Lexington union. (Lexington, Miss.) 1838-18??, 1842-11-19
HENRY CLAY.
The TARIFr.--There can no.

qHSeNoN, llhA AACNtJ ivy VIZ NO VIC
Wing capdidate for the Presidency. His
name is a, The head Of nearly every Wing
paper; he has b7en nominated by several
conventions, and little or no demonsira-
ton has been made in favor of any other. |
this settles the matter. Could Ought belaI
the South more dire and ruinous, than his
elevation 10 the presidency. Tie has no one
feeling 10 common with it; he is "soulh'
ern mar with northern feelings"
lie is lndlssoubly welded 10 protec>
tive tariff. So fixed, and we may say,
tanatical are his opinions in its favor, that
was it even to devasta,e the South, a
change in him could not be reasonably
hoped for, or expected.
II there was no other objection to him,
his advocacy alone, Of protective tariff,
shou|d array the SOrth as one man against
him; for il the present tariff is mace per.
manent, farewell to Southern prosperity;
with us, agriculture, trade and commerce
wall laugulsh, our sea.board Giles will
rap idly decline, and gloom will oyerspread
lie land.
! The wit and cupidity Of man, taxed and
shorpened to The uItermos', could not have
devised more ellicacous means Of rob
bing the South, aud enrchiug the North,
than this same protective tariff. The soil
and habits of the Southern country and
people are ullarly adapted to agrcul-
lure. We have no taste for, or at all
events, have not engaged IN any extern,
in manufacturing. We are, therefore,
compelled to buy our goods and supplies
of some manufacturing country. The
broader The market, or greater the compe.
rition, the cheaper we could purchase. -
| This is self evident--a received AXIOM
Ii needs no argument TO prove it. Ii is
then our interest that the markets Of the
world should be open to US. Now, the
present tariff narFows the market aad de.
stroys or lessens competition; for so hea'
Wy is the duty on many foreign articles,
II amounts to Il Prohibilou-closes our
ports against them--cn others so great,
1t raises the price Of the article to the con
sumner, TO twice or thrice its value. The
home fabric is not taxed. The foreign |
therefore. cacnot compete with it; or so,
The consumer must pay the duty; the loss
must tall upon his shoulders. So we are
driven and furced by this unjust and op.
pressive tariff to buy mainly Of the north.
Competition being destroyed, or crippled,
at least, by the protective tariff, of which
Mr.. Clay has been boastingIy called the
father, The Northern manufacturer can
demand and get enormous profits; for we
ore compelled to buy-we have no alter
native. When the seller alone dictates
the terms of sale, the purchaser must sui.
ler- extorion is almost necessary con.
sequence, The average dlty, under tho
present tariff, is about forty per cent, and
the articles taxed ale principally such as
are manufactured in the Northern States,
and avowedIy for the benefit and protec,
lion OF The manufacturing interests. Take
CIT the duty, and foreign goods would be
Immediately imported, and we could pur-
chase ut forty per cent. less than we now
do. The amount of duty is then, bounty
to the Northern manufacturer. We have
TO pay il nolens polepS and receive no cor.
responding benefit. A large portion of
the fruits OF our hard and honest industry.
is mus, we see, transferred without coDsid.
eratIon,to the Golfers of northern manuCac.
Iurers. We toll g. labor TO augment their
DrinceIy fortunes, and enable them to rio,
n luxury and splendour. We are then.
n some degree, quasi their slaves.
There is no reciprocity in The action of
he tariff. The burden mainly falls upon ,
he South. Whilst the manu(acturiop :
nterest IS thus fostered and cherished bv ;,
oVernmen', the agricultural is protected r
no beneficial ext ent-- il receives but Lis :
e OF The sniles or fructifying showers Of ;,
overnmen' The north draws LARGELY
om the South, whilst we in return, gain !,
othing from il. :