Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1832-01-23

A large portion of your fellow citizens, beIie,.
ing themselves to be grievously oppressed BY An
unwise and unconstitutional system, are clanOr.
ing at your doors for justice, while another DOR.
ton, supposing that they are enjoying rich boun.
ties under it, are treating their complaints win
scorn and contempt. God only knows whers
all this is to ED. But, IT evil not, and il "a,
not. come TO good" We at the South still call
Won our brethren, and have ever cherished 4.
wards YOU the strongest feelings of ae, ton; bu,
were YOU the brothers Of our blood, for whom We
would coin our hearts, it IS not in human nature
that we should long continue to retain for Won
undiminished affection, when all hope Of rp
dress shall have passed away, and we shall co.,
tinuc to believe that you are visiting Us with
hard and cruel oppression, and enforcing cold
heartless and selfish policy.
| shall now proceed, Mr.. President, to exa
mine the character Of the projecting system-
And here, [ shall assume, that the projection il
extends to the American manufactures Is some
thing substantial, and affords some advantage, BE-
it more or less, to the protected interests. I
shall take it for granted, that it is intended to en-
able the American manufacturers TO enter into
that successful! competition with the foreign
which they could not do without such protection
American manufacturer to obtain more for hs
goods than he could otherwise command In a
word. that it affords substantial protection. and
is not like that extended to cotton mere nane
For, on this latter point, let 1t BE- remembered
that the first cotton produced in this country
found market abroad; and that, even now, hear.
w the whole of it is disposed Of IN Europe,
where it maintains successful competition
a.. l. s,.s,
talk OF the benefit of protecting duty to cotton,
at home. 1t is byond all dispute, Sir, that il
any duty b necessary 10 protection, it can only
be, because it enables the manufacturer to sell
his goods for more than he could otherwise obtain
for them. Now, in this view of the subject. let
US see how the question will stand. How mus.
such system operate, FIRST, on the diferen, in.
ferests, and SECONDLY, on the different sections
of the country We will assume, that a part.
cular manufacture cannot be produced in The
country. within fifty per cent. as cheapy at home,
as the same article could be obtained from abrUld:
and that duty which, with charges, should be
equal TO about fifty per cent was absolutely ne.
ccssary to introduce and 10 sustain IL. Suchs
duty must operate as q tar on every other class
IN the community, for the benefit of the manu-.
facturer; and supposing it to be imposed, not for
revenue, but protection, would be a double tar
Suppose the value OF the imported article to bel
mllion; and If the protection amounted to an
equal sum, here would be tax Of million Of
dollars imposed upon the whole people, to secure
a bounty Of half million to one portion of them
But it is said the bounty is not confined to tn.
manufacturers, --that other classes participate.
admit teat there is a circle embraced within the
range Of the manufacturing influence. that par.
take Of the benefits of the system. Farmers, in
the neighborhood, who supply the operatives with
food-mechanics, who construct the building,
and machinery-clergymen physicians. lawyers,
and others, who make up a manufacturing vii.
age, all come in for share Of the gains, and con.
stitute, in fact, the protected class, which enjoy
the benefits Of the system, but all other classes
in the community must obviously be laid under
contribution, to make that profitable, which
would otherwise be an Improbable pursuit; and
in the case assumed, would be taxed to the
amount Of one million Of dollars, to secure 70
the favored class bounty Of half million
Now suppose, Sir, such a system as this to b.
extended to all the cottons, woolens, iron alt
sugar, made in any country, and We will take
that country to be the U. States. We will sup
pose further that cottons could not be proftaby
manufactured without protecting duty Of from
twenty five to an hundred per cent.-wooens
from forty-fve to two hundred per cent-rOa
from one hundred two to hundred per cenlun
sugar from one hundred to one hundred and
fifty per cent; and that these duties were &C.
cordngy imposed on these several articles.
amounting in the whole to the sum of nine mil
lions Of dollars annualIy:) that, in consequence
of these duties. the protection on all the cottOn'
manufactured in the country was equal TO three
cents a ward, and amounted to six millions Of
dollars per annum-woollens to eight millions.
iron to one million-and sugar million and aha'
producing as the result of the whole system
tax Of nine millions on the foreign article to secure
bounty of Is millions & hall to the home man
ufacturers. Ihave supposed protection to be the
exclusive object of this system, and it then clearly
follows that all other classes would be taxed twenty
five millions Of dollars per annum, in order to Sc
cure to the favored class a protection OF sixteen
millions. The Government would. indeed, re-
ceive ITS nine millions; but il would be an asst'
walton of the evils of the system, that this amouni
should be levied ,ohsn il Uas not wanted, in o.
der to secure the protected classes in their mono
poly. The rates Of duties which have here a.
sumed, are those now actually imposed on The
protected articles; land which it is proposed %
retain az essential I'm nrofp tim and the amour!