Independent Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1842-1844, 1843-12-16
Mr.. WEBsTER'S SPEECH AT AN
DOVER.

DOVER.
One Of the wing papers, in putting tho
cold shoulder to Mr.. Webster'5 speech at
And over, has applied to his effort one OF
his own metaphors-"the strong man
struggling in a quagmire." To no part
of The speech, in our Judgment, Is the n
cure more applicable than to that portion
which attempts abored, and, as j. seems
to us, most lame and triumphantly aniuc'
cessfuI demonstration of the constitution.
i,v of the tariff. Mr.. Webster, like Mr..
CLAY, has at last got down to that spa.
cirus half way house Of "the system.
known in modest phrase as ''incidentat
protection The Chinese philosophy OF
| prohibition, we believe, has but one open
monthel advocate in the union--Mr. ho'
race Greedy, the ultraist in oil things
SOCIALISM" and '.protecton'' included.
Now, i, has always appeared to us ~
| the system is true at al, lie $40 h'.iss-
is supreme good--is total prohibition. II
li,,ie protection is god, much protec-
ton must be better. But prohibition ia
palpape flct,--a nudity statei OF be-
Ing in which, of all others, tcroag Is never
caught long, when fig Leaf can be found
| TO cover its shame withal. The prohlbi-
ton system is PLAIN spoken. 1t says to
the consumer, rich or pror, "you shall not
buy foreign goods at all, no matter how
cheap they are; you shall buy domestic
goods Gf you buy at ally no matter how
dear they ale." The "moderate," "inci-
dental" system is better hammered, but no
whit better princip!ed. In fact, it 10
founded in the same principle, and IS 60.
verned by the same interested motive;
but it seeks to accomplish its end more
cautiously. II does not say to the consu.
mer 'you shall not purchase foreign goods
but it says "lf you purchase them. you
shall give higher price," and TINS opens
the way for the privileged domestic class
who are enabled to avail themselves of the
advantage thus furnished over the foreign
manufacture. Hence its oppressive ope-
ration is less--divided into small exac.
lions in the shape of increased prices, it is
less noticed: AMI admits of more specious
sophisms for Its defence. This, the willy
monopolis, has not been SLOW to discover;
and hence total prohibition, IN which the
system commenced all over the worl1, has
been very generally succeeded by the
..moderate,' "incidentai," "discriminat.
ing" system. of which we hear SO much IL
the United States. Essentially, however, il
is hut u difference in the degree ofo2-
presssion, absurdlty and wrong. Psctee.
ton cut, off the foreign supply altogether
the moderate system, cuts it off PARTIAL
". The one RISES prices TO the utmost,
the other augmens them not so much.
Protection takes away certain amDunt of
AS money and puts it into BIS pocket;
moderate protection does the same thing,
but takes less. In short, prohibition is the
grand larceny, and moderate protection the
pettlt larceny of the same system of theft.
In practice, their depreda,ions freqaentlv
meet and are scarcely divisible. liz lnor-
ais and in logic their principles bsloag u
the same category.
II is amusing to consider the species Of
reasoning by which this iniquitous IS ssom
has comprised its impostures. "Compa.
ution reduces prices, and protective laws
stimulate labor and produce competition
Now, if this furnished a counterpoiso 70
the present wrong of increasing prices on
the consumer, isit not manifest that total
prohibition would soonest and mos, elTec.
lually accomplish the object. "A home
market is Indispensable -,hen whv MT
build it up at ence by closing and 10 king,
at least for time, tho door to the foreign
market! If these are primary objects Of
concern, why so much, OF late, OF mode.
rate incidental system!" "Compsution
reduces prices"-then where is the pso-
lection to tho manufacturer "Os, /: ;ets
him under trdy"--then why no, abandoa
it as soon as it has accomplished this emil