Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1846-05-15

Mos, certainly, unle.s the Secretary can in his wis
don devise plan 10 make people eat drink, wear
double as much rs they now do: But where will we
find money to pay Tor them 7 TIL res the rub. hut
startling and extraordinary rs it may appear. our Sc
cre,ary, for The first time in the history Of the world,
has loldly and openly nvuwed il as the ,l' Ct 81 Go
yernment to break down and d, stroy lis own manu-
lactu'es for the purpose Of making way for pse OF
foreigners. In the very first pa agraph oil his hrpu-
menta'ivc tctolt he SEES ohi with stating that the
revenue Of the first quarter of this year is Two millions
less than the ri quarter of the last and this has been
occas o'ed by the su6,tiution IF high'y protected
American manufactures for .toreign imports; mud
this evil, this terrible evil thus American Secretary
proposes 10 remedy by reducing the protective duties,
and thus breaking up this nbominabe business Of
substituting domestic products" made by American
labor out OF American ronce' for British goods
made by British Labor out of British produce. Oh
but he hates the British Now, sir, this is not only
the doctrine Of his eri but it through his whole
sermon of 957 pages No wonder II was printed by
me House OF Lords and le, onr Secretary carry
through this bill, and Green Vicro ia world gladly
transfer the seals from Sur Robert Peel TO Sit Robert
Walker, for he will have rendered her better service
than any other man. dend or living.
But this is not only the doctrine Of the Treasury
report, hut of the message ITSELF The revenue stan
dard laid down in the message aims death blow al
all American ind Isity II suggc.is kind of sliding
scaie," 50 that whenever anv ranch Of American in
| dus'rv leens 10 beat TIE foreigner, and supply the
! market, and thereby diminish imports and revenue
this ia evidence hatihe duty is too hieh and ought to
be reduced So as lo,t in the foreign rival productions
/
revenue standard in his own words.
The precise point IN the ascending scn'e Of duties
nj which it ia asccrtancd from experience that the
venue is grpacst i, the maximum rate OF duty winch
can lie laid for the bon, fle purpose of collecting
money for the support Of q vcrnmeni. To rai.e the
duties higher than tina, point, AMI thereby diminish
| the amount collected, ia 10 levy them for protection
merely, and not for revenue. As long, then Con.
gress may gradually increase the rate of duty, they
are within the revenue standard. When they go be.
yond that point, and ms they increase the duties the
rev, nue. is diminished ct DESTROYED the act to
have Tor It's object the ral>lne of money TO support
Government, b II IS for protection merely"
What is this but n rue to favor foreigners and
break down Americans? The moment the American
by his superior industry and SIX III begins 10 snrceed,
| then the duty must been To down so to in.
crease foreign imports and revenue This is the plain
and inevitable operation of the rule, and who would
60 INTO manufacturing under such an ami. American
rule ms this making il death the law; certain and
me, table. As an illustration, take ron for instance
Owing TO the rapid ncrease of iron works in the
United States, the import of iron has been greatly
reduced; then the Executive rule applies down with
the dues, so as to increase imports and revenue
Accordingly, Mr. Walker proposes to reduce the duty,
which, he says, ia now IS per cent, TO 30 per cent,
so as to increase the revenue. Well, TO do this, he
must more than double The imports, now amounting
| to more than eight mi lion year, and thus lie must
import l6 millions ofdnlars worth If iron irsead of
| eieh'-dcs'toy eight millions Of American manufac.
tire 10 mike way tar fore IN an thus npot NV I've
millions Of dol worth OF foreign (mo.tly Eng sh)
grain and other produce used in the manufacture of
this iron for the fact is nconcsblr that more than
three !ourhs Of the value of iron is made up of the
produce Of the soil. And this is the policy to favor
American farmers aud American Iaborers! Throw
the rlodgl ont of the nrrow, and turn labor out tn
,iarve-io make way for Brush goods and increase
revenue
Mr.. : sail he had not time Mt pre.en' hut he would
avail hisei OF the first proper occasion to shew, ms
he thought he could most clearly, that all the theories
OF the Secretary and his followers IN favor Of their
Tree trade policy were not only fl Sc and unfounded
hut that exactly the reverse of those theories were
true. He referred to the theories that "protection
was far the benefit of manufacturers ut the expense OF
the farmers and a'orers of the conniry;' that "pro
lection increased the price Of the manufactured goods
and reduced the price Of labor and produce !" that II
poor" that reducing duties would incrense revenue
&c. He could scarcely speak of such gross absurd
lies in respectful terms. What Favor invest ed en-
ptnl by building up competition, and increasing Ii,
supply of the articles they had to sell iniire tn,
farmers bv dou ling the demand for their produce
raw materials and bread siutfs OF every kind Oppres
and rob the consumer by giving him goods nj on,
fourth their former price Reduce wages by doubn.
The demand for lahor-abor Of men, women am
0 children Yes, sir; increase the prce,f good
y doubling the supply and reduce the pric
. of agricultural produce nv doubling the demand =
!. Favor monopolie> bv building up compction IN
only thing TO destroy il! Such are the absurd ihcn
i ries Of free trade. But gentlemen must fir, rcvers
all the laws of irade-ihe great md sal law thu
G "demand and supply rerpla'c pr ices ga law NJ
II universal and nvarlabc in is operation, as the Law
that governs the solar system. not only he re
peaIed, but reversed IN is operations, before gentle
i men could sustain any OF these ab>urdlles.