Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-06-28
Tnr rAsT-TllE rRrsrNr- ANn rllr 11rr1,nr

I THE rAsT-TIlE rREsENT-ANn THE FUTURE.
| The Tariff press oil this City (he Wing, and the
Compiler following IN lis wake, treating their read
with the old Mares Nest which has Lt en- so often
paradcd by the Tarites, and as often exposed by the
voice OF truth They pleased 10 remind the public
OF the sanction which gave tn Voluntary AsSoca.
tons III the year lS9S, (sJue ~ years ago) and tho
taste winch We (and not only we, but the whole Re
publican party in Nirgnia,l ,lcn manifested for DO
mestc Wine and Virginia Cloth, in celebrating the lib
| oi July Nc y similar feeling occasionally dis
PLAYED IN the Old Dominion until the end Of the
But they are pleased 10 suppress the circumstances,
under which this temporary spirit favor of domestic
manufactures ard voluntary associations os,rred
and exhibited. Had we really Choag6d our geEc
raj principles upon this subject, nigh, plead in
mitigation OF damages that II had elapsed since
the /" Articles of Association of the Richmond Manu-
featuring Company had been formed, land By the by,
It manufactures were 10 flourish now, without being
forced IN the hotbed OF high Tariff we should now
be most happy to witness such Association, and to
the throw some OF our water power into the capital OF
Company We might plead, hat;n that long pc
Rod of 81 years during which have high Ia
riff tred with It's heavy and oppressive taxes upon the
South there might DE 10 change an opinion
which might have been formed in favor of munuiac
lures, particularly If they fos,ered and forced by
Tariff of duties But waving these pleas IN abatement
o. damages have objection restate the circum
stances, under which the resolution To wear domestic
manufactures and to drink liquor but the produce
of our country was adopted by the Republicans Of
| Richmond
We commenced our Editorial career in 1901, an ad
vocae of the principles of Free Trade The celebra
ted reply of the French merchant 10 the lannon's Col
bert was our motto LaiSsts nous tuTe-i't us alone
For these convictions, were lnGebed to Adam
Smiths work 1.-The Wealth of Nations a work,
which bears the impress of the proioundest mnd-o
man, who one Of the officers CT his MaJesty's
Customs; who had the whole machinery OF 90
ys!nn,enal regulation in foil pay-who had conned
over his subject Tor years-and submitted IL as he al
a. ,l.Ia nnDI
h,m-s,ch as Dr. Price and DR.. Frank,in-a work
which constitutes the foundation of The science oil 70
/ ;ca Ecuno,ny--and NEST Of whose general prihci.
Plies have this cay stood the test OF time aud OF
truth.
We brought the doctrines of Free Trade into ou'
! Office IN l-ui (sc.me - ago)-and we have
adhered 10 them since. Do the Transactions oi
lc0S To which the Wing and Compiler are pleased
10 refer, constitute any serious exception: what
were the circumstances under which the Republicans
of ISS and few years afterwards determined To drunk
domestic wines, and and encourage Virginia cloth:
To start spindcs and improve the machinery oil the
coarse manufactures: These circumstances were pn-
i.ica,-thev originated IL relations 10 Great Br
taiu-not in any change III the great prime pies %! 70
ltical ECONOMY We had great and serious causes 81
compain. AGAINST that ambitious and arrogant power
Mr. Madison had many years belore thrown out The
idea oc commercial restrictions, place OF war; 10 conn
eract her measures, and check her aggressonS. Ihe
scheme was carried out until 1907 or :, during MIR
Jeferson's Administration, when the non-intercoursc
system becnme the policy Of our Government 1t was
then that the public spirit 81 our citizens took ire
when the vindca ot wrongs called Tor some re-
aliatory measurc-and when 10 stand by the rights 81
our county, and TO check The ouragcs Of Gren, Br
tain-to secnre by temporary restriction the perma-
nent enjoyment Of Free trade and sailors rights the
people came 10 the ard of their Government. 1hen
they determined TO weld up their luxuries-io drink
their own wines, ard 10 make their own Clothing
This spirit, instead OF being oil ect OF merrimen',
deserved at least the praise Of every citizen for the mo
tves which dictated II. The policy, however, failed
4 to obtain redressand wrongs were sttil further
ri increased By the otages OF France. What, between
the British orders in Council and the French DEGREES.
subjected to the severest mposilnns
and Congress proclaimed their determination 10 relax
our commercial restrictions towards the nation winch
should abandon her aggrcssions and carry the conf
mercal war; against the other BoDaparte was the st
y To rescnd his Edc,s-and from that moment we urged
h the open OF the sword against Great BritaIn we
shall forget the CALI which we took the liberty
ri TO make for meeting of the citizens Of Richmond,
: and the resolutions which were submitted, and the
j memorable which was proracied III the Ca
ptol from about 10 in the morning 10 abou, 10 in the
!, night Tie resolutions prevailed nron that
: occasion-the spirit Of the South, and indcPd OF Il
large part Of the nation, was at the same me- on
. frs-and war declared IN June, l-l2. But the
. disposition domestic manufactures continued
aud higher duties raised tore goods, Tor the
purpose If raising the snews of war Factories began
10 increase-and when the ended early in 1910, IT
. was found impossible 10 aliay the fever. The Northern
manufacturers struggled for higher and higher duties
4 10 maintain their iatrcs-and as viii always tie Il Q
ease, the thing mu'tplies itself The duties, the
more workshops The act Of 1916 fixed the duties too
high for they fixed for protection and not for
n revenue TO abae the competition with the foreign
manufacturer, higher 0uties were claimed: and sue
. ccssively levied in $50, IL and highest Of all in
. le2S-a each stage Of the increase the competition
4 increasing among the domestic manufacturers them
selyes-un,l the evil became aggravated by the
. Tariff OF -: the South became oppressed hy
AZ II, tnrib hons If spctt fI
became so dsproportloned 10 the benefits OF the
Goyernment-the laws Of Free Trade were 50 gross
+, " violated, well the irnc principles oil the
i Consu,cn-that the spirit OF the Southern people
, was kndled--a CONFUSION threatencd-and the
Compromise act came in 10 allay the excitement This
act Appeared be sufficient aud satisfactory to the ina-
= nufaciurcrs The annual and gradual dImnulion OF
the duties did not prevent them from dividing heavy
profits, establishing new manufactures. The mum.
Der of spndlcs was doubled, in about three years.
with the twenty per centnm duty en- the Both OF
, the present month, fully before their eyes-and
now, when the farmers and all the consumers are
claninr the benefit of the Compromise the manuiac-
turers are crying cut for lis repeal. They demand
hiricr duties because they have ovcrdonc their bus-
ness m proporiion 10 the demand-and they, who
only suffering with every other class III the
community are demanding relief at the expense
of The farmers. The meeting Of Richmond says,
they will have it, because the necessities of the Go
yernnlent are such VIII compel II 10 raise the dn-
Ties 10 such revenue point, will amount TO sui-
Gent protection and yet they Will have meeting 10
. llazon forth the virtues Of protection
Such is rapid sketch of this question-and Of our
own course for - always the friend of the p7in
c;pcs of Free Trade-but for brief period, recon-
mrndinr the voluntary consumption OF our own coarse
manufactures because the measures OF the Govern-
mcnt intended for political defence against British ag
cresson, and the condition of the country, imposed
Considerable check foreign impor,aiions II IS unne
cessary TO say that since the war of lsl2 we have at
emp,cd to carry the great principle of Free Trade as
far as oosshle and that we warred against all the srug
, rlcs of the Tariff spirit from lsG opposed it in $780,
: when The able Report Of Mr.. Thomas Rutherford was
adopted in town meeting opposed the Tariff OF lo2l
and the Tariff of lo2o, the worst OF all ii these
statements indicate any change in our opinions, why,
we must abide the charge. II the feeling which we all
;rn.,.d in ls0S &c have contributed in any de