Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-10-05

- .r, logs than that which would give the habit
,n. command of our coast and seas, would be 1T
lie short of useless. One that couiu De driven '1o'
sen and KEEP, in horbor by the force which Great BIZ
.a;r could safely and constantly allot TO our coast,
vonl5 be of e service than an auxiliary aid 10
our foritca!ions defending our harhors and maritime
.,;cs IL would BE- aaest PASSIVE as they are, ahd
yorld do nothing diminish the expense winch nave
| shown wcu!d te 50 cSiaGstlug, " ee'eho u'e So-
| clusiyely bg Publications.
But i,e difficult question still remains 10 be solved
| " la, naval force would be sufficient for llt pnr
pose; 1t VIII be expected that should give more
| than coLjcctuTal answer TO such question nave
neither the data The knowledge Of nasa warfare u
s,eak with any thing Ike precision but feel ass'rea
Ina, the force required would be far less than what "ou'o
lie thought when The question WAS his, rr"i"uHu'u
The very idea OF defending ourselves on the oct'i
AGAINST tie immense power OF Great BfIialh on '''1
element has something startling al The ifst mus"
| Bat, rs greatly she "utnunbers US IN sh'Ps 49,
| naval RESOURCES we have advantages That cou'.'
vail that in reference to the SUBJECT III hana' -
has many ships she has also many points ~ go -
| and these as widely separated Is a'e H'e p Lon
| nor widely extended empire. she IS forced 10 NJ. =
Lo,,c q n, in The Channel-anciheT IN the Daitlc--,
other in the AlederFancan-"ne hey"ha Tue VI ,L
Good Hcpe 10 guard her important P"ssessio"s !" ,h
East-und another in The fac'''c oui s''ui'"" ~, n
| .,r.. ~. have no foreign possessions, ana h"' :"
-, =, ,.-d bevnnd our own maritime irontiet.-
| RI - ,,r,. fire. NAV lie conccntrlted READY :"
,,;kc whenever vulnerable point Is exposed
hose advantages be added that hoth France ana
-, have larre naval forces that between us anu w.
STA nave s@' I If conflict; ,ha, they both watch the
| ny ~ -,,,cv Of Great Britain with jealousy; ana
H., nothing is more easy than Tor US 10 Keep on sooo
terms with both Powers especially WIKI fes;eI "a
III naval force at commaHd;-t VIII ne r''u''
c,cevcd that force far short OF that oi Hrea' Dr.
>, v.arl,l erc, what | contemplate wohid say
r,r ,cual Ia ono third Of hers would suffice hu, y
Mt certainly less than halt would And so,a iSa.
,rc az that s2e would enable rs 10 dispense with al
Notifications, except a, important points, ana s"r a.
,aoht Re necessary in reference to Tie Navy scli l"
he rrca, relief ii the Treasury, aud SAVING OF means
II IL, apol.d 10 The Navy, where would be lar more
efficient Tie less considerable points might De safely
eft Ia the defence Of cheap works, sufficient 10 feFei
laundering attacks large fleet, such as would be
hi n meet MS with such Naval force that p:npo-
.ed would ever think Of d;ssracng itself by attacking
paces so inconsGerablc.
Assuming, then, tina, Navy is indispensable TO our
defence and thct less than that supposed would bt
IN great measure useless, we are naturally led 10 ooR
INTO the sources Of Naval power preparatory 10 tile
consideration of the question, how they viii he affect
ed by on commerce tie additional burden las
bill would make necessary.
Two elements are necessary 10 naval power-sal"rs
and money navy is az expensive force, and ~ only
formita.lc when manned with regularly bred sailors.
- In ctr case both If these depend on commerce.
Commerce is indispensable TO inra commercial
marine, and that 10 iorm naval marine WINE
commerce IS with Us, il tins bill should pass, The only
IN every respect the basis Of our naval power; and !"
crirplr commerce is Grippe tina; powcrto parayze
the right arm of defence. But the imposition oil
nnerou> duties on commerce is the most certain way
Ia cripple II. Hence this Gc;csiauc and mischevous
measure which surrcnders The anly other source ct re-
venue and throws the "hoie burden Of supporting ih'
Government exclusively IN commerce, aims deadly
haw al lie ,i;as of our power.
I The fatal eiitc; # hga duties on commerce IS 10
longer al,er Of srccn!a,ion. The country has pass
ID recently ih!cugh tvs pcT;ods-one 81 Protective
Tar is and h,nh duties and the other al reduction o!
duties and wr have Tie effects of each in our ocia
I tables both IS il regards tonnage and commerce
They speak language not 10 he mistaken, and ial
stronger than any could anticipate Hho has h"'
locked into The tables made himself well acqnainitd
with the powerful operation Of low duties IN extending
ma cation and Commerce. rs much as hau a"'c'
pa,d from their effects, the reduction OF The duties
the tightening of the burdens Of commemorative
| greatly exceeded my most sangune expectation.
shall begin with the tonnage, as more Immediately
connected with The naval power and, III order 10 show
tie relative effects Of high duties and low on our nav
/ ua,ion | shall compare ine period from l-2I, whef
the first great increase OF protective duties took place
10 lc3G, inclusive, when the first reduction OF duties
commenced. During these seven years, which IN
clud the operation 81 the two protective tar ~ l>1
and !s2.- that is tic regE oflhc high protective tar'f
v svsten-our foreign tonnage fell of from G.'2,"n'
10 80 10 equal tool ~; coasing tonnage IRON
7l9l>U 10 Gl5 30 equal IL lG3 so tons-makng The
failn. of in both equal to l63370 tons les; 10 ina
extent C03,ec0) did our coasing tonnage Decline
the very tonnage, the increase OF which, II was conn
IDENTIFY predicted By lie pru,, Give patty, would make
Up for every possible loss in Our foreign tonnage IRON
their miserable Guack system Instead i!iat 'ie al
inr of IN In. coasinr trade greater than IN ht
frcyn proving clearly THAT high duties are iotie III
furious 10 tie home titan 20 tic foreign trade.
pass now 10 Tie period q VIII not sny Of free trade
1T is far short Of that. o. reduction Of high Pf"ecs,
duties; and now mark Tie contrast between the t"".
begin with the year l-3l the first after The reduction
was made on few articles, principally coffee ana tea
and will take III The entire period down 10 'e iasl &c
turns that Of lo40, making period often years. I'M
pcr:od includes the great reduction under Tie coupro
mise act which is not vet completed, ard winch, III y
further progress, would add greatly TO nc increase
permitted go through undislurhrd Inc tonnage !!
the foreign trade increased during that peIloo rom vs.
i75 tons 500 Gi equal 10 23 2cS TONS not much les
than twothrds OF the whole amount at The commence
ment of the PERIOD and the coastng Tor the sap peio
increased from 6l5 to go 500, cqua! 10 Go o9Jton
more than doublc and tins too when, according TO ih
high tariff doctrine our cnastiEg trace ought ~ nay
fallen off, instead of increasing, I'm consequence =" y"
reduction of The du,es) and thus nconcsiiby proving
that low duties not less favorable Il Our coiiies
than 10 orr foreign trade. The Aggregate "nna-r Y"
tie period has increased from ,l9lTo 10 ''o'-
nearly doubled. Such and favorable o low duties
reference TO tonnage the result Of lie comparison
between the two periods.
The comparison in reference TO commerce VIII prov
not less so In making The comparson, shsH conhn
myself to the export trade, not because gives result
more favorable for the reverse is The ac-but be
cause the heavy loans contracted b. The States dun
the latter period (bctween lso and $50 gave iac,'
I tous increase Ia the imports, which would make III
comparison appear favorable than ought IN re
atty be- Their effects different on The exports
They tended 10 decrease rather than increase the.
amount. OF tie exports, shall select domestic aFi
clcs only, because they only affected by the rate
the duties as the duties foreign articles paid or sc
cured hy bond their Importation, are returned on re
shipment With these explanatory remarks, sha
i now proceed 10 the CON rarrson.
The amount in value Of domestic articles exrorte
Cor ls25 SGG9i47l5, ana in the year ls:'o so9
it2 500; making falling OIL under the high tariff SIS
TEN, during that period, Of S7,4s2,1Is. Divide III
period into cqnn parts Of three years eaca an
will be found that the falling off in the aggregate
tic latter part, compared to the former, is Sl30h, &
showing average annual decrease of 81 b5,llo gu
ing the latter part, compared with the former
TIE result VII be found very different on turning
the period from 1890, when the reduction of the Quite
commenced, 10 1910, during The whole of which the
duc,on has been going The value Of domestic e.
ports for 1881 sol 277 o57, and fer 1sin, $ll3