Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1842-01-14
IFllR PRESS
TtlE TARIFF.
FURTHER NorEs UPON TARIFF AND FREE
TRADE.


from but two sourrcs-its own experience,
and the experience of other nations. The
former is an expensive and dllatory mode
of instruction and that Government is best,
in this respect at least, which can reap an
harvest of knowledge from the bitter fruits of
experience rpcncd by others. Read the
following:
PRUSSIA was prosperous in 1916, II 10 and 10
but, fascinated with the theories of Adam Smith and
J. b. Say, sh, adopted new iarifl 1873 on the
plan of letting trade regulate itself In this Tariff she
abrogated her prohibitions, and lowered her duties.
The country was Immediately dolngcd with foreign
goods--and, in due course, drained of lis specie, as
we have been in past years pay for the surplus of
those ni,srts which far exceeded her exports The
mos disastrous consequences took place.-Crculn-
ton was stopped. Distress and wretchedness over
spread the land The manufacturers first fell victims
TO this mistaken policy. Agriculture next felt the
shock, and finally. bankruptcy swept away large
proportion of those commercial houses, whose cupid
y had paved the way for the misery of the country"
Here is experimentation are known and
undeniabe effects, resulting from equally well
attcsted causes and how was the evil COR
rected By return to protective Tar
III. The following extract is from the En-
peror Of Russia's circular, written by Count
Nesselrode, in 1927, on the subject of the
now Tariff:
ITO produce happy effects, the principles of COM
mercial freedom mist be generally adopted The
State tctich ADOPTS 1c!e others reject them must con-
denim its olrn industry and commerce pay ruinous
tribute to those Of other ndtiOns.'
From q circulation exempt from restraint, and
the facility afforded by reciprocal exchanges, almost
all governments at first resolved 10 seek the means
of repairing the evil which England had been doomed
m nl,nl,
u)ns, because they were made from certain data,
and upon results already known, of the peace that
prohbitory system"
England preserved hers. Austria remained fl tn
full to the rule she had laid down, to guard herself
agnns! the rlvalshp of foreign industry. France,
measures ofprecautlon and Prussia publisheda new
Tariff October last, which proves that she found it
Impossible MOTTO follow the example of the of Eu-
rope"
and rendered perfect III other countries, that state
tcict pur8ueS the contrary system makes from dan 10
Day SicrfceS more erenSire and considerable"
at Is with the most lively feelings of regret we
acknowledge, that 1t is our own proper experience
which enables us TO trace this picture. The evils
which II details, have been realized in Russia AMI
roland, since the conclusion of the act of 1918. Ag-
rlculture without markct-indu. try without pro-
lection, anguish and decline. Specie is exported
and the most sold Commercial houses are shaken.--
The public prosperity would soon feel the wound in
promptly change the actual state of AFFAIRS
Events have proved that our agriculture and our
commerce, as well as our lnnufactures, are not only
paralyzed, but brought TO the brink ofruin."
Here is experience for our guide, against the
theories of our free trade philosophers.
Let it be borne in mind, however, that we do
not quarrel with the doctrines of FREQ trade
when rightly applied and understood. The very
term "trads" implies dealings between two par
ies-and to make it free trade, there must be
no restriction on either side. Trade is an ex-
change Of ommodities--noney represents the
value and settles the difference. Let the en-
change of commodities between us and England
be free on both sides, and no one will complain.
Make it free on our side, and restrictive on theirs
and it condemns our industry and commerce to
pay ruinous tribute" TO the commerce and in
dustry of England. TO call such situation of
things by the name of free trade is as absurd as
to say that boxing match between two per-
sons, one of whom has his hands tied behind him
is fair .Gght, because, forsooth, one is free to
knock the other down as often as he pleases.
A friend, whose opinion value higher than
that OF any theoretical writer living, has illus
trated the absurdity of free trade with country
who will take nothing from us, she can do with
out, excepting god and silver, in return for what
we buy, in the following manner: | go to my
estate in the country TO pass the Summer, and
am surrounded with twenty farmers. They in
terchange labor; tools, horses, &c. with each
othcr-and they cultivate their farms, aud get
in their crops, by an interchange of labor and
tools, " thout the payment OF dollar. On my
part, am only there for the Sun mer-and buy
OF them my provisions and hire that We TX | W ST.
to have done. In this manner, pay them five
hundred dollars, which eat up and consume.
At the end Of the summer, | am SO much the
poorer in purse, and they SO much the richer.
In the Illustration, am America-they the
rest of the world. Now were America rich in
gold and silver as my friend is, it would be of
little consequence, provided the mines would
yield rapidly enough, if the experiment were to
be carried on a little onger-but unfortunately
our wealth consists in exactly what other ma
tons will not take, viz. the productions of the
soil. They will rot on the ground, while the
few glitterng coins that are left us to set our
own energies in motion, TO supply us with the
means OF making our other products valuable,
are raked up, and shipped to foreign lands.
We talk OF return to specie payments in this
country, as if it were only necessary for our
Legislatures 10 vote that it shall be DONE Could
acorrect return be made Of the coin now in the
country compared 10 the amount in 1887, the
impossbty Of the thing would be APPARENT
The truth is, our specie has left the country
for the very plain reason, that we import unde
thefree trade system, in the face of an impos
sbity to export, under the very same system
anything but specie, in settlement of large
balance. If England would receive flour, porl
lead, and the various productions of the West
in payment for the manufactures that are pour
ed in there, we should never have beheld tn,
humlatng spectacle of a rich and productv,
State in the Union bankrupt and dishonored.
Congress would make Tariff tomorrow suili
cient TO set in motion The manufacturing indus
try Of New England, the price and demand o
the productions Of the agriculturist would b.
don't, la in, ia L.. .