Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1843-12-07

~ f'eoSbhVds 'houSC no tCSPCSktuttN
to propound the following questions:
Are you in favor Of Tariff for The Pro-
lection Of American Manufactures
Have your principles in reference to
this subject undergone change or modf-
cation 7
A reply will oblige, Very respectfully, &c.
JOEL BRANHAM,
ROB'T. BLEDSOE.
The Hon. Fl. CLAY, Lexington, Ky.
Mr.. Guys prompt answer.
ASHLAND, 23d July ls43.
GENTLEMEN duly received your ia
vor Of the 18th inst, IN which you inform
me that conflicting opinions prevail in
your State IN regard to my opinions on
the policy of protecting Domestic Manu-
factuies, and you request of me nforma.
ton in relation to them. take pleasure
in complying with your request.
My opinion IS that the Revenue neces.
sary to an economical administration of
the General Government ought to be de.
rived in season of peace, exclusively
from duties imposed on our foreign i'm
ports, and that Tariff for that purpose
ought to be SO adjusted as to afford rea-
sonabe encouragement to our domestic
manufactures. am opposed to direct
taxes and internal duties except in time
OF war, when they may be necessary to
give vgor and success % arms. am OPP
posed to the doctrines of free trade with
foreign powers, all Of whom subject our
commerce with them TO restriction, often
very great and burlhensome.
These opinions have always enter.
tanned and still entertain. never was
in favor Of duties b ing so high as to
amount to prohibition of articles on
which they were laid. ] have though,
il best for all interests that there should
be competition. | think it Of great i'm.
poltance that tariff should possess STU
bllity, as frequent changes affect Injur-
ously all our great interests. To impart
TO !! that character il should be moderate,
reasonable and certain. voted for the
Tariff of 1916, 1924 and 1889. think
they were all reasonable and moderate,
at the times they were respectively pass
ed. IT, the infancy of manufactures, the
object being TO acquire the skill and NC.
cumulate the capital necessary to then
successful establishment, a greater degree
of protection is expedlent than is requl-
site after they have made consid, rable
progress. The difficulty lies in fixing
that degree. Ia 1916, we were without
much experience, and failed to make, 10
all cases, proper adjustment of the mea-
sure of protection. Eight years expert.
ence in 1924 enabled Congress to fix it
with more equity and precision. Eight
years oil progress in our manufactures in
1892 justified some reduction in the
amount of duties, and generally the Tariff
OF 1912 IS more moderate than that OF
1882. AS our manufactures advance and
become perfected, less and less protection
will be needed, until many articles will
be able to compete with the foreign rival
articles, wIlhou, any protection at all in
the form of duties.
was not in Congress in 1928, and
therefore did NOT vote for The Ta,ih'of ha,
year. The duties in many instances i'm.
posed by that Tariff were extrsvsgantly
hign, and other duties were imposed which
were not called for by any interest. -
That Tariff was fraudulent production.
1t was framed by combination of some
members from the South, and some from
the North, who were afraid openly 70 vote
against Tariff, and yet wished TO OBJ
tain credit for beng favorable to support
Southern interests. Ii was shaped with
the design Of defeating the passage Of any
Talitf; because it was believed that it
was so injurious to the manufacturing in.
tert st in many respects, that the honest
and true friends of that interest would not
vote for it. Had ii been defeated those
Northern members, Who united in con-
cocring it, would have returned home and
asserted that they were the true friends Of
protection, aud that its really honest
friends were inlmical TO il. But it was
not defeated. The genuine friends OF
manufactures resolved not TO be cheaie !
by such combination, and determined to
take the bill for the sake Of the good tn at
was in it, notwithstanding the bad, which
was put there against their consent. The
scheme not having succeeded as was de-
signed, the Southern members, who WEI
concerned IN it, afterwards bitterly re.
preached their Nothern confeierates for
the disappointment.
nave more than half a dozen times
expressed within the LAST two or three
years on public occasions, the opinion
which now communicate as to a combi-
nation Of the principles of Revenue and
Protection in Tariff. send you here
with the last speech on that subject which
made in the Srnate Of the u. S., and al
so brief sketch Of the principles Of the
Wing party, as understand them, Which
| prepared.
have no other objection TO the publ
cation Of this letter but tha, it would i'm
ply sensilvenrss IN T, gard 10 my opn
ion which do not feel, AM think it has
been already sufficiently promulgated.
| AN your friend and obd't. servant.
II. CLAY.