Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1844-08-02

fordng legal encouragement to domestic man-
ufactures Is, to enhance the price of commodI.
ties, and to Impose tax upon the consumer
This argument hasbeen thousand times refuted.
has been shown again and again, that the
price of almost every article, on which the sys
TEN Of encouragement has effectuay operated.
has bonn reduced to The consumer. And this
was the necessary consequence Of that law Of
supply and demand, and that principle of com
petition to which have before adverted. II
was foretod long ago hv myself and other friends
OF the policy But 1t is ~ vain that we appeal
to facts. 1t is in vain that we take up article
by article, and comparing present with former
prices. show the actual and gradual reduction.
The free trader has mounted his hobby, and he
has determined to spur and whip him on, rough
shod over all facts, obstacles and mpediIne nts
that lie in his way II was but the other day,
heard one Of these free trade orators addressing
an audience, and depicting, in the most plain,ive
aud doleiul terms, the extreme burdens and op.
pressive actions arising out Of the ahomnable
Tariff Why, says he, fellow citizens, every
one of you, that wears shirt, is compelled to
pay six cents yard more for it than you other.
wise would do, in order to increase the enor-
NOUS wealth of Northern capitalists. An old
man in the crowd, shabbily dressed and with
scarcely any thing but shirt on, stopped the
eloquent orator, and asked him how that could
be! for, says he. IL have a good shirt on, that
cost me only 5 IL cents per yard and should
like to know how | paid duty of 6 cents.''
These ingenious and ndefatigable theorists,
not only hold all facts and experience in con-
tempt, but they are utterly inconsistent with
themselves. AT one time they endeavor to raise
the alarm that the Tariff would put an end to all
foreign commerce, and thus drying up our prin.
cipa source of revenue on imports, it would be-
come necessary 10 resort TO direct taxes and in.
tcrna taxation. In process of time, however,
their predictions were falsficd, and the system
WAS found to produce an abundant revenue
Then. they shifted their ground the Treasury
said they, is overilowing; the Tariffs the cause,
and tie system must be abandoned. ii they
had have taken the trouble TO enquire, they
might have ascertaiuel that, although England
is the greatest manufacturing nation in the
world in amount, extent, and variety, she new
r er,heless draws a vast revenue from customs.
Allow me to present you, fellow. citizens, with
another view of this interesting subject. TIE
, Government wishes to derive certain amount
OF revenue from foreign imports. Let us sup
! pose the total annual amounts Of imports to be
500 100000 and the total annual amount OF
revenue 10 be raised from il, to he S2000O,000
Is it at all material, whether that :,20,OO0O00
: be spread, in the form Of duties. equally over
the whole, 100000 600, or that it be drawn from
, some 50,000,OOO or more of the imports. leaving
the rest free of duty! In point of fact, such
has been the for several years. Is not a
compensation found, for the duty paid upon any
article, by The exemption from duty of another
article! Take the wearing apparel of single
individual, aud suppose you have duty Of 3:
to raise upon it, is it of any consequence to hin
whether you levy the whole 50 upon all parts
Of his wearing apparel equally, or levy it exclu
i svely upon his coat and his shirt, leaving the
! other articles free! And if, by such dscrlmin
atoms as have described, without prejudice tc
! the consumer, you can raise no. cherish, ant
sustain domestic manufactures, increasing the
wealth and prosperity, and encouraging the labo
of the nation, ought 1t not to be done
r We are invited by the partizlns of the doc
i trine of free trade, to initiate the liberal exam
a pie OF the great European powers. Eng and We
are told, is abandoning her restrictive policy
and adopting that of free trade England adob
ted the pr nciples of free trade! |Vhv wher,
= are her corn laws Those laws which exclud,
an article OF prime necessity-the very brea'
which sustainS human ie-n order to affjrc
: protects n to English agriculture. And, on the
u single ariceUf Americ mt b ,cco, England leve
annuallyan amount of revenue equal to the whole
amount Of duties levied annually by the Uliiet
, State upon all the articles of import from all tn,
j foreign nations OF the world, including Engant
= That is her free trade. And as for France, ",
nave !a'e'y seen STALE paper rom one OF he
hlgn 'uuchohar'es, compiin,ng N better term
OF the Amer'can Farm "i l,l2' and ending wit
formally announcing TO the world that Franc,
steadily adhered 10 the system of protectin!
i French industry!
II Bat, fellow crtizens have already detaine
l. you too long on this interesting topic, and yet
s. have scarcely touched it. For nearly 30 year
i it has arltated the nation. The subject has bee
: argued and debated a thousand times, in ever
: conceivable form Ills time that the policy G
'e he country should become settled and fyet
= ANY stable adjustment of it, whatever it NAV b
l. will be far preferable to perpetual vascillaiior
!. When ono, determined, labor, enterprise an
II commerce can accommodate themselves arcor
Il dinrly. But in finally settling it, the in,eres,
d nf the whole Union, as well as all its part,
e ,honld be duly considered, in n Maternal an
" fr,,ernal spirits The Corledrracy consists c
Il ,ron,v.six States. besde.. territories. embrac