Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-03-10
fFrom tie .scr Karen Regirer.l

Why cannot the stlords OF tho loom he satisheu ana
make money! on the rate at duties that are sui'
c;ent for the common mechanics IS question now
or,cn mi. and we wish the "tlome Leaguers would
furnish an answer to it, The mechanics were never
thoug worthy OF higher duties than from 20 10 80 per
centum the foreign prce-which Is not 80 goou, as
nil admit as the compromise rates oil ~ per ceh'uh
on the home price But the mechanics have neverthe-
lose been able 10 command the American market on
these rates and have thrYed well as could nave
been reasonably desired-much better indeed taken as
BODY Than the farmers sailors, or than The gene
ralily of professional men. Why then have the cloth
makers and carpet-makeTs insisted on having protcc-
ton of Co. or 100 or 80 per cent when they and Their
friends who have generally had the adjustment of the
tariffs parceed out to the hatters button makers tan
ners clock makers, silver platers, saddlers harness
makers, carriage and wagon makers, caphel,makef
tinmen apan makers, umbrella. makers, &c, &C
only from 2 to 80 cent? Has not the time arrived
when cloth and carpet makers should stand on the
same footing as buton-uukcrs, carriage makers, lea
tber.makers dc &C. and should they no, now recon
cile themselves those rates which they and Their
friend. accorded the mechanics, when framing The
tariff acts of 1S25; The whole secret Of this differ
enco s that the "ords of the loom toll not themselves
neither do they spin Their factories are generally
Join stock companies, private corporations, managed
by agents, living on large salares-arger even IMAM
are piven to the Governors OF the States Many OF
these snarcd agents ride IN their carriages, Keep
blooded horses drink champagne, and tread on velvet
II To nav for doing business in that way, and to ena'
bic the propretors TO become miliIonalres, while the
moor workmen are screwed down TO The last penny,
that they desire prohibory duties of 100 or lo0 per
cent These are the men who take the lead IN Home
Leapues and would turn the world up side down, VI
they could not be allowed 10 impose Just such taxes
on their neighbors they desire. When you come
to sft them down. they make but very small portion
of the community hardly handful, US compared with
the farmers, mechanics and sea-iaring people, whom
they would tax. Let mechancs-our button ma
kers ha.,ers, shoemakers tanners, &c, undertake TO
carry on their business do the ords of the loom,
let their head men hold themselves above work, and
hire salared agents prIncely pay to overlook the
business, and keep their "oices, IN winch they are
to be- seen only from s'ninc 10 three and how long
could they stand il: The % and 30 per cent duties
on which they have hitherto thrved would be as IN.
sufficient for them they for the "lords o! the
loom" And on the other hand, il the cloth maDuiac'
urers would do business as do The mechanics, and as
the men of moderate means among themselves do II,
there would be no complaint for want Of adequate pro-
lection to "lome industry. Every industrious clothier
who takes hold himself, do the mechanics, thrves
we'll lie does not busy himself about Home Leagues,
and keep up the constant cry OF Give give give 1t is
only the big bugs, who solled their hands by
day labor that require 100 $50 per cent protection,
and now put themselves forward the exclusive friends
of domestic industry. They for taxing all creation,
to enable them to roll up their millions as have The Bos-
ton nabobs of the earnings of their Operatives in
Lowell, Nashua, and Norwich
IL.
rument from the Aboltloniss, '.will you encourage
this sending of Southern COTTON raised by sareS, to Eu
rope 10 be exchanged for foreign goods: Is 1t not a
question between Northern free labor, and Southern
slave labor" Those who are forever ringing the
changes on that subject. take good TO men
ton that nearly all the Southern cotton sent abroad is
first bought into the Southern markedly Northern men,
and paid for directly or indirectly by the mechanical
productions OF the North-by hats, buttons, cabinet
ware furniture, leather, harnesses, boots and shoes,
apanned ware clocks, candles, carriages, wagons,
tin ware, plated goods millinery hoes, spades, pitch
forks, axes and other Implements OF hushandry, III
short by every thing that mechanic shops turn out
The thus purchased is shipped coas;wse 10
Northern ports in Northern ships, manned by Northern
sailors and then Europe IN other Northern ships,
manned by other Northern sailors, which bring back
foreign goods in return 1t is the thing if we
sent our hats carriages clocks buttons &c, 10 Europe
and exchanged them for cloths, whatever else our
market required; for the cotton exported represents
those articles, which have been used 10 purchase II
with THIS cotton trade instead of being the trade OF
slaves is the trade OF Northern mechanics Northern
Sailors and Northern shipowners- and are they OF no
account with those who are loud in talking about
domestic Industry" Must the mechanics and the
shpow ners and the brave who our ships, all
be turned adrit, 10 accommodate few incorporated
ca, talists, who employ their Operatives in cloth
weaving and who no, content with the same men-
sure of protection that common mechanics havc In
stead Of It's being struggle between Northern free
labor and Southern slave lsbor-the struggle is be-
tween few "lords of,he loom the side, and
the great body Of Northern mechanics, farmers, and
sailors the other.