The Middlebury people's press. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1841-1843, 1843-10-18
MR.. WEBSTER'S GREAT SPEECH,
AT THE AGRICULTURAL SUPPER.
From the NJ Y. Tribune.
Concluded from our Insf
Concluded from our last.

How is this to be had! Without tonight
entering upon any debateable ground of
politics, upon any thing that does not par
take of elementary truth-and l say it I'M
der the conviction that it is a matter of ell
ementary truth-to which every true Am
erIcan citizen who will not give way to
names, but thinks that there is something
IN things, say that it is in the power of
Government, that it is the duty of Gov
eminent, to a considerable extent, to take
care that there should be demand for Az
ricultural products. Cheers I am not
about, gentlemen, to enter upon the ques-
tion-the debateable subject-of Protec-
tive Tariff, to any considerable extent
But l nevertheless, do say, at least | do
think-and why should not say it,
CHEERS, and cries of say it. 'out with it,
go on, u do say, gentlemen, that the
Agriculture of this country is the great
matter which demands Protection. 1t is a
misnomer to talk about the Protection of
Vi anufactures; that is not the thing we
want or need; it is the Protection of the
Agriculture of the Country! repeated
cheers.) 1t is furnishing to the surplus
productions of that Agriculture a market,
a near market, a home market, a large
markell CHEERS, and cries of That's it,
that's what we VANITY Why, gentlemen,
many of my friends and neighbors in my
own State have invested their capital i'll
Manufactures. Of course they desire EN-
ployment in this branch of industry. But
suppose they do not get it cannot they
turn their capital into other channels, into
a thousand other pursuits tomorrow Are
they shut out from all other ways of liv.
ing! Do you suppose that the Protection
of this interest is as important to them as it
is to you! Is it as essential, as absolutely
necessary, to their interests as to yoursl-
Not by ten thousand timesl You want Il
market for your productions. You want
consumers. You want open mouths and
unclad bodies to eat and drink and wear
the surplus productions you have provided
for them. You want a home market, a
steady demand for your Agricultural pro-
ducts. And this is, and must be, furnished
by the commercial classes, the scattering
classes and all other classes of non-produ-
GERS. Now, gentlemen, | certainly admit
that those who have invested their capital
in Manufactures have great interest at
stake, and it is Just that they should have
secured by law reasonable protection to
that interest But do also insist in spite
of all the sophistry and all the folly las
must call it, of this age-and this age is
full of sopbistry and folly on this subject,
that the great thing to be looked for is that
we have at home demand for the surplus
products of our Agriculture, and, on the
other side, "a home demand for the products
of Manufacturing industry. (Checrs. y
This neighborly exchange it is. this neigh
borly intercourse among ourselves-this
supplying our own wants from city to city,
from village to village, from house to
house, this, this it's, which is calcula-
ted to make us a happy and strong peo-
pie. Enthusiastic applause.)
Now, there is on this subject, especially
among our brethren at theSouth, a strange
infatuation. They are respectable men
reasonable men-candid men, in some re-
spects-in most respects: and yet see how
they reason upon this subject. Gentlemen,
| belong to Massachusetts,. applause
Cries of Good p and three deafening cries
for Massachusetts l hane taken the
pains to inquire what sums of money Mas
sachusetts pays to Virginia, and Carolina,
to say nothing of New York every year for
their agricultural products: and it amounts
to several millions. If we take the East
ern part of Virginia and the Eastern part
of North Carolina, what have they for sale
but agricultural products purchased by the
manufacturing and commercial classes of
New England! Nothing on the face of
the earth-and we pay them many mill
ions. We are their only customer. Does
England take their grain! Certainly not
and yet, owing to causes which it would be
easy to explain if it were proper, owing
to prejudice, owing to their peculiar no
tions-for notions are quite as common
there as in New England, though New
England is the land of notionsp laugh
ter and cheers there is perfect repro
baton of any idea of protection giving them
any sale for their agricultural products al
though they find day by day, that we buy
and pay them for their products by manu-
features of the north-and 1t is the only
thing they get dollar for-and are ready
TO drive us into raising Corn and all agri-
cultural products for ourselves-they being
agricultural, and finding the article con-
tinually becoming cheaper, and no person
except lis to buy of theml (Cheers.) Now
that's strong case-though perfectly true
of Eastern Virginia and of North Caro-
lima. Why, gentlemen, live on the sandy
sea-shore of Massachusetts, and get along
as well as l can. l am very poor farm
er upon great quantity of very poor
land But my neighbors and l, by very
great care-I hardly know how-continue
to live on. We pay for what we purchase
though, for my life, could hardly tell
how; this only know, they all get paid in
some way. And yet these men complain
that we do not raise what we want ourselves
but buy of them There seems to be.
much truth in an old saying, that 'Maxims
which have seeming sense take flrmer
hold, and endure longer in the mind, than
those which are founded on nature and ex-