The spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1840-1844, 1842-09-30
TIE LORDS OF THE LOOM, AND
THEIR TARIFF.

There /. ,rickery concealed under VIVA, is
called the minimum principle Of the new tariff,
that ought 10 be exposed. 1t is intended to favor
the "lurds of The loom and no others. Take the
duties on cotton goods for instance. A superficial
reader would suppose, on first looking over the
act, that cotton goods were protected by duties Of
thirty per cent. only; whereas, the section is so
con,rivet as to give them generally, protection
Of one hundred per cent. It Is in The proyso,
which, says, that the goods if costing less than 20
cents yard in the foreign country, shall be val
ucd here u, twenty cents; and that duty of thir-
t, per cent. shall be put on this assumed or fci-
lious value. Now it Is notorious that The foreign
cost Of the mess of cotton goods, is not over six cts
the square yard, and yet they arc 10 be estimated
under this net, to he worth twenty cents, and then
duty Of thirty per cent OIL this estimate, is to bo
fixed ON them: which would be about six cents u
ward for the duty-a sum equal 10 the foreign
cost; or in other words, one hundred per cent du.
HesM
Then again, as to fannels, the most common
necessary and general article OF woolen That Is us
ed The act puts duty Of fourteen cents yard
on nannels, no matter how cheap may have been
tho foreign cost. This is equal TO abou, eighty
per cent. OH the foreign cost Of common flannel.
It is the same an bookings and baizes, that arc
worn so commonly by laborcrs, srar,ring men,
boancn and mechanics. II is by such contriyan.
ces, which do not ut first meet the eye Of The rea-
der Of the act, that the ''oIds Of the loom" are TO
be privileged over and above all other classes
these same lords" who have fobbcd Off the Gar.
ncrs with duty Of fire per cent on common wool
while they modestly take to Themselves eighty and
one hundred per cent. on the fabrics OF their sop
pralives ''-,hc same operatives whom they lead
up by batiallions, regiments and brisades, 10 vote
the wing ticket. II while taking these 50 and 100
per cen, duties for their own protection, they cloth
ed Us from American wool, raised on the farms Of
American citizens, il would BIO more tolerable.-
Bu, tha, they will not do; they prefer to make
their Hannes, bazes, blankets and common cloths,
from foreign wool, which they import at the NOM
ina rate Of fire per cent, and while thus cover
ing our back. with it, they get up meetings for
" Home Leagues" and bawl loudest for the A.
merican system. Did ever the experiments Of
wooden nu,megs go beyond this And then to
carry on the hambng, they gravely put duties on
foreign pork. beef, potatoes, and wheat-articlcs
which never are imported, and never could be IN
der any circumstances unless in sea 'os Of famine
They are very liberal to give the farmer protection
where he does moi need j. and never asked it. hui
when they como to the only article that is luierfer
ed with by the foreign producers-,he wool Of hi.
shcepfpe per cent. j. the extent Of their liberali
t.. Nor is this tho worst Of il; for in another sec.
ton they have actually taxed the "cuttins knives,
sicLles. rcapng hooks, scy,hc,, spades and SHOW