Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1846-06-27
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
THE TARIFF.

The House resolved itself into COMMITTEE of the Whole
the of the Union (Mr. Conn, Of Georgia, in the
duties on mpors-the tariff BILL
Mr. HUNT, OF New York. and addressed the committee
in opposition any change in the existing tariff After some
Introductory remarks delivered in the absence Of the Report
err Mr. III. refer to the past experience Of the
country under similar attempt reduce the tariff For five
years previous the tariff of 1912 the of the
try had regularly decreased more and more till in 1912 1t was
not sufficient meet the ordinary expenditures Of the Gov
eminent The Government had been forced To rely upon
credit and upon Treasury notes They had attempted loans
but completely the credit of the Government exhaust
ed and Frustrated that loan could be effected either at
home in the money markets of Europe The recollection
of every gentleman carry him back this condition of
things, and bear witness the a,h Of the picture But
Mr. H. would also recall their recollection to the almost in
Simultaneous change which Immediately followed the reesab
lshment OF the protective policy From one end Of the
country to the other it hailed great national deliver
1t received guaranty that the powers Of
the Government to be exercised for the good of the
peoples that the aborng classes to be protected against
cheap labor and the protective policy Of foreign nations
These hopes Immediately realized, and such change
produced IN the whole domestic condition Of the country
had before been witnessed in the short space Of
time. The manufacturing establishments of the country
which had been either altogether closed kept operation
only from unwlingness off the support of many
families, Immediately realized the vviying influence 1t
felt alike by all other branches of industry The mechanic
trades OF every sort speedily revived and Notwithstanding
what had been said about the oppression and persecution
the agcnlturss for the benefit Of few rich manufacturers
Mr. H. would assert that the agriculture Of tie country had
felt immediate benefit from the alteration of the tariff
than from any other public which had been adopted
by the Government for forty years.
Our farmers found market for their produce at the great
manufacturing establishments Nor this confined the
Eastern States alone Those the West felt the same benefit
though in less degree The of the country
vved credit public and private at home and abroad,
restored The means of the people to pay for comforts and
tor those various imaginary wants which marked easy state
Of the money market augmented. In brief period
the balance of trade which had been and against
from year year. turned in favor and general
Of public prosperity bore witness the practical wisdom of the
system it was already proposed to alter The Treasury
especial Immediately affected by the change
Its empty vaults rcplenished and the Government
abcd pay off the public debt which had been accommodating
for three four years BEFORE under the system of free trade
and horizontal tariff This of general public happ
continued without interruption till the Of
the present Congress in December last The American peo
pie in state of almost prosperity, well in
their commercial their manufacturing and mechanic interests
and the general condition of the abong classes The whole
country exhibited spectacle of national felicity such
TO be found nowhere else upon the globe. There
drawback the general joy but that arising from the fears
entertained by many of the action Of the present Congress
The foreign and domestic policy of the Government created
all the real difficulty which felt, and excited anxiety
than all other things. Could the people but have general
that they to be let aone and that the present
happy condition of their affairs not to be disturbed for the
sake of visionary theories the interests of party they would
continue to be the happest nation earth
Mr. H. went TO remark that speech which proessed
though in slight degree, to notice the objections which
urged against the existing protective policy must necessarily
be desuory because those objections and
derived from such sources But there
general question which Mr. H. would put all obectos and
he put TO them good faith hoping that the reply would be
statement of facts and faago of visionary theories
Who had been injured by the existing tariff Severa voices
"The agricultuss The agticuIutists There class
OF men in the whole country who had been Immediately
benefited The tariff operated to keep portion of people
engaged in manufacturing and of kept them at the
same time from being competitors with the farmers Instead
OF being coproducers they consumers, and their
sumption gave the farmer ready market at his door
There class of whom reduction Of the tariff
would prove mor r,nous worked like two-edged sword
While il deprived the farmer Of Market the hand,
gave rva producer on the other and multiplied agricultural
products for which there adequate foreign market
The committee had been told by gentleman (Mr HAIR
MANsoS that the effect of protection utterly destroy
the cotton Interest," beceure; by preventing mporaons
prevented Foreigners from buying cotton The theory
was, that If we supplied our wants from
sources the manufacturers of England and France would
their purchases of American cotton because they could have
pay for and the result be the destruction
OF commerce This might specous in argument but
facts proved directly the contrary The facts show
that since the adoption of the tariff of 1872 the commerce Of
the country tar prosperous than before What did
these cotton gentlemen want Were imporations
from abroad large enough suit them We imported to the
amount of fifty millions year this ruinous COM
merce Our mportaions large could pay for
and, In fact the British market for cotton was after ALL not
1T. IL
believed that the interest," instead of being injured
greatly benefited by the growth of American manufactures
Il increased their market home The cotton market had
been than doubled, from this circumstance within the
last five years The home demand perpetually incrcas
ing and gave stability 10 the market.
But Southern gentlemen complained that much money
made by the manufacturers and therefore the Govern
men ought not to continue system which enabled these
to make such profits This objection had been well
answered by the gentleman from Vermont yet both the gentle
who had pckeh this morning had repeated the objection
and continued to ring the changes upon it. The manufacturers
were rcprobaed monopo and that opprobrous
perpetualy applied TO excite prejudice against them What
strange idea gentlemen have of monopoly Who
ever heard of monopoly that open all monopoly
exclusive privilege from which every BODY was de-
barred but favored few Bit who debared any of the
American people from entering into the business of manuac
turing just and just largely they pleased 1t was
the law of trade that whatever produced profit would al
draw capital it, and whenever people found their in
erest to inter into manufacturing the tariff did hinder
them
Mr. SIMS, Of South Carolina, asked Mr.. HuNr whether
the people Of Massachusetts and New England generally
could enter into the manufacture Of sugar
Mr.. HUNT replied the tariff did not hinder them they
hindered by the tariff but by the climate and the
laws of nature. Mr. II. DID dwell extreme He
was speaking OF manufactures where pac
Cable and where the pursuit OF them in violation of the
laws Of nature voice g New York does make sugar u
That very New York did make large amount oil
sugar every year. though from the vegetable from
which it made in Louisiana But all this aside
from the question The question about monopoly and
not about climate. The question about declaring
from branches Of business which practicable and making
that business monopoly. He denied that the tariff created
such MONOPOLY No man was excluded by it, and WHY