The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-08-11
THE TARIFF MUST BE REDUCED.

ment, have averaged full twenty per centum the
last year, and their reservations of profits, as gen.
eral remark may be said to be from twelve to fifteen
per cent. more beside keeping their stock good, by
cutting down the valuation of mills and machinery in
their trial balance sheet. Their material has been
at an unusually low cost and the recent improvements
in machinery, with crowdng their "help" to tending
four looms instead of three, and at the same icages
for three, have altogether given them nett profit
of over one-third upon their capital in twelve
months. From this their 90 per cent. dividends,
reservations, and reductions of valuation, have been
made" Our correspondent gives paragraph
copied from a high wing paper into one of the
same ilk which furnishes good text for COM
ment:
"Tms nrsr D'v ,S yrIhe NewbaryPon ~ Herald Of
yesterday dividend Of at per cent the earnings Of
the mill the past year, Boston Courier
(The reader will please to remember that this
paragraph is copied from the Boston Courier OF
only last Friday morning. wing paper. Forty
hco and half per cent, A very comfortable div
idend, thisD
Here are a couple from democratic papers:
"Ihe Great Fall Company New Hampshire) make q
semi annual dividend of $40 or per the last
emission price OF stock oson Posi-, .7ugusi6
"The Amoskeag Manufacturing Water Power and Land
per cent and understood to have large surplus
nal states the reserved fund to be 5000 ass
Freeman 81 august g. Qast F'1ddy)
And now we ask the friends of the other interests
Of the countryside farmer Che great staple in
teres of the land ., the merchant the professional
classes, the ship-owners, &c.-what they think OF
the justice and equality Of the protective system, as
set forth in the act of 1892 Can they longer silent
ly acquiesce in its provisions Here the farmer
sees the manufactures divide 20 per cent or more and
in case, the enormousproft of42l per CENT whilst
he himself must be content with 3 or 4 per cent
The manufacturer makes this immense profit out Of
the other classes II is a tax which the present
tariff enables him to lay upon the other portions Of
the community, for his own profit And STILL we are
to be told by the National Integencer, and the af-
ated wing presses, that it is all right; that the pro-
tectve system must be maintained in all its yigol
and in all its beauty; that the law Of 1S42 is like the
law of the Modes and Persians, not to be changed
and that the tariff must mol be reduced.
We are not the enemies of manufactures, when
they established upon proper principles, instead
of being forced in the hotbed protection We are
satisfied that many of them would spring up Of
themselves if lei alone; and that the ingenuity of
counrymen is great, springing naturally from
that boldness of enterprise, which is fostered by
the freedom of our institutions, that it would never
cease TO invent the most excellent labor-saving ma
chimes; and these inventions have been made more
freely under a low than under high tariff for enc
cessity is the mother of invention"
The reason why we can make most wooller
cloths, land many cotton stuffs, cheaper per yard
than the English manufacturer, is, because ma
chimes are better than theirs-our carding machines
and our looms, in particulnr-besides our spinning
machines, and even our sizing processes. We heard
singular anecdote in relation to the sizing process
the other day. An American manufacturer was
in England, where he became acquainted with an
English manufacturer, who is member of Par
lament He visited the factory Of the latter, and
suggested to him very simple machine for sizing,
which would have cost not more than 5000 TO
erect and would supersede the expense Of several
hands. The Englishman took his drawings, and
engaged the workmen to make the machine; but,
after il was commenced, he frankly confessed to the
American that he was afraid to finish it, lest the
hands which would be thrown out of employment
might burn down his mandatory.
With the aid of these superior labor-saving ma
chimes invented by our countrymen, besides the
cheapness of the raw material, we are now able to
compete, in many manufactures, with the foreign
fabrics. But the tariff gives our manufacturers n
decided advantage, and throws an immense profit
into their hands. Shall we permit this enormous
advantage still to he conferred the manufacturing
interest," at the expense Of the other classes of the
community This is the question. For one, we
say, let the tariff be reduced.