The Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1834-184?, 1844-07-05

General Land OIlce, exposed THESE uduuSl
and abuses, in his report to Congress, docu-
|ment 2I1 of the Session of 1886. He there
states that combinations of spectators, by
threats and violence had secured TO them
selves, the best sites for towns, the best mill
i%seats, and the finest farming lands in the
country, and had actually defrauded the gov
lernment, out of not less than three millions
of dollars!! And this is all the protection
the farmers need!! To seize the public
lands, and by violence defraud the govern
ment out of millions. That kind of protec-
ton, does look TO me a good deal like rob-
berry. 1.-THE property belonged to anindi-
vidual we would all say, robbery, instead of
protection. But as it is Uncle Sans, per-
haps that may make some difference. In
those days, when his leg Treasures, were
stealing bis money and running away perhaps
the farmers may have thought that they
might steal his land. My opinion, however,
is, that in placing the farmers, side by side,
with the Leg Treasures you do them great
injustice. You estimate their morals too low.
They have as little relish for land steal
ing, as they have for stealing of any other
kind.
i And now, sir, let us come to the great
question at issue between US. You say, and
you say truly, that our doctrine is-"that a
tariff-tax, does not raise to the consumer
the price ofthe article taxed" you maintain
that a tariff tax, does raise 10 the consumer
the price of the article taxed" This is your
doctrine and to APPLY TO you, as we may with
truth, the expression you apply to US, it is
yourEstereotyped doctrine'-'Fthe great tor
toise on which the world Of your theorytre-
poses.n Here then is a simple issue formed
between us, you assert that the %tariffduties,
on the protected articles, does raise the price;
we maintain that they do not.
And ought not a simple appeal to facts
lset this question at rest. We once had nc
tariff duties. We then contented ourselves
with raising raw materials, and sent them a
cross the Atlantic to be exchanged for man
ufactured commodities, and we wers impov-
erished by exorbitant prices. The work.
shops ofGreat Britain, were sucking from us
our life blood. Our government stepped to
our rescue and influenced by the eloquence
of our Clays and the common sense of the
country, tariff duties were imposed, with a
view to encourage and sustain domestic man.
ufactures, and the result is-our country
men, went to work; the enterprise and gen.
Jus efour citizens was encouraged, and we
now buy for ten cents, per yard, what before
cost US 81, or rs cents per yard, and other
things in like proportion. And our ability
to purchase, instead of diminishing, has been
increasing all the while. You admit these
facts, but attempt to account for them, by
pointing to the astonishing improvements,
which have ben made in machinery. Sup
pose we admit that these improvements have
had a happy effect, in multiplying The pro-
ductlon of manufactured articles, and reduc-
ing the price. Are you right sure, that these
Improvements would have been made and
these happy results experienced, had no Sc
curity, no protection, no encouragement
been offered TO our countrymen. Had your
doctrine of anti-protection always prevailed,
both in Europe and in this country, the in
%Vention, the genius, the idustry, and enter
prize of man, might have continued to slum-
Der to this day; and our wives and daugh-
tiers, have been still, as anciently, grinding
our corn On a hand-mill, to make our bread
But under the influence of brighter star
of that benifcent protective policy which
you SO much condemn, the advance in the
arts and sciences, in Improvements of every
; kind, although visable to our eyes, is a tax
upon our credulity-and if that policy is con.
r tinued, there is no calculating what the en-.
!, terpise and genius of our people, may yet ac-
. complish.
You take great pains TO prove, what's no
= in issue between us, and what no one viii
j seriously deny, that ordinarily the consumer
i of the article taxed pays the duty. This i:
n SO, undoubtedly, unless the seller sells at
: sacrifice and ~sustains a loss. And hence yol
draw the conclusion, that high duties, invari
ably make high prices, and low duties, Low
!. prices. It is this conclusion. which we deny