The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1842-05-11
From the Een2aips Union Democrat.
4 PROTECTIVE TARlFF-IliE AhGO'
MENT BASED ON NATIONAL lNDEfhN'
DEECE EXAMINED.

fovcr Of protective Tariff is that it promotes
| National Independence.
Iodependencc is a captivating word. 10 pat
rio.ic Americans it is particularly so, peine as
sociated with the idea of liberty and glory;
! has pr2bably never occurred to one IN thou
sand who advocate Protective Taril, to inquire
whether the kind of Independence meant Dl
them, is in itself Il good thing.
The T,acle in his cyric on tile lnacccssib!c
mountain cliii, is independent. lie sits lonely
and surveys the world below with which lie !orm>
no associations, and never enters it but Tor pun
| der. Is this an Independence to be enVicd OF
! initiated!
The Hermit who lives in his cave, subsIsts
UPON roots and nuts, holding no intercourse with
his fellow men, is independent Butts that all
independence which nations ought to corett
The Chinese Empire admits foreigners only
at single port, prohibits its people to visit for
egn lands on pain of death, sells its products to
such only as como to buy, receiving little but
gold and silver in return. Thus she protects
her labor, and is independent; but is that such
an independence as Tarifsmcn seek for Rcpubll-
can America!
Society is in state of depcndence-of happy
dependence. The wife is dependent on the hus-
band, and the husband on the wife. The child
is dependent upon the parent, and the parent on
the child. Brothers, sisters, and relatives are
mutually dependent. Neighbor is dependent
upon ncighbor, one trade or occupation upon 9TH
ers, the city upon the country and the country
upon the city, state upon state, and nation upon
nation Without dependence, society could not
exist; there could not be families or associa-
tions, laws or property, civilization or rellg
To destroy dependence is to break up the 1oun-
dations of all the Christian, the Phlanthroplst,
and the Democrat chcrshes most dear y, and
thrust mankind back into the savage state
The dependence is based on mutual interest.
The man and the woman love each Other and
to promote their mutual happiness. rush into
state of dependence. by pursuing different oc-
cupations and learning different trades, men make
themselves dependent on each other and lind
their interest in that dependence. One farm Is
adapted TO the production OF one article and
another of another the owners tind their interest
in exchanging; yet it produces state OF dePen-
dsnce. One climate is adapted to the Produc-
ton of one article and another OF another, aud
nations find their interest, comforts and plea
surcs promoted by exchanging; and yet 1t Eiafss
hem dependent Differences in the soil, in !
,opaia:.io: or in other circumstances produce
he same effects in the same atitudes; and shall
and their pleasures merely that they may boast
Of their independence!
It is not an unreasonable postiaapa rrv
tbot national dennndc.l--=:-. 1rcPeI.denc on
Lacn other were so complete, that they could
not quarrel without annhilation, there would
never be a war between them. The greater
he suffering nation is certain to inflct on it.
,elf, the less likely it is to make war on its neigh
,or. In proportion as mutual dependence in
,reases, the danger OF war diminishes. And is !
hat nothing in the estimation Of the Christian
world!
But the United States is the last nation which
ought to interrupt its trade with other nations on
he ground that it produces a state of dePen-
lence Being chiefly an agricultural people, we
ire from that circumstance sufficiently indepen-
lent of every nation with which we deal. II at
INV time, by war or other contingency, our in
ercourse with them is interrupted, we have but
o fall back on our agricultural resources in
which we may find all the means OF subsistence
md comfort. The article of clothing which we
.eceive from abroad, VIC can Immediately substl-
ute by household manufactures, and the articles
,f luxury, we can dispense with. It's impossl-
,le to produce serious distress among the great
body OF our people through the dependence which
trade, however free, may produce on foreign ma
lions.
1t is not so on the other hand. Nations who
10 not produce their own food or the raw mate
rial used in extensive manufactures. are liable
to be thrown into great distress by an Interrupt
ton of commercial intercourse with those coun-
tries whence their supplies are derived. Great
Britain obtains the cotton which she uses in her
extensive manufactures chiefly from the United
States. If the supply were cut off our planters
could easily turn the labor Of their hands upon
objects which would give them comfortable
subsistence, but it would be otherwise with Brit
ish manufacturers and their operatives. The
would stop and the hands employ
ed in them be reduced at once to state of star
vation. The effect would be similar upon that
country and others with which VIC trade, from
suddenly cutting off the supply Of bread-stufis
and provisions which we send them.
America has nothing 10 fear from the depcn-
dence which trade creates. The mutual mischief
produced by interruptions Of commercial inter-
course, will always fall with superior weight on
or enemy. In contest TO see who can do the
other Il most harm, it is one of our most efiec-
tive weapons. II the British Isles obtained all
thcir raw materials and their bread from the Z.
States. paving for them in articles Of clothing,
as they do now q large portion Of them, to make
war upon US would be an act Of suicide. As
matter of self-delence, therefore, instead OF IN
terrupting and diminishing our trade with her'