The Middlebury people's press. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1841-1843, 1842-01-25
Correspondence of the Savannah Republican.

might De had for from abroad, merely 10 foster
our manufactures. il Is by no means So The
course of things is this. Without the high duty.
foreigners. welding an immense capital throw in
large quantity Of goods to be sold here at heavy
loss, that they may break down any establishment,
in this country that comes in competition with
them. When that object is once effected, they
seek to remunerate themselves for their losses,
and accumulate immense gains by exactlng such
rrces as suit them. These the consumer mus,
pay.
But with Juty Sufficiently high to protect cur
people against this deluge from abroad, that is
intended 10 produce scarcity in the end, they in
mediatey engage 10 competition with each other,
and furnish the articles wanted about as cheap TO
the consumer as the foreigner could ever d. and
in MANY instances cheaper.
1t is astonishing 10 what extent this spirit of
competition is carried By the people of this coun-
trY. What a gigantic undertaking is Raroad2
To cut through he Hills and raise the vsliies for
a hundred miles, so as TO make road almost on
a dead level, with an iron rail on each side to
suit the wheels that are 10 run upon it, somewhat
like cabinet work, seem to be work Tor gener-
alton. Yet within ten years from The opening OF
the first Railroad for travellers in this quarrar,
there are two on the routes from the city Of New
York to Boston, and two beyond there, eastward;
each keeping the other in check for the benefit OF
travellers. You are TO see a similar contest in
the road from Charleston and Savannah. But
tie same spirit is not found active in older
countries. Il has been carried H. the extremes
however, among our manufactures. AT least one
third of those who were led BY the tariff TO engage
in makirg cloth have becn utterly ruined and
exact account would probably show that one halt
had sunk their whole capital once before succeed
ing.
The principal factories for plain cotton cloth.
amounting u many millions Of capital, are now
engaged in sharp rivalry, not 10 obtain or 10
cents per yard in addition To The cost, which Is
supposed to be secured by the Tariff at the ex-
pense Of the South, but to get profit OF ore cen:
aud half. They trying to see which
best afford To sell al cents and three quarters,
instead of 8 cents and half, which is necessary
fer fail profit, yard of cloth which used before
the Tariff, TO cost 20 cents and more. They are
actually selling at less than Scentsi Foreigners
could not fur1ish this cloth for the same price.
even if there were no tariff; for we under sell them
in foreign markets where there is an equal duty
for ALL Inquire into the cast Of clothing for ne
groes, and you will find the same 10 BE- true Of
that and other articles.
The South therefore, are exasperared uron a
mistake /; for nothing can be More erroneous than
the belief tina, because high duty is laid by law
the full amount is To be collected Of course, from
the consumer, and that The manufacturers are
making immense profits. The whole busin IS q
cotton m nufactuTe in this country, taken on the
average, has not been profitable. Most of the
companies fnd it difficult to earn six PER cent and
keep the mills in repair. If the result could have
been forescen, it would not have been thought
best To engage in it extensively, or to seek any
advance Of duty. Now a great amount is inyolv-
I'd in this interest and cannot be saved from des-
tructIve loss without the kidd of protection that
speak Of, and which, really, costs nothing to
the country.
Some people at the North early forcsaw dan
fr,,,
Increase of Tariff from the first To shtw YOU
hat 60 not speak loosely in this allow me 10
mention an incident which Occurred 10 nv PFC
senre. when Nh. Tyler, now President Of the
United States, went to Boston, as one OF a cpm-
mittee from the Senate, 10 examine the Branch Of
the United States Bank in that place. In corr
verslng on the various interests Of different sec
ti1as Of the States, remark of his led some one
to saw" Gentlemen from he South have an i'm
preston that cur first wish, al the North is, u
drrw some great advantage from high TaTjffat
their expense. Ii is not so. Ih9 circumstance
Is probably fnrgotlen now, but when the early
movements were made for IN increase Of duties.
a remonstrance against it was forwarded IL
Washington from Waltham, then the principal
seat Of manufactures in Massachusetts,"
" remember hat IemO1st nee perfectly" said
Mr.. Tyler. O. and have often thought oft SINCE
g The North probib'y wants little, If any thing
more, than what is equal 10 duty of 20 pr CEN.
levied agreeably 10 The compromise act. They
would fix higher "a some r;icie1 not Of
great Importance 10 the South, but lake of as
much from others, leaving h average he same.
In the middle and Western States they would
want something more on Iron bat the country,
probably, would lose nothing by giving that aid
for the present.
But if Won suppose that there is any thing OBJ
in this, let us imae inc the whole mat
ter committed TO The management Of Southern
and the Tariff abolished. What would
BE- the result to themselves Il There Our great
interests may qu1e some aid from Tar #. Coz
ton Las been protected bv a duty Of three cents
pound, equal to of thirty or forty per cent on
The value. Even under this duty. it has been
brought in from Demerars as return for exports
and used proftably in making coarse sIufl5 Tex
as is tn be thought OF. Her crup may probably
90 to England But with duty under 90 per
cent, which would generally be less than Two
cents a pound there IS no saying what results
might come from high trade there, in which
their cotton would he taken as return Tor sup
plies from the North.
But the trade with India is like The old bed o.
a river from which the stream has been divert~d,
and 10 which il may feiurn az any violent dslur.
bance of the boundaries that have been fixe ! to
The current. Ide as il may seem to talk Of IN.
efforts that have lately been made by the English
% improve the crop, the quantity has wonderfully
hCIeaSeu. ~ .'' .'eu d' Dohiody Honi <oO;OOJ
,ales to $4,000. As 10 the quality, we know
hat while the hand ICON was in use, thev sent
EXCELLENT cloth from there.
In the year 1889 1t was STATED on the floor Of
Congress by member from South Carolina that
he Southern States propose 10 engage ID the rul-
ure of Cotton and it was thought thaG'if they
ould procure good seed they might succeed in il.
Vow, the change OF seed or soil that may be ne
essary in India to give such cotton as IS wanted
Iere may be made as successfully as the expert
nents at the South, and important results would
nsue without Tariff to interfere. The fact is
eyond question that the presence Of Northern