Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1842-04-01

The PosIrIoN AND loLICy OF THE BRITISH
GovERNMEST.--Thc Government debt of Eng
land is commonly set down in round numbers
at S4,000,000,O00; a sum that would load with
dollars train of wagons 800 miles in length,
surprising each wagon to occupy four rods and
TO carry one ton.
As the industry Of England, most fortunate.
" has not sufficient loose change in its pocket
Ia pay off at once this huge mortgage on its
bones and sinews, it is forced TO pay the whole
amount every thirty years in the shape of inter.
est, without lessening the debt fraction. 1t is
forced to raise yearly over four Thousand big
wagon loads of dollars as a mcmento of the wars
waged by the arisocracy OF Great Britain
against democracy Of France and the United
States.
Ia load with coined silver over 400 wagons
a train that void extend more than half way
from New York to philade lphia-fora great nl-
ton to do this once or occasionally is easier than
some might suppose; but to do it year after year
, for ever, is a hard problem in finance.
| There is hut one way in which a Nation hav-
| ing no gold or silver mines can fairly obtain
| these mctals-and that is, to buy them with the
! products of their labor. Consequently the tax-
! payers Of Great Britain, in order to raise said
1000 tons Of dollars per annum for the fund
holders, are nccesstated to sell goods to thai
amount in the worlds market every year, before
they cac think of spending a cent in said mar
ket even for stock to manufacture.
1t is not necessary, however, that the Englsl
shon'd extract The wtole of TIE yearly tribute
to the und.ho!ders from other nations. The,
find 4 market for much of their labor among tn,
fund holders themselves. five suppose thu
latter to expend one half of their income in pur
chasing such uxnrics and valuables as British
! toll MI eli III al 81,
atoms need send them only about 200O tons q
silver per annum which little more than load
train of wagons reaching from Crown Point t
Tlcondcroga-a train that might easily pas
ones door in single day.
Thus circumsanced, Engla may be excus
ed Tor entertaining IA most ardent desire tina
other nations should buy largely of her manu-
iactures-and tina, they should buy at high pr
ces a'so.-Nothing less can save her from rev
oluton.
The rcigning aristocracy of Great Britai
have long employed very ingenious method {
I effecling both these objects. BY adroiily stir
uiaiing the paper mania, they have managed ,
dcprec'atc the currency OF nearly every conr
try in the civilized world, at tho same time til;
they restricted their own banks from emtin
mites of n lower denomination than 800. The
ha We thus established a snlaHsi-ed measure
Z value abroad to SELL by, and large size meas
r. urc at home to buy by.
The operation of this policy in enrching En-!
y land and in lmpoverishng tn country may
= seen by n mere glance at orr table of import
From 1880 TO 1910, ten wears, our gross in
ports amounted to Sl,300,3l2,154 Alowr
our price TO have been doubled only during tn
d period by the expansion of our currency fro
the use OF bank paper (and all know our price
were more than doubled from this cause) it fo
J, lows that we paid SG50l7l,227 more than "
should have paid ior the same goods provid,
!. our currency had been purely of silver. I'll
&c vast sun-egua to 1880 io,s Of sIIvcr-w
ii therefore, so far as il went 10 pay for Brit
\ goods, clear gain to The British money powo
u dead loss to us "a loss which, divided amor
~ the 3,0O0,O00 OF families of the L. s., amour
a, S2l6.66 Tor each.
=; When we consider these simple iacts-wh,
r we consider how necessary the continuance
e this game is to the very existence Of the Britt
;, oligarchy-we cannot doubt that that ogarc
he will exert rot only all It's subtIety, but, il nee
f. tul, all its force, 10 prevent Us from abandonl
/ the ruInons financial policy VIC have been pl
:. suing almos, ever since our birth as a nation.
- 1t was the opinion, years ago, of some OF o
I'd abeS, statesmen, that if England could not pr
", vent the establishment Of the specie policy he
by other means. she would, in order to invol
Ne US in a national debt, and thus create a sro
If necessity Tor All expanded currency in the
&c. states, force Us into bloody and expensive "
Such was at bottom leading cause of her i
war against us and we are not unlikely 50
to see the same motive reproducing the SAL
IS, criminal results. England's greatest ditlic
he ty in pursuing such policy al present Will
~, to keep her own starving population quiet VIII
:" her army is sent abroad To butcher ours.
no nl,vinip This n tlicuitv. she Nill r,pu1 TO