New-York daily tribune., 1843-06-24
Mr. Webster's Commercial Treaty Scheme,
Letter from n distinguished Ex-senator OF
the United States.

Letter from distinguished Ex-senator o.
the United States.
We take peculiar pleasure IN presenting to the
public the subjoined letter, addressed TO citzer
of this State, upon the recent movement of Mr.
Webster, in relation to the Tarlff and CONNER
cial Reciprocity. In our view, It is a paper o.
extraordinary orcefulness, and deserves the most
respectful attention The writer Of this letter is
one whose high reputation, growing out of past
services in the public councils, and his present
eminent position, would give to any views put
forth under the sanction OF his name weight Of
authority not inferior TO that of Mr.. Webster hln-
self. The opinions gwen below were drawn from
him in reply to a friendly letter, and were not III
tended for publication But the friend to whom
they were addressed, considered them too va!ua-
BILE and important to be withheld from the pubic
Phad. Ing.
THE LETTER.
have seen nothing 50 alarming TO the Manu-
featuring Interest of this country tor many years
past. nothing so well calculated TO excite Just ap
prehension of danger to the great cause OF Pro-
lection to Homo Labor, as the proposition of
Commercial Treaty with England, shadowed
forth by Mr. Webster, in his late speech at Balr-
more the outlines and ramfications Of which are
daily being more clearly defined and exposed to
the present Administration. Do not understand
me as having entertained the most distant idea
that such Commercial Treaty as Mr.. Webster
has suggested in his Baltimore speech, could be
negotiated with England, and sustained by Con-
gress; without whose steady support such
treaty, as shall presently attempt to show you,
would be but little better than dead letter. The
whole scheme appears to me to be one OF the wild
est and most UtOplan visions that ever Dcwldered
the imagination OF a practical statesman. Yet
the suggestion, however mpractlcable, IS one
which, considering the source from which II
springs the political objects which its author had
view, at the time he made 1t, and It's necessary
tendency to distract and divide the friends oil DO
mesic industry, fully justfcs all | have sad OF
the danger to be apprehended from It. we must
meet it Immediately, and expose 1t IN its true
coiors before it has had time to excite the hostility
of the farmers against the mechanics and manu-
facturers of the country; for, if it can achieve
this object, and thereby induce the agncutunss
to throw their votes at the approaching Preslden-
tal Election in opposition to the tried friends OF
the Tariff, and in favor of Mr. Websters new
ally in the South, it will have effected the only
real object which its author had in view, ever
expected to attain from it. When | say this,
however, let me not be understood as doubling
that there are many honest and good men who
are perfectly sincere IN their advocacy OF this
scheme, and that many OF the enemies OF the
Tariff confidently expect, by this means, to Sc
cure the repeal of the law passed by Wing
Congress at the last session, under the effects OF
which the country seems to be gradually rising
from state Of utter prostration.
The plan suggested proposes that the principal
staples of the South shall, by means of a treaty
or I" commercial arrangement" with England. 90
to that country at a low fixed rate of duty. The
staples specified as being thus about to gain new
or better market in the world, are rice, cotton to-
bacco, Indian corn, and bacon. These are particu-
larIy mentioned, although the lure to the agrcul-
turst is intended to be as general possible. Mr..
Webster expressly admits that no alteration IN the
English Corn Laws possibly be had in his
own opinion. He tells us, that reduction on
the present enormous duties upon American
Wheat and Flour is to be expected from England.
But he is kind and candid enough to assure us all
in the most emphatic language, that the only |
equivalent winch England vii! condescend to ac-
cept from u.s. in return for her reduction OF duties
on articles specified, is modification or reduction
of our own Tariff, generally. We are not given
to understand ho W great the reduction VIII
be in the amount of duties which will be de-
mapded from us; nor Is singl article named, |
the manufacturer of which is destined TO be the
victim of this commercial arrangement The
speech.maker, with all the tact Of veteran law
yer deals only in generaties when touching this I
most delicate part OF his case; and we are lett
to the fair inierence-the only one indeed which I
we can draw from his remarks-that the Amer |
can reduction of duties on the Importation OF
British manufactures Is to be general. and so gen
eral too, as will fully satisfy the demands OF Eng
land, and the wants of her starving operatives
Every mechanic and manufacturer among US,
when searching for the rate OF duty, at which the
article of the class produced by hm Is to be ad
mitted into this country, will, II he be man OF
sense, fill the blank left by Mr.. Webster for him.
with such an impost will admit the British ope-
rative to full competition with hun IN the mar
kets of his own country.
While about to inquire INTO the practlcablhty
of the proposed arrangement with Eng land, we
ought, one would think, to ask ourselves whether
she would probably assent to any considerable re-
duction in her duties on articles produced bv us
On the 9Th OF last month, the annual budget was
laid before the House of Commons by the Chan
cellor of the EXcheQuer; and, IN the debate that
ensued, it was demonstrated that there was
falling off in the gross revenue anticipated by SIR
Robert Peel, of nearly two millions sterling Tor
the wear. The Chinese silver has saved the En-
cheGuer most opportunely from some of the dis
asters which must have cnSucd from gross
miscalcuaton. leave Others to Judge whether,
under such circumstances, Mr.. Webster, or any
Secretary at Washington, with the aid OF Pres.
dent Tyler to help hun, could persuade the British
Minister 10 reduce the duties on Tobacco Mr..
Webster has imagined or. indeed, upon any one
of the articles of American produce enumerated
in his list. Let 1t be remembered, that, during
the year lS4l the whole importation from foreign
countries into the United States was Sl2l,945,,
900, upon which the whole amount of duties LAID
by us was Sl4,4S7, ,000-being al the rate OF III
ner cent only: while on the other hand. IN that