Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-07-29
oial


Excess Of exports Great Britain imports in
$50 So. s23 GA
We find by an examination Of the tables, that you
augmented the Tariff, the price OF tobacco and flour
ported declined and you reduced the Tariff from
It's maximum down to its present rates. the price OF To-
bacco md flour again rapidly rose. And it is remark.
able after all that the Tariff men have said about the
advantages it affords TO agriculture that during the
highest period of The Tariff find The -four and tobacco
trade seriously depressed.
1t is fair and just inference from the above facts,
that as you elevate the duties mporations, both
the price and quantity Of staple productions decline;
and you Me duties both The prices and quantity
of our stalits asain rapidly increase.
These are stubborn facts; and, so far as The above
mentioned staples ate concerned The results seem me-
vtahle But for the unprecedented production and con-
sumption of our great Southern staple, (cottonD IT is
difficult to conjecture what might not have been the
disastrous equences of our high protective Tariff
wouldnow refer the committee 10 the extraordinary
publications. Of the noxous influence exerted by the
protective principle, applied to the silk and cotton
ma factories OF England and France, and also TO the
hinhtu prosperous Of the manufactures in Saxony
and Switzerland, 1rhtve protection is repudiatcd
The following interesting facts from the Digest
of Evidence gwen before the Committee of the House
Of Commons the import duties:
"ln England the cotton is the least projected OF all
manufactures; its manufacturers have throughout OPP
posed the protective ystem; and yet the development
Of the cotton trade England has been perfectly nm
examplcd. In France, the contrary, the cotton ma
nuiacture has been the most oI all
features; i; was protected from its origin
"rhe history Of the silk and cotton manufactures in
France and England affords proofs OF the evils Of pro-
lection 10 manufactures under every possible phase
While the silk manufacture in England, protected even
by prohibition, merely dragged on precarous exist
ence, the cotton manufacture which derived no proec
ton at all, and which even prosecuted ,Eade at
the outset, by being itself taxed as protection 10 the
wooen trade, ihrlved 10 degree unequalIed Reverse
the circumstances, and the result Of protection is tie
same While the cotton manufacture OF France, pro-
tectcd in like manner. silk trade, by absolute
prohibition, could only be kept alive by bountes, her
silk trade To which the ibcra system applied
cotton manufacture enjoyed the highest pros
perty. With prohibition, our manufacturers could
not export yard of silk; without almost cny proec-
ton, our manufacturers brcame exporters OF cotton
goods TO all parts of the world. lice rcysa with pro-
hiblion the French manufacturers could not export
single piece Of cotton without premium from their
own Government for doing so; while, without almost
any protection sound ana healthy the French ma
nalacture of silk that France is able TO export four
(fths Of the whole of The silk she Produces (7l7) 1t
would seem impossible to resist the impression which
collection of such facts produced on The committee;
but there others still stronger 10 confirm them, con
rec.ed with the same manufactures. Even the mode
rate protection silk manufactures IN France from
thirteen 10 fifteen per cent J 1l7)Is proved 10 have
exceptionally injurious eff CT for the SILK nanuac
turers Of Switzerland, IN which there no protection at
a arc able To manufacture silk rIbands, anc compete
with the silk manufacturers OF France IN :her own mar
KIT though paying this 10 per cent of protective duty,
(716O Again: there is certain amount OF protective
dutv on cotton manufactures this country: in Swift
zerland there is none: and notwithstanding the many
natural disadvantages of the Swiss, and our many &C
oured advantages there are numerous branches oil the
cotton manufacture at this time lourIshIng in Swzer
more than in England, 72S and what is here stated
of Switzerland has been observed TO hold more or less
with regard 10 other States, they have been more
less without protection upon their manufac;nres Both
the SWiss and Sayuns attribute this solely Ia
their having been free from The incubus Of hsca! pro-
lection (2o and 1t with extreme reluctance that
Saxony was induce even t. submit Itself to the c'm
paratvey light protection of the PussIan league, oJ,
a19) 'Saxony, like Switzerland, had 10 contend win
many Disadvantages; she had no port oil iIel own; se
was very far removed from the market Tor lie RI ma
,eria she had neither ships colonies, and not very
considerable capital and vet sfrum the ference be
tween the commercial legislation OF France ana IaNo'
nv the latter country, sixteen years. had eslaosh
ed in proportion her popua,on eight tunes more "l
spinning manufactures, times more oi rooms, ahc
twenty nine times more Of stocking frames, IMAM those
possessed by the former Some interesting 'nfnation
TO the same purpnrt in the evidence (oo) with
regard to Bohemia Our linen and silk mnnufnc.
lures have been the most highly protected, yet have
been subject greater distress than any Others u3)
/ Prohibition renders the foreign manufacture fa
sh0natie, while II renders the domestic MANUFACTURE
dear"
II The amendment proposed by the honorable gentle
man from Massachusetts prevails, at the proper time
shall move TO strike on. two portions of his b'll-frs
that portion imposing duty Of eight cents per bushe
on imported salt and, secondly that part Of the SECOND
section proposing rsatiatory duty OF ten per centuH
on long list of enumerated articles with the expecta
ton thereby of improving the tobacco trade. 1t vii
be perceived, BY examining this re,aatory clause, tina
ample duty had already been proposed on each one
these articles, upon which, this extra duty of ten pc
cen,um, denominaed retaliatory, is TO be superadded
IL tha.rA ttoa ~ Oar