Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1842-12-30
view, | spprehend it will not bear the
test Of critical investigation"


There, Mr. Editor, construe mo that!
II is either for a tariff, or il is not, Our
new Governor evidently has an idea on
this point, for when "contradistinguish-
ing" the protective tariff from a tariff
Of revenue, he says--"Sucb a tariff will
either raise The price Of manufactured
ericles to the consumer, or ii piU not"
Well who a gainsay that? The
Governor has evidently made The disco.
very that there is both an affirmative
and q negative to every question. On
which side Of this question is Governor
Shannon? By looking q little farther
down the paragraph which have quo
ted, your eye will rest on the following
declaration, "But ii does raise the price
[of the manufactured article TO the con
sumner, by excluding foreign goods, and
giving to the American manufacturers q
monopoly Of the home maAa!!!"
Having succeeded-if his language
means any ihing-in cornering the Gov
ernor on this point, and convicting him
OF the heresy Of preferring 10 throw open
u markets TO The productions Of for
eign labor and capital, instead Of secur.
ing it TO the home labor Of The tax pay
ing, free American citizen, ! shall now
proceed more al large TO dispose Of my
subject, and to Translate for the edlfca-
ton Of my democratic brethren tbs in.
scriptioDs spread out on the black ban
ner Of Tree trade and aristocIalic mono
poly, both in England and America.
In the first place, | lay ii down as a
truth that there never was such a thing
as ''Iree tradeh among nations since The
dawn Of civilization on Europe; and, Sc
condIy, it is an axiom we'll settled in the
minds Of Statesman, that there never can
be, while Independent Governments ex.
ist. The nearest approach that can be
made 10 it is JaT HGde, being an inter
change of commodities On terms OF re-
ciprocity, SO far as duties and navigation
restrictions arc concerned: And it was
for such a trade that the war Of the rev
%oIution was waged; on: legislation since
has oil been designed TO secure it,; the
last war was forced upon US in our per
severing efforts 10 maintain it: But, now
my democratic brethren propose TO cast
down the barriers with which our polit
icaI fathers have hedged round Ameri
can interests, and throw all open TO The
monopoly of the aristocratlc producers
Of cotton in our country, who are enga
ged in raising The raw material for for
eign manufacturers; while The staples o
the North and West are perisbing il
our hands for tho want Of a market, O
yielding the pitiGul return Of half price,
which pauper or slave labor, and hare
money, must always bring in Lhei
train.
But, let US turn ia the maxims ant
learned sayings Of our Governor on thi
subject. He proceeds thus: wi it ltht
tariff raises the price to tho consumer
then it is tax on the agricultural ant
non manufacturing classes, for the bene
fit Of the manufacturing capitalist, AM
instead of encouraging home industry
is a tax on the labor of the great mass
for the benefit OF the few"
can hardly conceive it possible tC
crowd into one short sentence, more er
ro.s, OF greater evidence Of ignorance
than is contained 10 This. Ia The frs
place projection is for The joint bene6
Of both capital and labor. Labor cal
ind no employment only as The agent o
capital. When The latter is %unemployer
the laborer is idle: unless (as in Europ,
and the Southern Stales,) you CONVEX
the Iaborer into a mere machine max,
capital OF him-live on lie unwilIin!
sweat Of his. brow-and deny him an,
ialIher reward Tor his toll than a mer
subsistence. Is it ignorance then tina
induces our Governor 10 talk OF a tarlI
Of protection being a tax on the agricuI'
lural classes, Tor the benefit Of The man
u~fucturing capitalist If any man buy
mole lha II he sells, then The free trad,
dogma of buying where he can bu!
cheaptest--pro'ided he has any thing t
buy wIlh-may just square with The Gov
%ernor's idea. But, is This The condition
Of the agricultural classesP" Do the!
buy more thanlhey self II they do the,
pay q tax to the manufacturing capital
isl quite as a matter Of courses: and IN,
only question is, shall they pay II 10 tn
foreign manufacturer, or 10 the Ameri.
can? But there is one more TACT whiCI
seems 10 have escaped the cute observa
ton of our Governor bearing hard on hi
r theory: If the agricultural classes" sci
more than they buy, what shall they d
with the surplus? rthey rely on a Tor
eign market, may il not be claimed Ina
r the increased %transporia'io ion is a tax Of
the labor of the agricultural classes