Herald of the times, and Rhode Islander. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1846-1849, 1846-07-02

wear would nat Be the amount it will be this
year Mark the prediction, mot half"
Who could deny the fact that with the raising
Of the larin the revenue increased, aud with its
diminuIion the revenue ieli OF, Till al last undel
30 per cent, which the Secretary considered the
very beam ideat--ihe very perfection OF a revenue
system the Dsu revenue sank down 10 less
than thirteen millions There was his lhror,
and there, alongside of II, stool his proof D..
and his proof utterly snbvertsd his theory.
Did il prove that reducing duties 10 ~ pei
cent raised the revenue Ia It's highest point !;
Just the reverse II reduced it 10 The yer,
lowest poipt of depression. While lss the"r
said that 20 per c.u, would give The "highest,
his proof showed that II gave The "lowe.t"
Aud was not this II pretty Time to select for
the reduction II duties [, Now, when We had
Just cUiered into n war, who's. durai'on no
msn could predict or calculate When w
went to war in 1912 we doubled the duties ,
now IL wns proposed Ia cut thom dawn one.
hnlf What N cohsumInste proof Gi po itical
wisdom and financial ability was here exhibit.
ed
There was another thing Of which the tariff
was an index, aud that was the public pr0spsri.
ty Whan the people were poor they could
not afford 10 consume luxurics, imports fell oil,
and down went the revenue. But when Cu.
ties were high and domestic competition was
and labor full aud profitable employ ymrnt. the
people become prosperous ; they lived m com
fort they could afford 10 pay for iue good.
bnd luxuri-s--and up went tho revenue. X"
ducr the tariff, break up American industry,
aud yuu clothed The people IN tngs, ana loui
treasury become bankrupt. Tn. national
rerenue aud The nailnnul prosperity wept up
and down together, aud were always coinci
Dent with the national protecf,oa
4 ..
Mr SIS system was tins ; select The nrti'
cies you cnn manufacture TO the full extent of
our own wants, then in the language "f Thos
Jefferson, "impose on them duties lighter at
first, aud ufierwa ard. heavier aud heavier as the
chnpnrls of supply w.'e op"nrd.' rh's wa.
Jefferson : plnn the reverse of modern emo
crnIic "irre Itad. Next Mr. :. vent fOr
lev, ing the highest rates of duty on the luz
urirs Of the rich, and not on tho necrssaties oi
the poor. Encourage American manufacturers
and while on the one hand the poor man found
plenty Of employment, on the other ne got la,
goods cheap lie could clothe himself decent
Is for mere lrihe. lie Sauiet no commodi
ties but lils tea aud his coffee, and they were
free, aud should rsmsin tree The poor man
cnuld now buy clulli ior iull ,uit from head
10 foot for less than ORe d0ii0r of substantial
American manufacture. Ua had himself wurn
~ this hall a garment OF this same goods, al ~
ceuts per yard, and II was 50 much adnired
that inure than "A dozen memhers had applied
for similar garments, aud they had been sup
piled 10 Senators aud others; vet we ARE told
the tariff taxes and Opprrsses The poor. Pui|
high revenue duties On wines, on brand les, on
silks, nu laces nn iewriry, on all that which
the rich alone consumed ani whlch The poor
man did not want Take oil the du,irs irons
the poor mans necrssarcs aud give him high
wages for his work That was the way to-
dltlnsc happiness and Prosperity among the
great body oi the people. That whs good
sound democratic policy. "" was Tor liiine
mp The poor. he wa. Tor "l-vrllIng upward
for increasing the domestic comfort oi our uwh
lnburng pupu alton the true d'mOcrdcy Oi the
country. The fici could paw, AID o"eht To b'
made 10 pav. aud they should pay the pour
man could not aud should not with his con
sent, Mr.. 5. wrnt for the system which Gle 4
waited the poor man in The scale al society i
that promoted equality, that essential element
ia ni free Governnrnts, MOI by pulling down
the higher, bat IIItlng up the lower classes I"
their level The gentleman from Alabamn
mud his friends advocated policy which
would have precisely thd opposite effect -
Their ~ stem would trul, make the "rich rich
rr aud the poor poorer" The gentleman ad
yncatod stem hos" direct aud updeGiabl"
tendency was Ia destroy competlton,and there
bv give ,nnnopoly to the heavy capitalists -
whose presence here he complained 50 loudly
LaJor, productive labor, was tho great source
Of naiioua wealth. lis Importance was in.
calcnlabe. Compared with this all other in
i-resis dwindled into perfect insIguihcance.
What j. all other capital tomhincd compared
to III. capital of iabor--hard. banded, houesi
labor--loil,ng millions? Surprising we have
hut two millions Of working men IN the Unitcd
States, whose wages average SISo per year
this is equal To The interest OF S3,OOO al siA
per cent Each laboror capital then, IS cqua
10 s., 900 nj interest Multiply this by two
millions, the numbrr of laboters, aud II gives
you II capital amounting to tho enormous sun
of six thousand millions Of dollars, producing,
81 six per cent, three hundred aud sixty mil
lions of dollars n year. This was the "iab0r
e0pitat" he wished In sustain and uphold -.
This was the great nafion0t industry ha wish
cd TO prutect aud defend against tho ruinons
aud degrading effects of free and Unrestricted
rompeiitun with the pauper labor of foreign
lands. lie went to secure the American mar.
ket he took tho American SIDE. On the Other
hand, the gentleman from Alabama and his
friends went for "trce trade" for opening our
ports to the manufacturers Of all the world
or bringing in freely the pauper productions oi
Great Britain, to uverwhclm the rising pros
periiy of our own poor but industrious citizens
They went for crushing American enterprise Il
grinding down American labor. aud putting
thou conuttymen on a footing with the yer,
sweepings Of the poor houses oG Europe, aud
would, ~ the .ud, hrng them down to their
political, "a well as their pecuniary and moral
condition. Mr. ; was for cherishlng Amer.
can labor; for giving It high wages; Tor sur.
rounding It with all the substantial comforts of
life. Which was the true friend Of the pEo
pLr? And yet these "iroe trade" advocates,
from The Secretary down, rroIessrd to be the
exclusive friends Of the ."pnor man and wei
are denounced AS the friends Of "milhunair,.
and monopol~ls" We now imported fifty mil
lions worth of British goods annually, and
therein we imported twenty five millions worth
OF British agricultural products of EnglshI
wool, English grain, English beef and mutton, !,
EnglIsl fax. English agricultural productions
ofrvsry kind. Aud yet gentlemen would rise
here aud talk of British market for our bread.
stufis. Why, how much Of this did EnglaudI
take? Not quarter Of a million, IN all lie
forms!
Here was a beautiful reciprocity. Here
were the beauties OF Tree trade Here were our
equality of benefits. We took Gly millions inI
British goods, onehalf Of il agricultural pro
duce, while she took one quarter OF million gi
our bread StuHS. This was our boasted British
market. What was this British markc; TO Us q
The American market consumed annually near.