The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1841-10-26

UTTWETTITTy
protection 10 domestic industry, while the states re
NAMED separate, lcd more Immediately man any
other cause, to their union. 10 remedy Inc evil;
steps taken, mt the earliest period alter inc a.
doption Of the Federal Constitution TO establish
Giscrninntive system Of revenue from duties on I'm
ports and tho country, under its operation, emery
! ed, with uncxamplGd rapidly, from embarrassment
I 10 wealth, power and national greatness. FOR more
| than thirty years, the constitutional power OF Con-
gross to impose duties for The purpose protection,
| remained unquostioned, Every successiveCon excr
! csed the power without the suggestion of doubt
TO its constitutjonaty; and if the constitution
itself had not bccn as il is, perfectly clear on the
subject yet time, usage, constant Legislation, and
universal acquiescence, have fully established its
possession by the general government. Alter all
this, however, after generation had passed away,
and while the pursuits and business of the country
had been built up, upon Tho basis OF protection, II
suited sectional ~ purity purposes to Object TO il
the ground that II was unconstitutional; and, slrnng
and unjust IA it may seem, long established sys.
tenn Of laws, designed to encourage and protect do.
nestle industry. has been, for the present, at least,
observation-disclosures because the people Of the country
wiIIcd it, but because a single southern state, de
NJ ing The constiutionullty Of such legislation,
threatened violently 10 resist the execution Of these
laws. And this has been termed a compromises
a compromise which yields all that is demanded to
violence and n breach of faith, and quietly consents
to the ruin ola vast portion Of the country for the
exclusive benefit Of n comparatively small section.
| Ii is needless 10 say much Of tho which
have Thus led 10 dlsconnuonce of protection to do
mestic industry. A remedy for such an evil can
DO found only in the inie genco and spirit of thai
potion Of our countrymen, TO whose existence such
protection will be (oundto be almost Indispensable.
am not that you, Legislators of this state,
can directly participate in applying remedy; but
you can at least urge upon our delegation in Con.
gress your deep and abiding conviction Of the strong
necessity Of shielding, by adequate tariff, the do
nestle industry of the country, against conn petition
with the pauper labor and solid capitalists of Eu.
rope.
Ifthe constitution Of the United States does not
already acknowledgements to afford such necessary
protection TO domestic industry, language would fail
to accomplish the Obj ect, and any amendment of
the Constitution would be fruilless. The States
have surrendered to the General Govt all power
over the subject When they gave TO Congress ex
cIusvely the power TO lay duties, they deprived
themselves forever Of all power to protect domes-
tic industry. They surrendered this power TO Con
gress, to the extent to which they possessed it them
selves, and for the same purposes, for which they
themselves might have used it, not only for the pur
pose of revenue, but Of protecting the industry of
our citizens against runous foreign competition. If
Congress do not possess the power then the States
themselves possess it. for the States have retained
all power which they have not granted to the gov
ernment of the Union. But nothing would be more
absurd than a construction Of the Constitution
which would thus distribute the power Of laying
duties, giving it TO Congress for the purpose Of pro.
tection
f 1t would be superAuous to attempt TO show that
protective tariff is essential to the prosperity of
, this portion of the Union. The value of our agri-
cultural products and especially Of wool, depends
entirely upon tho of manu- factories and
every farmer in Vermont IS deeply interested in
saving them from the ruin which, it is feared is
impending over them We cannot raise wool for
expectation, and if abandon wool growing,
what are we to do with any other kind of produce
which may raise in its place? Wool will not
be received m foreign countries which have sup.
plies OF their own, and who in our own country
will consume it, when manufactures shall have
been destroyed and manufacturers, who have been
its consumers, are compelled TO cultivate the soil
| as their only mode of ubsisence? What would
our farmers produce be worth, if those now
engaged at the loom should come back to the
plough? We could hardly give away the contents
| of our over5urdeucd granaries. Manufactures are
yet in their infancy, and although during the short
period of their existence, they have acquired
strength with unexampled rapidly, they cannot be
supposed to be stronger than those in older coun-
tries, where they have been much longer estab.
| lished, and where labor is cheapest Yet in all
countries, protection has always been found to be
necessary TO their existence; and government
on earth has ever been blind to its own inter-
ess and those otts citizens, permit free trade
with other Countries with other countries in arti-
cles OF its own manufacture. There are two very
sn tlcient and obvious reasons for this. One is that
a free reciprocal trade among different nations
never has been, and probably can be, estab
lished. The other is, that to allow country,
whenever it might choose, to inundate another
with its surplus manufactures reduced in value at
home by excessive production bankruptcies,
would be 70 ruin those engaged in the bust
ness in the importing country. Steadiness is the
safety and fluctuations the destruction of trade.
England, with modesty peculiar TO herself,
proclams and advocates the doctrines Of free trade
for the benefit Of other nations, while for her own
benefit she practices upon directly opposite sys-
tenn. In thus advocating free trade she is second.
ed by the Southern planter. But neither from The
one nor the other consent to receive in
structIon. They have their interests, and we have
ours. We have also the capacity understand
:, and, trust, the resolution TO maintain our RICH ts
The attention ofthe people of the whole Union
has been directed, by events which have occurred
h within the last few years, to certain amendments
G which are deemed essential in the Federal Con
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