Lexington union., 1841-06-05
WHAT is TRADE?


another has grain but no meat; they ex-
change meat and grain and both are sup
piled. Sothe Farmer exchanges his meat
and his grain with the Shoemaker for
shoes, with the Halter for hats, with the
Carpenter for building house, with the
Cabinet maker for furniture, with the La
borer for work, and 50 with every other
productive class OF his felIow-citizens.
This is the bes; trade for Farmers and
other productive classes as tar 0s it goes;
for 10 all these cases those classes enjoy
among themselves the entire proceeds Of
their labor.
When these exchanges are not direct,
third party comes in and takes part OF
the proceeds OF the workingman's labor,
for his support and emoIument. This
party is the Trader or Merchant. 4 ira.
der establishes himself in a community of
farmers; he buys grain from one, and
meat from another; the farmer who has
grain and wants meat, exchanges with the
radar instead oil his ncighbor; and as the
trader must get support from his busi-
ness, he 80 regulates his prices as TO make
something by every exchange, and that
which he makes is taken from the farmers.
If his profit be ten per cent, thea he virtu
ally approprlates TO his own use one poun1
Of meat in every ten, and one bushe of
grain in every ten tha, passes through his
hands. In this manuer he supports him
self upon the labor of others. ..
This simple principle lies at the foun-
datlon of commerce. The Trader and
the Merchant are but the agents of the
Farmers, Planters and other productive
classes IN exchanging commodities, and all
their subsistence and wealth is SO much
stopped or tafcn ont of ,hose commodities
as they pass through their hands. II is
the labor Of other men that feeds them and
her frlilies, that makes so many olthem
rich, that furnishes their splendid man.
sions and costly furniture, that pays for
the luxurics of their tables and all their
extrayagant indugencies Too often do
these agents forget their position; too
nftsp, instaah of oer,.;s'y5 tho productive
classes, do they aspire to be bei" masters,
and too generally do those classes them-
selves look upon traders and merchants
rs a higher order of society. Every far
mer should look upon the merchant merely
as his agent or factor, employed by him to
exchange the surplus products of his labor
for the products of other Iaborng men at
home and, abroad, Justly entitled to fair
compensation for his services, but not en-
titled to set up as the master or superior
of those who employ bin. The master
occupation umorg men, is MIing the earth.
All the rest are, or ought to be, subscryl
Vent to This.
Foreign trade originates in the same
causes aud is governed by the same pun
cipIes as the simplest exchange Of produce
between neighbor and neishbor II is
the exchange Of products between the la
boring classes of different countries. 1t
differs from domestic trade in general
only in the necessity Of employing and
paying a greater number Of agents, and
consequently subtractlng larger proper
ton from the fruits OF the workIngman' 5
labor. Two or more merchants have to
be paid the shIpowner must also have his
share; the masters and crews OF vessels
must be supported and paid; and finally
government steps in and takes large
Slice of in the shape oftaXes or duties. In
the proportion that the agents employed
10 the service are multiplied and the taxes
of government increased, in the same pro.
portion do the Workingmen lose The fruits
of their labor. Whenever these charges
become so high as TO absorb nearly or
quite the entire value of the article, the
people of different countries are prevented
from exchanging their products and are
obliged to forego those comforts aud con
veniencies which their labor would pur-
chase if not SO highly taxed. 1t results,
that the working men of country always
enjoy the most comforts when the taxes
or duties are lowest on the products of
their labor exchanged for the products OF
the worliIogmen in other countries. I'm.
provemen's in navigation, the digging Of
canals, construction of rail roads and all
measures which cheaper transportation,
increase the comforts of the workinrman
because they enable him TO procure more
in exchange for the fruits of his labor.
Reducing government duty has the same
effect. 1t is precisely like cheapening
transportation and enables Farmers and
to get more in return for their products
sent to market. Increasing such duty
IS m fact like stopping up harbor, throw