Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1843-06-16
PROTECTION.

ference between tho advocates of protection and
"Free Trade"-fulseIy called ALBANY pa.
The material points of difference between our
opponents and ourselves respecting the policy OF
protection are these;
LIST. We contend that it is essential that all ar
tices OF ordinary use should be of home produce
ton, that in their manufacture would large por-
ton Of our industry be most profitably directed,
and that however cheaply we may purchase them
elsewhere, it is still cheaper 10 make them our
selves.
! I'd. We contend that protection BENEFITS the
farmer the laborer and in iuct all industrial class
us TO the same degree, and in the same manner
with the manufacturer. And
3D. We contend that it reduces the price of
the articles protected and that with ii the average
will be less than under free trade q
| To which our opponents reply:
! EHsi-That il Is immalerial where the articles
purchased are made provided they are chenply
bought that ours is naturally gram growing
country, in which all may he probably employed,
and that the surplus of our agricultural products
will purchase such articles of manufacture as the
wants of the country may require.
| ,SccordiY. That protection creates a monopoly
m favor Of the manufacturer and benefits him "a
lone. And
Thirdly. That it taxes the people needessly
for those articles which their necessities require,
and increases the price of the articles protected
by the same amount as there is duty imposed.
We will devote ihis paper 10 the consideration
of our first argument, in connection with our
opponents reply.
We contend that il is important that all articles
lin common use should he of own workman
ship, for the reason that the country is thereby
enriched to the full worth Of their manufacture. !,
matters little indeed hOv great the amount OF goods
give make use Of, provided they are American
nude, Tor the country then loses only the cost OF
the rae MATERIAL which is comparatively tri6ingj
but with foreign goods it is not so Tor every thou
I,tI. H.
TRY is u thousand dollars the poorer
We purchased Of British manufacture alone
from 1880 10 1910 goods 10 an amoupt say Of
&5G0,0c0,0C0. This amount, startling ms it is
falls far short Of the reality, being only at the rate
OF S5000O,000 per annurn, which is less than the
real amount imported during any one Of those
Years, For these goods England now has the
money aud we have nothing. 1t is TO the crcuu-
stance of our having iosiered her manufactures
that England is indebted for her present rank IN
the scale of nations She believes that he who
changes one dollars worth of Sleeps wool Into
five dollars worth of cloth, OF who converts one
ton Of pig iron, worth $50 into hardware worth
$500, enriches himself 10 the amount of his earu.
ings aud pursues policy accordingly. The
English are the weahes nation in The world,
every power in Europe is indebted 10 them, and
her resources are such that her government, tho
very lavish in its expenditure, and burdened with
national debt sufficient 10 sink any other people,
can command any amount Of money and at the
most favorable rates. But in whit are the re-
sources of England? Not in agrcuIture-for ev-
cry inch Of her soil is needed for the support Of
her inhabitants. Not in mine ras-for her mines
except of coal ore comparatively vslueess. Not
~ fisheries for these are wanted for her OVID
consumption. Not in the Colones-for these are
but Il biz OF expense So impressed indeed was
Napoleon that it was her manufactures by which
Eug gland was sustained that he directed his ener-
ges mainly against that very point. Ii was II,
curlai her manufactures that he passed the Ber-
lin and Milan DEGREES; and indeed hostility TO
British goods was the secret spring OF all his po-
Ical movements.
And Bonuparte bad reason for hating England
She paid Austria for her opposition. She gave
Prussia regular price for every soldier in her ar.
my and Russia also received from her monthly
stipend for her hostility to him. England in fact,
paid the larger part OF the expenses of the whole
Eutopear war. And how was that debt paid
She owes TO those counties nothing now, but,
the contrary, they are indebted to her. The debt
10 them was cancelled by her manu- iactures Tor
which she now owes her own people
But, say our opponents, you see but out OF ono
eye agriculture is a Of wealth as fruitful
as manufactures II those now engaged in man
ulacturing should commence tng the ground,
we should have surplus OF grain equally as val
liable as our present manufactures and which we
could exchange for those oi Europe, A moments
reflection will exhibit the ialacy of this argument,
and show it in fact TO be utterly without iounda-
lion. Let us suppose ourselves TO be entirely des-
titute Of manufactures, but with surplus at the
present prices of S50,000,000 worth OF wheat
flour, polatoes, &c. which we wish 10 exchange
for clothing, hardware, &c. and see how many
million dollars worth OF these the S50,0O0,000
worth potatoes England will buy England being
the great manufacturing country, we must, Of
course, make the exchange with her WE'LL then,
TO begin our wheat and flour must be transport
ed, on the average, one thousand miles 10 the sea
; board and from thence three thousand miles over
the sea TO their destined market lnasmuch
these articles are quite bulky in comparison TO
their value, the cost Of their transportation to so
great a distance must be a large percentage of
their whole value. This transportation we, of
course, must pay, for their worth in England
must be their market value. The transportation
OF grain and -four 1000 miles, aud the labor OF re-
I shipping them from time 10 time would not be
less :han fifty per cent Of their original Value
The farmer therefore who now receives 0 cents
u bushe for his corn would then realize but rs
cents and where he now gets 3s for potatoes, he
would then, because OF their great bulk, receive
hut Is. Nor is this ALL England does not want
, our agricultural products, and would not consent
, to receive them. And furthermore, the distance
prevents our supplying their wants, though a
scarcity should ther6 occur. Their easy access to
The grain growing region about the Baltic iorbids
any attempt on our part 10 Furnish these articles,
: and under their present sliding iSrif wouid Amos,
inevitably result IN tile rum OF any WIG shoL.1
make it. The case is precisely this. We must
look TO England mainly for our MARKET but our
goods depreciate one halt in reaching there.-Un-
less we can persuade the English farmers 10 en-
gage in some other business they have no coca.
sion for our products; aud unless we can per
, suade The English government TO alter their tariff
tor our especial accommodation, we cannot gain
, abundance itlo her ports. How nonsenscal is
, any argument based upon these. Wluld it not
be infinitely better aud wiser then that manuiac-
lures and agriculture should grow no g. strength.