Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1844-09-25
From the Petersburg Republican,.
TpE LABounER's INTEREST.

From. the Petersburg Republican.
THE LABoURER's INTEREST. q.
! Itisa standing argument wilhlhe Wings
that they are forprolec.ing American Ia
dour. and in orderio do SO have passed a
high Restrictive Tariff. They argue that
III may be 10 the advantage of man who
lives upon his income TO, obtain The manu-
factures he consumes ata less price, but
the labourer will find il TO his advantage
10 pay more for The article he consumes,
provided he is ''protected" in his occupa-
'iion by the Government. and enabled
thereby 10 obtain higher wages for his Ia
sbour. This argument confessedly applies
only to The classes who produce projected
articles large aud indeed by far the lar
ger portion Of American mechanics pro-
Hduce articles which need no protection,
and the operation the Restrictive system
,on them is simply this. Labour being
worth three or four times as much here as
in Europe, the product OF one days labour
ofone of four.mechanics is worth in money
the product Of three or four days labour
of an European mechanic, and deducIing
the cost of transportation, etc, the Ameri
can mechanic can doubtless purchase with
the money he earus in his employment.
which needs no protection, twice as much
Of these ''protected," articles of foreign
manufacture which he consumes as he
could make himselfin the time he has spent
in earning that money. Ilisto his interest
TO get these articles as cheap as possible.
But il is contended by the Wings that he
will not gel employment unless The Res
tric,ive system is upheld. He Can compete
with the foreigner without protection. his
prices are regulated by the supply and
demand, that must remain The same. II
then be can purchase what he consumes
tcheaper from foreigners, of course hc saves
that much from his income. II isnot then
!, 10 the interest only Of the class Of persons
which lives on their incomes 20 buy where
they can buy cheapest: it is also TO the
interest Of every labourer IN the land who
has TO consume The foreign articles.
{. But there is the other class-the iabour.
-ers who produce the articles which need
no protection. These articles are notorious
ly those which are produced in factories
which require large capital 10 keep them
in operation. As an able writer remarks:
"a loom in Massachusetts will produce as
many yards Of cloth in day as similar
loom would in Manchester, Lyons or
Hamburger, and can be run at no very
disproporlionaie expense. The raw cotton
is cheaper here than it is here By the cnsl
Of transportation, The interest on money
.si; per cent Capitalists want heavier
incomes than that interest would produce.
Lay an impos, of fifty per cent on every
ward OF cloth imported, aud you raise the
price of every yard Of cloth made here.
The man Of capital. instead of lending his
,tmoney to the mechanic or the tradesman,
or the farmer a, 6 per cent, invests il in
manufactory aud through the increased
price of cloth effected by The impost, is
enabled to realize from the sale Of that
which his machinery, makes, profit upon
his capital of Is, 20, 80, and perhaps 40
per cent. 1t is he that is advan'aged b,v
the imposr, tits his capital that is protected
by the high duty, and he rolls in wealth
while the honest industry ofthe country
lis impoverished in order that bis gains may
be great, This is the object of Wing
protection, this the design of the Whis
Tariff. lists like heavy incumbus upon
lhe breast of the honest labour. 1t sucks
like huge iusalia,e Ieech The life blood
from the veins Of domestic industry"
The labourer, whose wages are regulated
by the general value Of labour throughout
the country in all employments, the
unprotected as well as The protected, gains
nothiug by this protection it all goes 10
ahe capitalist who owns lhe factory.