Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1844-05-23

EfffnI1 ifppiNtN HNW III e"HWf - 49," N-
Meansl-
Mr.. OWEN sind
On the Both Of August, in the year 1872. a certain bill
received the presidential approval. aud became a law. IL
was called ." An act 10 provide revenue from imports
On It's face, and by name, It was n revenue bill. III effect,
and as a necessary and calculated result Of us provisions,
81 was much more. II CONFINED the legal machinery Of
a system. centuries old IN other countries, but modern IN
thhs, a singular system, aud bounded on a singular idea;
the idea, that taxes, : they be indirect and be paid ma
custom house. are, not n necessary evil, but a positive
good, 10 the people taxed. The advocates of th4s ~ stem
which they have strangely chosen To call .fmerca"- con-
tend, that industry Is best fos,ered, aud skill most effect
ually encouraged, by taxation. Ia the days of the Boston
tea party, and for a quarter Of IA century thereafter, such
n doctrine found small favor M the eyes OF republicans.
IL renamed fr modern ingenuity To discover, that II
benefits "a nation To tax 1t after any fashion bcy ond the
limit of the revenue necessary for us government The
Committee of WAYS aud Means of this House. dissenting
from that theory, have reported a bill, now under discus
SION. framed So a. to elect a gradual return 10 the old
revenue principles ui Washington and Jefferson : times.
I rise, at the risk OF repeating hat may have been Often
and better sad before but truth VIII bear repetition, aud
sometimes requires it, rise briefly 10 debate the claims
aud merits OF the system u - thus proposed To ahano"h-
It Is important 10 call things by their proper names.
\ false epuhet lies commonly nj the bottom ct a iaise
theory aud II l. matter OF marvel how vast and goodly
y suprrstrnctnre M, be- crrrtcd, hy humpu ingenuity, on
the fail aud narrow basis ct one false word.
Protection Is the chiei duty which a free government
me from New York (ME. SryMorR) IN his minority
report, truly, says, not To life and limb and liberty alone,
but To property aud To the Just means "i acquiring pro-
perry. labor. Ia teudal times, when the sei was called
OF from his plough, to waste ms Time ia fighting a. often
rs u pleased his liese load To quarrel, that seri's industry
grievou-Iy lacked protection. Or when n caravan "i
merchant adventures was waylaid bN the troops u come
preda,or, baron. who levied contribution To ANY amount
his rapaciiy might suggest, then there was imperative
demand for the lntcrposIng shield ct the law.
Such ouirages have ceased vet IN our day much -
still said. ON both sides Of the Atlantic about the necessity
of aifording protection To domestic industry aud CONNER
oIal enterprise.
In England. the proprietors Of land are the chief
claimants. Their statement of grievances Is after this
wise; w i~ss ir- rested much capital IN land We
,npIoy mauv hands in tIIhns =. clairn p'nie-t'~@
for our capital. and for their labor. Aud II they are
asked how or by whom they are injured, aud against
what assfcssnrs HEY require protection, They reply
= w are Injured by the wheat- growers on the continent
of Europr snd IN the United States of meriea- W"
demand reelection against them. Ii we have the
English grain market To ourselves. we can obtain eight
siiIinss a bushel for our wheat; but II they are per
miited freeI, To compete with US. the ruce may idil 10
five shilIngs a bushel. We ak Parliament To- Interp"se
and protect our home indu'try against ihis threatened
loss
For nearly two centuries, the iand-owncrs who com
pose The British Parliament. listening To such REPRESENTA-
tons, have decided that domestic Indusiry and especially
that most useful branch of It. asricnliure-mu> be iosier'd
and protected, by heavy duties, against such impending
injury. Cvofel J. Thus The CON laws have IemnlaTd,
their Influence, has ~pockoted two dollars a bushel Tor his
wheat.
IL so happens, however. that wheat Is consumed rs
we'll as produced that there are bread heaters AZ well as
bread raisers. The gram grown on one landlord ; 's'a'e
becomes the food. perhaps, of five hundred laborcTs
families. These Iaborers take their scaniy earnings, and
90 into market. whence the protecting arm OF Parliament
has excluded German. aud Piu>sian. and American 'h'af
wheat; and there. one weeks ordinary wages buys
busl,el of wheat. IL there were tree trade IN corn, -four
days earnings would purchase the same quantity and
two DAYS wages would remain IN the iab"rer : purse
But Parliament, The guardian of home industry VIII mol
permit this. so the landlord gets hIs two dollars a bn-Iei
and the five hundred laboreTs pay A. THIS policy Is
called patriotic and this ROBBERY goes by the name OF
rRoTECri0S.
In these United States, the class Of claimants Is differ
ent, but the nature of the clam Is the same. Our farm
ers, though worse paid for their labor than men ~ any
other trade or profession, do not, like The BRUSH 'a"a'
owners, ask fnr laws 10 raise the puce "i corn OF PORK
Almost the only protection for farm labor the. have eVe'
demanded from Congress j. pre-cmption law by winch
when a man expcnds long years of toll IN clearing and
rendering valuable a piece Of land, he shall be protected
from the chance of a specuiator selling upon the fruits
of that labor. and approprIatlng II, without payment i"i
~. to himself And. be II remembered when ihis nea'
sure of true pro,ection-,his law TO prevent the unlus'
appropriation by one man of the labor of anoiher-whef
this righteous presumption bull was before the National
lie gislatnre. ne, the very father of the American ff"iec'
tive System. u mean Henri, Clay from his place III ih'
Senate. declared. that The entire presumption system was
a violation OF all law that the pre-en'piers-squatier
was the word he used-were n lawless Iabble and tina
when n man settled and improved a piece ct government
Land. he committed an act Of robbery rs criminai a. Il
break INTO the public treasury and steal from II the doliar
IT contains. C-Note p
But. though the landowners of the United States, will
m exception in the South. ask little or no governments
protection in market. there are other classes OF mel
among Us, chiefly manufacturing capitalists, many :, o
NI'Ut lAWll llN INAbt l't"s 't NFfIE t@
of rhe landed aris,ocracy of Great Britain. The Amer
can manufacturer feels himself TO be, IS he truly i,
highly useful member of society. lie likes good pnce
aud fair profits. as IL is natural lac should When thes'
fail HIM, as in hard times they tail all classes, be has beef
tempted 10 east about for relief To himself, a. lac Jusi.
may but NJ the expense of others, and that he Justly ma
not lie sees the favors granted 10 privileged orders II
other nations, and Is led To covet them Like the tngi>
landlord. he complains 10 his government. that lac Is al
injured sufferer injured by foreign competition a sal
ferer. nv the cheap goods which the manufacturers q
England. aud France. and German, bring into The maj
ket. that would otherwise be all his own Like TIA
British whear-raiser. he would like TO have the burde
shifted TO other shoulders than his, he demands that III
Southern Planter and the Western Merchant and bis DIV
home customers shall be made TO buv dear goods oil hin
instesd OF bay,ng cheap goods from others. And a VIII
Congress. following the example OF Parliament, Is u
duced 10 decree az not without reference 10 revenue. CO
tainIy far bevond is Iimtis) that cheap goods brougl
from other countries shall be shut out from the America
market. or so heavily taxed rs To come up to the price
which the favored manufacturer here sees nj 10 ask Il
his. This Il called protection against foreign aggression
An anecdote which ! have somewhere read seems
me apfly TO illustrate the Justice oi the proceeding y
old lady had an awkward chimney, that required sweeI
ing; and she engaged the services OF a distinguished pa
fcssor OF the sooty art. The chimney was high, an
narrow, and crooked but What difficulties Will not SC
ence and ingenuity overcome, The ohimney-swee
like other great inventors, had a long -chenshed schen
in his head, and that seemed the suspicious moment
carry il out, +" Madam.' said he, /" ihis IL my plan
Will rc a rope TO the legs OF a large, stout goose, and DR.
be bird down vour chimney; II Will Sap us vlngs 40