Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1832-07-03

fifty per cent on the value Of them for the mi
vcge Of making the exchange, or TO EXCHANGE
IL for domestic manufactures, and pay forty or
fifty per cent. for them, beyond the price for
which the same articles could be obtained from
England Heavy rs the penalty s. the plan
ters Ind it to their advantage to adopt The for
mer branch of The alternative. Yes, sir, they
una 1t more advantageous to pay this enormous
penhhy' nnd 60 10 those natural markets from
"hch II Is the whole scope of your legislation
to extlrde them, than to 90 TO the miserable do.
nestle market to which you wish TO confine
theT, without paying any penalty at all. And,
s'r'hs long as cotton. tobacco. rice continue to
be produced for expo ration this must continue
10 90 the case. Ii Is utterly Impossible to ex-
c'ude the Importation OF protected articles, to
whatever extont you may carry your duties, un-
till you have destroyed the business of rearing
staples Tor expectation. No proposition is capa-
bie OF clearer proof than this, and yet few are
so little understood. | will endeavor TO mako
II plain When the tariff Of 1923 was passed.
almost every body believetfi il to he Irohibi-
tory, asto most of those ices which ere SUBJ
Ject TO as high duty ns City per cent twas,
IN fact' temporarily so, az to may Articles
But as soon as the distribution of to precious
metals, or their substitutes, became adjusted aud
porportoned to this hew state of things i'm.
portatons were freely resumed. aud as large an
amount of protected articles came ia. at an av.
erage OF nearly Fifty per cent, had come
IN before at the lower rates Of the former ta-
riff.
The Whole experience Of the country has. i'm
fact, been but a practical illustration of the view
have here presented.
After the passage Of each successive tariff
iinportatons have been for a time diminished
and the manufacturers have been satisfied
i,ut after The lapse of II few years, the mporta-
mons become as great ever, and the manu-
LECTURERS become as clamarous for additional
protection. By singular fatality, illustrating
the pernicious CONNECTION between the Presi,ien.
tia election and the tariff, the protec ton Of each
successive tariff has only been deemed sufficient
Tor four years, and the necessity of Increasing
IL, has always become apparent just in the midst
OF the canvass for the Presidency. Rut how
ever this may be. certain it is, shat clamorous
de'nsha for protection has been made at every
interval Of four years since the tariff of 1916;
and bot for the extraordinary state Of the coun-
try, think it not improbable that similar de.
mahd would have been made now. These facts
satisfactorily prove that no rate Of duties that
will not prohibit The expectation Of our south
ern staples. can prohibit, for any length of time
the importation Of those manufactures which
are now imported in exchange for them. you
were TO raise your average OF duties 90 per
cent. tomorrow, in less than twelve months
nearly the same amount of manufactures woul,
be imported as is imported now, unless tile ex-
portat'on OF southern staples should he cut OFF
or curt"iIed by il. How can it be otherwise ?
How is it possible tina, Cotton, t,bacco, and rice,
can me exported, if some, Thing required for our
national consumption be not reived for then,
from foreign nations? The nonsensica idea If
importing specie, the most absurd Of all the fol-
lies OF the II srcahte system, now find no
advocates. IT Is neither more nor less than the
old Spanish policy nf making S:HG -lAIIs. EseI,I
Thy hy boarding specie, exhibited in different
hut much more efficient form than ttul in whici
it was once exhibited Ivy Spain.
She attempted TO prohibit, by penal laws, the
exporta ion of specie; you do that which il
much more effectual, by forcing its importation
and then prohibiting the importation of any
thingwhich can give rise to the expectation Of il.
IL the planters OF the Sontf sIlouid be weak
enough TO attempt to enrich themselves and the
nation by receiving the annual amount of their
staples in specie. from foreign countries. they
would exhibit The folly aud faulty of the wretch
ed m:ser who perishes amidst the boards of his
treasure for the want of food.
What; then, can they receive for their staples 4?
III you exclude the protected articles, the whole
ofour national imports would not amount to more
than one-balf the value of the so uthe,n staples;
and these are principally imports which are now
received III exchange for the productions Of 9th:
er parts of the Union, All ainoiint fully equal
to the consumption of the country.
will now produce the authority of the ~, o
writer's l have already quoted, to Sustain tho
doctrine just laid down, as 10 the effect of com
merciai restrictions in changing the vuit:e OF tho
precious metals Professor Senior saws.
They cannot deny that tho commodities
they would exclude must be given TO Us EvaIui-
touoy, or in exchange for Cur own produce Or
for money: The first supposilion, granIing wel
could be suftererSrs by it, is absurd even for
the reasoners HON ] arm describing. If they
adopt The second they must admit that the ioss
TO the producers whose exports we in,liyectl5
| prohibit balances the gain TO those whom " p
forcibly encourage leaving the loss 10 the public
uncompensated They are driven therefore, 80
maintain that The payment would be III money;
| and to suppose that such a payment coutboi'
continued, nd would be an evil, is the rnercar-
IbPOTy' yyi ,I,at aiJ
the protecting DUTIES with which we have clop
sed our commerce with France, arc snd;lp
removed, and that the removal is imisc5; o.
followed by an increased Importation Of t..?2
| commodities To the amount of five tbiP ~ "
| ling. And will suppose the COR o;i
| StrlctioDs, on the part OF France, n o; ~
altered. will suppose, too. ib' II Tho Go ,''
| lions IN question are actually r. initial i; 80.
1t IS admitted that the aflu- IF co Iax1,o
from England, ard lis inf tx in,o Ern',s. o"i
sInk NIL English prices and occasion p, ocnorn'
rise of prices in Frar ce Iodeed e :, ii Z"
The transaction world be one If ,,ure benrGt +,
| bnS'ahd ana OF lure loss to France. IA nom,
p"' So"'ce OF qualification, but a mere ipstru.
net VI cou "nerce, If our prices wore not affert.
." ny =" ing with portion Of our money vu
| Snou,u 'e insensIbe OF our boss or rather W {,
! h"ouh nave sustained no loss whatever md
| nave gained tho Eve millions worth of FrencL
| commodities without any real sacrifice, v inlo
| france would have parted with those commodi
Ves iind receive no sensible equivalent "
Ghe case put by the author it will be seen. iS
the counterpart of that by which [ have iiustrsi-
pH IN o. He's fnf