Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1844-03-12
COMMUNICATIONS.
EnR TIE EMO UIRER
THE TARIFF.

exc rbGn profits and appealed 10 Tue wei ,Ahpw /"
av of trade s,hat the profits oil ali pursuits and trades
t.,d, 4 IN svel. because labor and capital are ever
ready to deet the less profitable trades to engage ~
the more lucr4,ve I'LL competition b'ings the profits
of The liter 10 oyel with those OF The former =
This as general rule, true and is universally be-
Ilievel and az d on We beg the reader TO bear It IN
mind is especially trne IN England There labor
and capital are supefahundant The great difficulty OF
finding employment for The one and profitable inVes
ment for the oher makes The hire oil labor and interest,"
of money exceedingly low No men understand .ilese
facts better than the manufacturers aud hence then
loud complaints OF being hy free trade brought IN com
netton with Inc enormous capital and snpeiaoundan'
mann, labor Of England. ThP manufacturers 10 Eng
land ,ra obliged he content with very small poh's
n, MI Inn s-io The hey begin 10 reap larger
o,o6,s ,Ilicns OF idle capital, e capital engaged
IN lose nr tsble Investments and millions OF poor Ia
no,a, n,occupied less proably employed, arr ever
reodv 10 ,ngage in manufactures, and mus 'nmea'ae
l., bv comnpttion and excessive production, reduce Inc
profits of manufacturing 10 the low rate OF pfonls WIN
which all other trades and pursuits are content IN Eng
land.
/, ;s ,rue. then, Mr.. Evans that competition among
mn, nonyfacturerS even WHEN foreign competition IS eA-
cud.d vail prevent Them from long eapng extraVaga"'
oro6, Int il IS more obviously and certaiRfy tr"e ha'
communion among English manufacturers tcf atr1gS
coonej be,a 10 sill at ucrg iO'c rate 81 PTct! iou
complain at the pauper labor aid = dunoant 'aP''
of Enrland and e3mt by the very company, ""'
she "a n nanufacture cheaper than you can iou '9
ti.l'c
turers 10 work e. cheap they can ahoro, ou you "
M, mn there IS more abo capital and more COM
petition ~ England, hence she can AFFORD 10 wo
Grand ~ your sh"win- she must, anu "'i'' ~
as cheap as she can afd But, SIR, you also say la'
when se add ter or twenty per cent, 10 our oueS' s
ll ,.ta oil rem or l. eny per cent from The price OF
her manufactures aud s, will sell 20 us 10 ae',d"se "
The duties Tina: IS, y"u say IN theet' ''"a sa vow,
continue 10 sell at rates ten or twenty P'' 49,
Iess Than shs can afford WIS ever grossef aosof
III
capital and labor aud deive, IN order 10 ieaf' @
\, SIR according TO YOU; own theory o. comPeu,''"
England must always sell her goods 10 Us as ens'l
as she can afford WHEN We my Oh oa'eS, "t nus
pay th Sc duties get her goods-i"r' CON ~
already compiled her to sell as cheap rs sue eo"''
Yon SIR have hy your theory Of the effects "i co"P
,on here shown conciusively, that England mnst ane
IS n sell her manufactures Ia US as cheap as she Gun "
ford You have also shown, as cooila'y ''"'n yum "
oy that she can afford uanuiao tnre cheaper ,a v"
can You have proved b. this theory that Ensano
cannot afford pay any portion oil our duties "',e
We Law increased duties, because cohpe'''o" nv
before compelled her to work at The lowest 'a'e u pr
f. Hence IN all cases, according 10 your own 'heo
ry when an article continues TO be imported anu so'
here after such additional duty IL lad, the consume
paws The duty the imported article 10 our ""te'"
ment; or, if ne buys domestic arucle ""e II, ="
paws the duty 10 the American nanhlnc'u'e' " ''
,ri,cle Science ard common sense hoo cohcuriec "
establishing the truth Of these conclusions long BEFORE
ven made your speech; but you boot at science ano
common sense ard appeal, you say, 10 iacis VOW
ST., these conclusions fortified by your own ad-
United facts and iheorE, ana such grave a"'"'''5
even YOU cannot dispute.
al nv object IN wiring was to assa fortress
defended by soldier more famous than "ourse and
have carried your little camp. only to maze iawiul
orze Of lever and fulcrum wherc0!t, tc commence
hostilit,es of graver character VIII now pay "'s
resrect1 the master, having disposed o! lhe man
In letter written By Mr.. Clay 10 gentlemen II
North Carolina some three ieaTs aen ne man
ains the foil wing singular doctrines ne tuu''''
that our .nuilctureS require increased n"s' I" ea
be them t. compete IN our market WIN .oreSh manu-
far,urers bot he adds hat the effect OF the increased
du,ics will 81 bepet competition ut home, as to compel
our manufacturers TO sell cheaper than they did De-
fore the increased duty was laid 10 escape Inc oo-
vous absurdity Of giving protection To diminished
prices of The projected articles he ADDS, "that allho
our manufacturers Will sell cheaper after the Iar rs
raised than they did before, yet having By The exclu
son in part Of the foreign article Obtained large and
constant market, the manufacturer will be benehted
by selling al reduced prices.
! regret that ths lette; 8 not before me, but am
sure that | state it's doctrines with precision and ac-
curacv The first absur1ity ioh this letter MAIN
tans IS no less than asserting that part, is greater
than he whole. For. onr Union IS small part OF the
world, but the competition here, under protective
Tariff is greater according TO Mr. Clay, than the com
pet,Ion nf the whole world combined, when we have
no Protective Tariff Hence prices are lowest "heh
oompe i,on or ltcs', and competition is greatest uh
der monopoly which gives the whole market 10
few Bnt may do him injustice. he may contem-
Mate IN. partial ex 'usion Of foreign competition
Sill the theory is the same. Lessen the NUMBER o.
competitors grant monopoes and favors TO some, and
tax and ,ede others, and, says Mr. Clay, you WIZ
increase competi,lon. 1t is still the same aasurdity,
that part ia greater than the whole But MI
CLAW NAV saw and probably does say IN th's
same letter that the English manufacturers wheh
We have no protective tariff, combine to flood on'
market and sell n prices lower than they or we
IL. rfprr mi nrt II
hnv, less capital canno, carry on Tins losing bus
a. l,nn as ,hr Eugsh and that, hitter they have
en- broken IN our manufacturers they viii have mo-
nonolv c our market and charge higher prices thai
our own manufacturers would have done This is Mr.
Claws theory nnsustaned by facts: therefore, to refute
!, have only 10 show, that 1t absurd and impossible
In tho first place. If II were possible Tor all The manu-
octurers in England combine and agree to sell then
ooods at a sacrifice u.s. IN order 10 break down ou'
mannfacturers t would be impossible 10 form such
aa.,b;ro,;on and agreement among great number Of
mo, On secretly that evidence Of the fact should
leak out, and no proof offered that such combination
was ever agreed But, m the second place, they
coula nave no temptation or nducement whatever tt
eood our market and sell at sacrifice to break
down our manufacturers, because they would gain
ro,hnr BY dong ! Will now introduce Mi
F,,,. lpyar and .ucfum. 'Comp petition in trade
dnces he profits of the saons Nocators N lite 10 tht
same level com. atltion in England is much greater
Than it is mere, because labor anu capital are more
abundant there, and aIsr cheaper renee the Eng. sh
, manufacturer mus, work cheaper than CAD, ano
must breaa manu- ciurers II suffered reelv to
conneta v,,r thea b after they have broken
them down, this competition at home Will compel
them to sell cLeap they can afard-hence they
viii have made by combination temporary sacrifice
of profits 10 break down our manufacturers, and ac-
co-d,ue 10 Mr.. Evans's theory Of competition, will b.
Obliged to sell as after this iood'rg experiment as
hey did before for, the competition IN England re-
MAINS md hat is TN times more formidable and con
trolling than American competition. II they attempt
10 RAISE their prices and make large profits in our mar
kei, when they thus ret the monopoly OF II, millions
Of capital and millions of laborers ready TO compete
with them, aud thus having conquered our manuiac.
urers, they viii have achieved an empty victory as
long as money und men unproflably employed remain
in England
| But far the most obvious and glaring absurd'y in
Mr. Claws letter, is that where he says "that pro-
tectiye Tariff will reduce the prices of the protected
articles and yet, by giving larger and steadler mar
ket 10 the producer OF those articles benefit The
fscturer
The anecdo,e oc the coal merchant, who said he lost
on every bushel OF conl which he sold, but made up
i bv linn n precise v