
crossing subjects, is itself all argument OF the
deep solicitude felt by the country at large in
their discussion To have separated without
vindicating them, would have been deserton
of the trust committed to us. Their importance
required that iuness of consideration which an
enlightened and rejecting people have right
, to demand II has been our study to adhere to
the utmost accuracy in our statement Of facts
and 10 exercise the most perfect candor in our
, arguments. We therefore invite the strictest
scrutiny to what TINS submit whilst we
ARE sensible that with the advantage Of more
time than the session of the convention has af
forded it might have been presented in more
finished form Deeply impressed with the grav.
ity Of the subject and the monentous aspect OF
our national concerns, we trust that our Ian
+ gnage has never departed from that tone oil
conciliat ton which becomes citizens Of the same
country differing from their brethren upon great
questions of national policy.
Il But let us bear constantly in mind that the
unon, the happiness, the peace, and the power
: of our beloved country depend on its domestic
industry without which these United States
would cease to be an independent nation.
/ Let those who acknowledge this great bo nd
Of union ne yer forget that united we stand and
divided we fall > that sugar, and iron: hemp and
lead, wool and cotton, and the other productions
ofeur diversified SOIL elaborated by our own in
> defatigablc industry, and protected by our own
free government, are, in effect, the government
that holds us together, and make us one people
that the home market is the palladium of home
itself in NIL its most endearing and ennobling
political and,. cial relations; without which we
have no common country but should be reduce
ed to the condition of disnembered and defence
| less provinces Let il therefore he the instinct
Of ali who acknowledge it's cause as their own,
to stand together, like the fathers of the revoll-
ton with no local jealousy, no impolilic pref.
erence of one part of our system TO another but
maintaining a united and inhexible adherence
| TO the whole.
| Spontaneous conventions like the present
originated our glorious revolution and our ad.
mirablc constitution. May the Almighty Pow.
er that presided over their Deliberations and
that has nsycr vet failed 10 puard these lin tod