The Whig standard. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1843-1844, 1844-04-11

Task the committee upon what principle of
national policy this measure Production Of duties]
is sustained2
[Mr. DRoMGoobE replied to enable bare-headed
people to buy cheap hats
To enable bare-headed people to buy, cheap
hats Sir, let me tell the gentleman, if he cars
ries this measure, the poor people Of this coun-
try would not only 60 bare-headed but bare
backed they would be doomed, like the pau
pers Of Europe, to 60 half fed and half clad. The
tariff, sir, is "the poor mans law;" it is this
and this alone that gives him employment and
wages. Just as the tariff goes down, the wages
of labor will go down with it. Repeal the ia
the gentlemans fayorite plan of free
trade" and you will bring down the labor here,
in every department of industry, TO the level Of
the labor Of the serfs and paupers of Europe
This is certain-it is inevitable. AS certain as
the laws of gravitation--as inevitable as that
the removal of an obstruction between two un-
equal bodies Of water, will reduce the one to
the level of the other. Repeal the tariff, and
what is there to prevent our country from being
instantly inundated with the productions of the
low priced labor of Europe? When hatters,
shoemakers, blacksmiths, and all must come
down and work as cheap as they do, or give up
the market With the present facilities OF in
tercourse by steamships, you might as well at
tempt to establish higher wages and higher pri-
ces on one side of street than on the other, as
to establish aud sustain higher prices andwages
here than in Europe, under the dellsive and Eu-
topian scheme of " free trade" But, sir, this
scheme would bring in its train other and more
fearful consequences. Adopt this scheme, and
you will soon bring down and degrade the now
only 10 the moral, but 10 the political condition
Of the slaves and serFs Of Europe BY reducing
their wages, you deprive the poor man OF the
means of educating h s children and fitting them
to be free. BY thus depressing one class of your
people, YOU necessarily elevate another. You
divide society horizontally into upper and lower
Observation-Disclosures and titles supervene-jeal-
ousies and finally hostilities follow, and liberty
itself is in the end swallowed up in monarchy.
Such are the political and moral tendencies of
every step in the direction Of free trade The
protective policy is therefore democratic in its
character and tendencies, it is policy which
promotes equdlty not by depressing one class,
but by eevating abby elevating, sustaining,
and protecting the labor of your own country
against the ruinous and degrading effects Of
too free competition with the low priced and de-
pressed labor Of Europe. These are views which
belong to this subject, and should not be over
looked or disregarded by those who represent
the free labor OF this country, and especially by
those who make professions Of democracy and
Ioue of the people Now is the time, and this is
the question, to test their sincerity.
THE DUTIES ADDED TO THE PRICE, NOT TRUE.
The great and leading objection to the pro-
tective policy is that the duties are added TO the
price. and paid by the consumers. This objec-
ton lies at the foundation OF the opposition TO
this policy; and, if unfounded, this opposition
ought TO cease. The duty is added to the price;
III S is the theory. Now, sir, how is the fact;
what says experience All experience proves
that this objection has no existence, save in the
imagnations Of those who make it.
Now, sir, | lay it down as general PROPOSE
ton, that there never was high protective du-
~ imposed upon any article, from the founda-
ton Of this Government to the present day, the
price of which has not been in the end reduced
greatly reduced-in many instances to one-half,
one-third, and one-fourth of what il had been
before these protective duties were imposed.
This, sir, may seem to gentlemen on the other
side to be strong declaration; but, sir, make
it deliberately, with full conviction Of its truth,
and challenge gentlemen to disprove It'll de-
fly them to point out single instance TO the con-
trary. Let them examine, and they will find
invariably that, wherever the duties have been
highest, the prices have ultimately come down
the lowest, and for very obvious reason-hlsh
duties promote competition, and competition
never fails to bring down prices. This effect IS
invariable and universal but unfortunately the
duties always run up as the prices run down;
hence the ffigh,ful lists Of duties exhibited by
the Committee of Ways and Means, amounting
to 2OO 300, and 400 per cent. When first inn
posed these duties were but 80 or 40 per cent.
but now, owing to the reduction Of prices, they
have run up to 200 or 800 per cent. BY way Of
illustration, take The article of glass, on which
duty of $4 box was imposed at time when
glas, cost $l2; this was then a duty Of 33 per
cent, but now when home competition, induced
by this protective duty, has brought down the
price 10 50 box, the duty, owing TO this reduc.
lion OF price, is 200 per cent. instead of 80; the
same is true of many other articles on which the
duty, when imposed, did not exceed 70 or 80 per
cent, but now, owing to reduction Of price pro-
duced by home compe i,ion, they amount to
or 300 per cent. When four cents per pound
duty was put on cut nails, the price was twelve