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

FARMERS AND MECHANICS, READ THIS


THE EFFECTS OF THE NEW VAN buren, TARIFF ON
m .f FARMERS AND MECHANICS. w
Ertract from The speech Of Mr.. Sleacart, of Penn
1t is the object Of this bill to increase the reve
nue. five millions, by reducing the duties one.
fourth. To give this revenue our imports must
be increased at least fifty Millions Our present
amount Of foreign imports of one hundred mil
lions is sufficient to supply the demand. How
then, are you to make room for fifty millions
more! This can only be done by destroying fifty
millions of our own domestic productions 10 make
way for that amount Of the productions of foreign
industry. We must, according to this financial
scheme, not only destroy fifty millions of dollars
worth annually of our productive industry, but we
must send fifty millions of dollars of hard cash to
foreign countries, to purchase what we now do pro-
duce, can produce, and ought to produce at home;
and for what! To raise five millions of revenue by
taxation, which is not wanted Now, sir, SUBJ
NIT, is this wise, is it an american policy Is
it not rather British policy, plan to reduce the
duties and open our ports to the Importation Of
British goods, to the sacrifice and destruction OF
our own mechanics, farmers, and manufacturers!
Yes, sir, and this Is to be done by an American
Congress, and by the representatives Of the iAme-
rican people! Can such an anti American-such
a British system as this-stand for a moment be-
fore this free and enlightened people Pass this
bill, sir, take five dollars off bar iron, and still
more off iron in all it's other FORMS and, sir, you
will go far to extingush the fires of every furnace
and of every forge in Pennsylvania. By this bill
you will strike down your own mechanics-your
hatters, your shoe,nakers,y your blacksmiths, your
tallors, your sadlers; in short, all your mechan-
les; you will paralyze and PROSTATE your glass
works, paper mills, tanneries, salt works, collie
ries, lead mines--your woollen and cotton facto-
ries; but above all, you aim death blow at the
American farmers, not only by destroying their
home markets, almost the only markets they now
have, but what is still worse, you will convert
the mechanics and manufacturers thus thrown
out Of employment into agriculturists, into pro-
ducers instead of consumers of agricultural pro-
ductions When you double production and d.
ninish consumption one hall, do you not ruin and
destroy the farmers of this country? And, sir,
allow me to say that in country like this, where
seven-eighths of the entire population is engaged
in agriculture, when agriculture is destroyed, the
country itself is destroyed. Agriculture is the
great basis and foundation on which everything
else depends; when the farmer prospers, all pros
per; when he sinks, all the rest, professional
men, mechanics, and all, 60 down with him. tits
the great object, therefore, to take care of agr-
culture; make this prosperous, and the whole
country will prosper. And how is agriculture to
be made prosperous but by building up and sus-
tanning home markets! 1t is, therefore, not for
the manufacturers, but for the mechanics and far
mers-yes, sir, for the farmers, that | advocate
the protective policy. There is one important
fact which lies deep at the foundation of the
whole subject, to which ! am anxious to attract
the attention of the farmers and politicians
Of this country, and it, is this, that half and
more than shalf, of the entire pr ice of the hun
dred millions of dollars year of foreign goods
imported into this country is agricultural pro-
duce raised on a foreign soil, worked up and
manufactured into goods, and then sent here for
sale; and that the farmers and people of this
country send in this way fifty millions of dollars
year to purchase foreign agricultural produce, in
the shape of goods, while foreigners take little or
nothing from us. Our whole agricultural exports
to all the world Except cotton and tobacco) do
not amount to ten millions of dollars year. Thus,
sir, we purchase fue dollars worth Of foreign ag-
rcnltural produce to every dollars worth we SELL
This may seem strange, but it is strictly true. |
defy contradiction--I challenge investigation
Let gentlemen disposed to contest it select an ar
ticle of foreign goods, a yard of cloth, a ton of
iron, hat coat, pair of shoes, anything,
from needle to an anchcr,' examine it's con.
stuent parts, the rae material, the clothing and
the subsistence of the labor employed in it's manu-
facture, and il would be discovered that more
than half often three-fourths, of the whole price
is made up ofagriculura produce. 1t is a well
known TACT tnat farmers often make hundreds OF
dollars worth Of domestic goods, clothes, &C.,
without using a dollars worth of anything moi
produced on their own farms. Goods and cloth
thus made are therefore entirely agricultural
and are not the same materials used in the manu-
facture OF goods, neither made on farm or in
factory!
Mr. S. said he had ascertained the fact from
his own books kept at furnace, that more than
three-tourths Of the price of every ton Of iron
sold, was paid to the neighboring farmers for
their domestic goods, their meat and -four, that
clothed and fed his hands for their hav corn,
oats, DC, that sustained his horses, mules, and
oxen, employed about his works. In England,
iron is made of the same materials that consti-
tute it here; well, now import, manufactured
and unmanufactured, eight millions Of dollars
worth OF iron and steel; say only half its value
is agricultural produce, thus then, we send four
millions of dollars year TO purchase foreign
agricultural produce, converted into iron, and
sent here for SALE while our own country is fill
ed with ore and coal. buried and useless, and
the produce of our farmers left without markets.
WIFI The IN, ore ~ The counfrv