The Spartan. [volume] (Spartanburg, S.C.) 1843-1852, 1844-08-28

fallacy that high duties make low prices-tok
the test Of philosophical analysis. The hon.
orable Senator from Maine has repeatedly said.s
in the of his debate, that the price Of mani
ufactures, as every thing else, depends upon SUPP
ply and demand. This is very true. as to those
temporary fluctuations in price which result from
the accidental increase of the supply beyond the
demand or of the demand beyond the supply
But that Senator well knows that the permanent
price of every commodity depends exclusively
upon the cost of production. No man will con-
tinue to produce commodity which will not
| indemnity him for the expenditures incurred in
producing it. Now there are three great elements
that constitute the price Of every manufacture-
The y; 9 Of labor the profits Of capital and the
quire what is the effect of the protective system
on each of these three elements. And, first, is it
not the avowed design and obvious effect of this
system to enhance the wages of the labor engag-
ed in producing manufactured The great and
boasted merit of the system is its tendency to pro-
teot labor by increasing the wages Of the laborer,
not for day a year but permanently. Take
away this merit, and you dissolve the charm by
which the people have been deluded, even in the
manufacturing States, and the whole fabric will
tumble into ruins. l readily admit, what the man
uacturers so necessarily proclaim, that the protec-
tive system does permanently increase the wages
Of manufacturing labor Let us now enquire
what is the effect of the protective system upon
the profits Of the capital invested in the manuac-
turing business. That the design and the effect Of
this system is to enhance the profits Of capital is
avowed by the manufacturers, and is, indeed a
self evident proposition They solemnly declare
to you that they canno, make any profit ut all.
but will be brought to utter ruin, even if we
) should reduce the duties to.a fair revenue stan
!, dard. And when we look to actual results, we
find that the protected manufacturers are now re-
alizirg enormous and unexampled profits. What.
then, is the effect of the protective system the
) price of the material2 AS to WOOL iron, and
hemp, they are all protected by the highest rate
of duties, and the price is obviously enhanced, as
l well by these duties by the increase of the
; wages of labor, and the profits of capital en-
, gagged in producing them. And even to the
raw cotton, the honorable senator from Rhode Is
land Mr.. Simmons gave US the comforting as
that the price had been raised since 1S42l
Now, sir, have demonstrated, and the manufac-
lures and their advocates here affirm, that the effect
and design Of the protective system is increase
the wages Of labor, the profits of capital, and the
: price of the material-every one of the ele-
ments constituting the cost ofproduction; and yet
g by some incomprehensible and supernatural pro-
rlss shss 81 n the annals Of S
man delusion aud superstition, I do not believe
n there can be found a more stupendous impostute
II than that which have Just exposed.
II MIR. President, 1t was profoundly remarked by
a great mathematician, whose name have forgot
3 ten, though think he lived in the age Of Archi-
y this proposition has been ably contreverted by
r Dean Swift and other writers.I incline, after
reviewing the whole arguments, to. agree with
c Shakespeare, that ''to prove that two. and two
+ make four is very pretty argument" 1t was
also the remark of another great philosopher that
all the parts equalsto the whole; and converse
ly that the whole is equal to oil its parts. But
V you will at once perceive that these great philos-
5 ophers knew nothing of the profound mysteries Of
e the protective system. For it is established
and fundamental doctrine, upon which this great
l. system reposes, that you may double all the parts
: and yet diminish the whole. What incalculable
y blessings would the honorable senator's over the
g." way conrcr uf'rn Tire srur-inS operatives Of Eng
land, ifthcy would reveal to them this great dis
6 covery!
d But when senators driven from all their 9th
> er detences, they contend that this reduction OF
d prices, under a system which increases the cost
of production, is produced by the extraordinary
= stimulus given to domestic competition, by ex-
e cluding the foreign competitor, who can pay q
revenue duty at the custom house, and still under
Il sell the domestic manufacturer. This is certainly
e a strange mode of increasing competition, with a
view to reduce prices If the object of the com,
petition were to see who could sell the highest,
n the would be not badly adapted to the end.
IL But Mr.. President, am literally worn down
1t in contending with these intellectual phantoms by
l. grave argument. They constantly elude the
t. grasp of reason, and "vansh into thin air." For
|
e afording to the Senate relaxation from these
d absruse disquisitons, propose furnish prac-
" t.0o' f',~. --.--~-c :I-r I.;~ ~~..lf'eti-
l. ton which every body understand. To pro-
J., ceed, then: have personal friend, who has
been engaged in raising and training horses for the
II turf, Tor about 20 years-nearly long as this
n system OF protection has been in operation. He
l. inherited very superior stock of native Amer-
Q can horses, and has all his life labored under tho
deluson, OF which neither time nor adversely can
e cure him-that the native stock Of race horses if
e properly managed, is superior to the best strain of
J. imported horses. 1t has so happened, that in a
: racing career of 20 years. he has won a
: single race, even by accident. Yet he is as
n sangune as ever On OCCASION l met his
Il trainer, who was black servant, leaving the race
n course with the horses, all of them having been
disgracefuly beaten. l said to him, show does it
g happen. Pompey, that with such a superior stock
J. OF horses you never win a race 7" "Ah dat's
very true" said the trainer with an air of trumpb
"our horses can't run wild desc ported horses YOU
d call Dolphin. 'Rahans hnt tell ynn what dew
n can do: dey can beat another all to pieces