Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1844-07-04
poEITI%aL,
Mr. McDUFFIE'S SPEECH IN RICH
MOND
TUESDAY NlGIIr. June ..
(Repotcd far he v. Y. ETpem)

been Tor some DAYS ruSicaling here on the banks
| of James River, and enjoying Tie good things Of
the season, took ourselves up To Richmond last
evening. TO hear the speech OF Hon George Nc
Dulfie 10 The South, and Southern States through
the so-called Democratic Association Of Rich
! lnoad' The Express adds, that it is 'as good
and as fair report as ii was possible for us to
make for him in the hot African Church of Rich
mond with no table, and the siinmer Of q dull
lamp to take noieS hy" We pass over the re-
mari; of the Express, that Ills speech can have
! little or no effect in the meridian OF Virginia
which is ias, becoming Northern Stale in en-
terpri>c and literally of lecng'-and that "The
I people Of Virginia will not be bitten by mad.
n,aa" The Express might well wish 10 have the
I powers and talents of such a mailman.
Mr. McDuflic spoke Us follows | appear be-
fore you this evening, tellow-ctzens, to address
YOU b. invitation Of the Democratic Association
Of the city Of Richmond, on those great and now
pending questions which are soon 10 be consider
ed and disposed of By the august tribunal of the
people Of the United States There has been no
coniuncturc like the present, since Tie memorable
conflict Of IDS. in which the rights and exist
cnce Of the Siavc-holding States have been equal
l. and deeply involved. There IS a great era in
the history of The United states at hand, which
Is soon 10 lie decided for The veal or woe o! gene
raiions 10 come. II was the proud pal; Of Virg:-
MIA Ia lead of in he conflict OF 1893, and an
Issue is now upon Us which is 10 decide the
fate OF our Institutions IT, in the conflict of 1893,
the FEDERAL parly had obtained the asccndancy,
the state o. affairs would have been different
As il was they were settled for twenty-five years.
As Virginia led of in that conflict, it belonged
10 her now to decide whether she would again
take the lead in another of equal importance
There was an affinity between the principles OF
South Carolina ard Virginia. and tire day that
shall consign Sou;h Carolina 10 the grave, will
consian Virginia there also. We are bound
together by the strongest ties Of feeling ard in
tcrcSi. and once more | call upon Virginia TO
take The lead in tie new struggle that is now be-
fore lS.
appear before Won al The close of campaign
in Congress, in which I'll has been lost but no.
nor and conscience, and after one OF the most
ariuous struggles il has ever been my lot 10 OK
pcricnce | have marked out curing the brief
time / siall address you, two questions ior con-
sGer;tion.
Isl Free trade or prohibilory duties: and will
not lex this question pass without letting You un-
derstand il! We contend for Free Trade precise
II as we contend for Liberty itself. Free trade
and freedom are idcntically the same thing
What then do We understand by free trade! We
do roi mean as some Senators and Representa-
i.cs have coatcndcd, b. Free trade, tia, ;hc Gus
to.l:-houscs are to be- abolished and The General
Government supported b. means of taxaior.-
This IS known by those who say differently. and
by others who are totally unit Tor the places they
occupy il ihcy don't know differently. had the
honor 10 introduce into The Senate Of The United
States hill To establish rate oi duty of 20 per
cent a. precisely The amount Of duty agreed upon
in the Compromise Act Of Henry Clay himself
and which was SO slamciiIily violated in The Ia
riff Act OF Isle Here there was great applause.
Upon this subject. am called an ultra man; but
such lellow-ciIi2cns. is 4 true statement of the
case in regar, 10 the bill which brought forward
We propose Revenue duty upon foreign inn
ports. and net rate OF duty for revenue and Tor
Inc protection of the manufacturing plundcrers OF
the North (F'aint appausc.) ! tell yen ufon
my responsibility a 4 Senator, that the Tariff oil
1912 is falsely and tlaad,i.cidly called a revenue
measure. A more unjust, ilorc iniqui;oUs, more
clious law never passed taan the Fariac 81 1872,
no; cyccp'ing III" Tariff al l-:;S. which Mr.. Wei
storcal,ct; a"1iilUfAlominaiiol!s and which enc
of the States of le Union less;e 10 the last To-
sor,. Notwithstanding The odious character of
the last Tariff. Southern Wings and Northern
plundcrels had been cnicavorins 10 palm ii oil Is
a revenue measure. Felow-ci'iz2nS, You have
been deceived and are deceived, ard the people OF
the United States upon This subject are deceived
know what say upon Ibis subject, Tor have
been studying il for - years. TIE Tari:tof lSi2,
inaoscs higher duty than any other Tariff. II
has increased the duties on co,,on> from ID TO I'D
Fer cent. The whole description u! cotton goods
paws Guty o.. one hundred per cent. more than
under the Compromise Act, although the cost OF
these gsads in Great ar;!ain and France, in con-
sentence O. tile Improvements OF machinery, IS bit
lulo moe ll,an half what II was in lS52. i'y
adding, the al yaloresas and minimum duties the
increased duly had grown TO one hundred per Ct.
,.l.o,
lifted the laws of the United States. and inierposed
state authority to maintain the rights OF The States.
Such was the law of the present Tariff.
Il would not be palaiable for me here TO enter
into minute discussion of al Ire effects and
operations of the Tariff OF 1872. | have done
that to a considerable extent in the speech made
in The Senate But we arc iold, gravc!y told on
the authority of members of Congress- and of
the creators Of the Tariff Of 1912, that that Tariff
reduced prices There is no knowing what rea-
sons men may assign Tor thing done. or 10 he
done but this reason OF reducing The price o. q
Thing hv lc;ying a tax upon il, Is the last should
have thought human ingenuity wonid have ever
hit upor. What too. is az surprising rs The req
son. is. that it should have been adopted in
Southern city. | saw 4 manifesto from the city
of Richmond setting torh-aye, gravcy setting
forth. that the Tariff OF 1872, which has laid CT
average duty of 30 per cent. upon dntiabic ari-
clcs effected reduction in price Now, in the
name of all that is good, arc the people 10 be thus
delu!ed Is il expected that full grown people,
sensible rejecting, thinking people, are TO be
duped by such assertions, or such soplisirE as
this What estimation, indeed, what low csl-
nation is put upon their understandings by SUB,
mitt;no To them such arguments Is itsUpposed
that men engaged in the cause Of selt-goycIn-
mpnt cannot see through the taisiiy OF an aSser-
lion that common Schoolboy would detect II
| had a son fifteen years oil age and fresh from
his classics and he were 10 grarely tell me that
TAX OF 80 per cent. made cheaper thing thus
highly taxed, | would make him throw 10y his
hooks. and lie him 10 the plough tail. (CheefS)
Yc, this is the staple argument, ilucnty, common
IL uttered; and ii itwcre lost 10 the u;erers, they
world rot have any other deluson that lhc people
wouM REGARD. II is heard in Congress. and out
or congre>s. II i the beginning and the end oi
the whole Tariff for protection defence. hope,
,hcn every Freeman of Virginia will turn his
at,crl;on toward it, examine il, and expose It.. /
must saw. that il have not hitherto exposed 1t
r. The contempt of mankind, then will be con-
tent 10 pass Tor Ounce. \ lau5h) lao MOI,
hoaeycr. argue the Tariff question row upon lis
elementary principles, but rather seek to put You
uron your guard against the decisions with
which i; is fraught.
Representative from Virginia, and Repre-
sentative from Georgia. in Congress took up mas
question in lis Southern aspect. and argued itwih
= Southern view. They tried TO make out case
for home consumption. 10 conjure up something
whercwih to save themselves at home. Well,
What was the main matter of their talk! Why,
that Free Trade was vision, an Utopia,n vision,
however, captivating it might be in words, yet an
;Je,I;tv eyisting ONLY in mems imagination
Then they painted il, too, as busbear, to fright
en- of people from its examination. No people
better understood the art Of creating or OF aiixing
words to make things oious or delicious, ihan qua
The advocates of protection. They called Their
, mo scheme of fraud and plumber ihe
American n svstem' to create Hone Industry to
make it popular but to the plan of its reduction
thew got up the cutlery Of "a horizontal Tarill :.
Why, these nullers, we were told are 30, gong to
;rnose upon Us horizontal Tariff! The very
nnrclv III the name was alarming-a horizontal
Tariff. Whowoudn mot be alarmed what man.
10 whom all Tariffs were suspicious or odlous 10
II, told OF a horizontal Tariff! A laugh
a.