The Democratic Whig. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1842-1843, 1843-10-26
From the Lynchburg Yirginian.
ARE PRICES NECEsSA RILY IN.
CREASED ny urrTTFCR

with the policy Of Protective Duties, and de-
mands q Gala and dispassionaie consideration.
" propose o subnit few considerations up
On L 70 those Of our readers, who, not ifreYoca-
bly, wooded 10 maxims and theories, seek for
ruth. and having found, have the courage 70
embrace and defend It.
We will no; cay, that, IN some supposable
cases. the price Of an article may not be in.
creased BY the imposition Of a duty; bur we
believe We nay safely assume the position, that
in sUsry case 10 which an augmented duty i
followed By an increase Of price, the commodi-
y is one, IN which, from The nature Of the case,
there can be no successful domestic competition
such, for example, as tea and coffee, which
We cannot produce ourselves. In al cases.
IN which The great principle ofc0mpeiitioH can
be brought into play, i e more frequently the
fact than Otherwise, If indeed Il be not iinilorm-
y the case, that tie effect Of an increased duty
is 70 cause a decline in the price Of the article
upon whioh It Is levied, This position, ridi-
culed as It sometimes is, Is TOO impregnably
fortified By facts to be demolished By such
light ariillery-and whoever win take the time
and undergo The labor Of perusing the argu-
meEts even Of the cansessedly great men BY
whom the tariff system has al different lines
been assalled, viii perceive that, compelled 10
admit the fact that there bad been generally a
descending scale Of prices in the face Of an as
cending scale Of duties, they have endeavoured
70 account iorit By causes some Of which were
inadequate TO the effect. while others have
ceased 10 exist, and others have been coniuted
BY subsequent events. Fer example, Mr..
Haynes assumptions in 1882 that the decline
IN the prices Of duied articles al that time was
principally caused by the diminished amount
Of the precious metals, in consequence Of the
distressed state Of the countries IN which they
are extracted BY the Improvement 10 machine
~; and BY The long peace in Europe aaer the
battle Of Waterloo. BY which the effective la
Dor Of England had been greatly increased,
however potent they may have been regarded
lheJ, cannot no,5 be considered as at al pert,
nent. The gold and silver mines are now
worked NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. and we do not 60
TOO larwhen we say that there never has been
so much specie 10 the United States certainly,
as at tie present time; and yet we see that all
foreign fabrics, upon which the tariff OF 1912
oDerates, (stringent and even pIohibitory, as il
is sometimes called, are selling atlowerprioes
than they commanded even IN lSiO-4l, under
70 per esnt duties, and when specie was much
less abundant than / IS now. As for the i'm
pr5vements in machinery, we are not aware
that any have beenuiade for several yea rs past,
u sufficient importance 10 influence prices,
which can alone be affected BY adding 10 tho
facility Or SY diminishing the cost Of working
up the Jaw material And as there have been
nA wars recently towithdraw labor to the field
e battle. 50 there has been no sudden return
70 the pursuits ofpeace. 10 add the disbanded
recruits to he already ogerstocked workshops
Of our great manufacturing rival.
The solution Of the apparent mystery by
which dutes high enough 70 be proteclire il
their ehafaslsi, bot 50 low as MOTTO be prchib-
tory lead 10 low prices, Is not dilieat, %
minds whck can divesi themselves u precon-
celved opinions. Those who ibil believe, 10
despite Of results, that a dug IS ofneeesshy .
lar. and that lhe amount Of the lax is measured
BY the amount Of the duty, merely because
they have been so iaught--as We were, ana as
we once as sleadiastly believed az they do
now.--are otooagas, 50 long as they are under
the mfacnao e thaf sentiment, NOT TO be rea-
soned sinh. They have adopted their creed,
and 10 lbM shoy viii adhere, though every
davis events enalule it. We say The apparent
mystery 4 q easy son.icn. Thus: lfauy pan.
iralaf coinmadliy IS thrown into market. TOT
which there is a demand N re than equivalent
70 the aupplg, ghs price Of that article will b.
more than lie Eiasi0 value, and the producer
or.nanuaotuFer VIII reap large profits Bat
II, tempted By these large profits, other persons
engage u The same business. and the market
becomes aIniled---n ether words. II the suppy
excaedsiha demand --fhe price inevitably ialls
PROBABLY below even the cost Of production
and b brngrg i 20 MARKET Andihs would
BE- the case esel though, p the fret instance
the article vas duty free, and in the second !,
piid heavy duty. Apply tins principle tC
1 the Manufacturing policy For many yeart
We sore almlsi "a susyely an agricultural
and conimefeal pslpe--oar domestic fabucl
bong chiedy such e. were made by families
! Erihen own consumption The enibaFgoihs
lnoniniernoufse ard he war however, demon
sirztnd 70 Use an idsa Of Mf. Jellerson's Tia
nation, 70 be truly independent, must be II
sitLaiop ~ supply itself with clsthing AM
With munitions Of war, as wei as wih bread
/ But how was this change Ia ON industrial pnf
suits . BE- elected By whal means shout
one capitalisiathe induced o divert theii fund
run commer6e ana agriculture q manuhe
tures Great Britain ald long had the Who'll
! feldio herself and from her immense capita
her extensive and long established manuae
torres, and her almost perfect machinofy,ii va
doemed impossible that We could compiled
1 with her IN this branch ofindusiry. Hence
Il Sas docmed important, 10 1915, to hdop
he policy Of giving 10 the American capiialis
an n5ucement tocabafk ID the manuiactufsn
husihoss, by offering bin g bounty, ID ID
\ SHIRE OF a duty upo1 sBch i0felgn fabfics q
might come in competition with bis own, an
he effect has been The multiplication 81 bon
es,ablshrnenls employed in the maniacIure
Wonen Cotton Iron and other fairies "
I tiIwih ihe aid 81 that duty, they are nov alb
70 aiandffm, and complete with The BrioT
not only 10 oar own marksts. bat even IN bis
( But does il iollow that this duty g Tar upa
he American Caasamr By no mean
On The contrary, Il operates as a diminuiil
n fhe profits Of he forsiga manufacturer. /
multiplying the number Of producers OF d
same art ele,--the additional quantity ptodul
edihcl6bY rendering the supply fully equal
and sometimes creator than the demand, al
exciting competition between the foreign ct
domestic Manufacturer each striving % unde
sell the other, until the cost Of the productig
, il reduced to the lowest practicable sum, a
h the profits Of the manufacturer are made
bear some ilist proportion 70 the capital
. has inverted and the labor be employs Il
/ Us suppose. for example. that upon a piece
cloth Tor which we have been in the habit
\ paying he iareigaeH 10 The absrenee ni pr
I tecdve duty, 3 per yard, duty d 10 Ger