The New era. [volume] ([Portsmouth, Va.]) 1845-1847, 1846-08-06

upon them. is capacity Ia cnnsump. accpisra,ss
the period AT which manufacture may pruG,ahlv
commence, by cheapening more rapidly both cant
tai and Labor, and increasing The valne aud exlen,
of the home market, in which nature has pivpn
them n preference. When This period arrives,
manufacturing industry may Commence with Sc
r"ri,y Ia itself. and advantage To the people. II
thus springs into existence, not as a parasite plant
Ia exhaust the sap and stunt the tree To which il
clings, hut as a branch of its growth, giving
symmetry To the whnlr. drawing nnuri>hment
through the same root. and maturing a just pro.
portion of the fruit. When a country has reach
ed the point at which capital and labor have ne
come relatively cheap enough To diminish the
cost of production 81 much as to enable the man.
ntacturer, with the aid of his natural ADVANTAGES
IN the home market In secure il. his interest, like
all others, is opposed to the restrictive system.
Legislative protection can be of no use TO him al
home. and restrictions upon importatians will di-
mInish his ability 10 enter into competition for
The foreign markets. 1t is as true of the mannfac.
'nrer as "t the agricnlturist, that he cannot export
unless he can impurt in return.
lh!ls view, Mr.. Chairman, is no fancy picture.
II is no mere theory I'm ,ttpS,pd by cxperience.-
History vonches for lis truth. | might addnce
the experience. not only of nur own. hut uf other
Countries, IN support of the proposition which |
have maintained. But | pass over the wonderful
wa w 'HF ESHpIISn manufactures NJ SILK I'm
medIately consequent upon a large reduction uf
The duties npnn similar foreign articles. pass
over The immense increase of the expiration of
BRUSH woollen manufactures consequent upon n
removal OF the prohibition upon the export OF the
raw material. which had long existed for the pro
lection at the manufactured article. pass over.
too. the French prohibition of the importation of
raw wool. and their bnuniy upon the manufac-
tnred article-a system under which the price of
y NJ ta.n,I Inl n . I,-~ III Il
themselves declined. pass over a large body of
foreign evidence which serves to prove that these
restrictions have always ended in irDpairing the
value "f the hume market by diminishing the
profits ot domestic Production generally, aud CON
Srqnenty the capacity for home conSnmplinn.-
Nor will | refer 10 those other facts which, in the
opini"n OF such careful observers as McCulloch
and Porter, prove that the freer competition caus-
Ell by a removal of restrictions has invariably had
the effect tn stimulate the discoveries at cheaper
processes and improvements in machinery which
have reduced The cost of production al hume. |
pass over these things. because our own expert.
"nce seems In me 4" be striking and convincing.
MT. lench Coke. in his report of June, 1878, ps-
Inmates the population of the United States at
S,OOO,OOO, and that within the year they would
make manufactured goods Exclusively or the
dnubt!nD 10 the full value of $500. 600 900. In
The same report he states the average value of
manufactures in England alone. at $3.50. 900, 900.
with a population of $500 900. OF American
manufactures he speaks in the following terms:
" The facility of retaining and steadily extending
this valuable branch of natinnal Industry is mani
tested by lis early and spontaneous commence
ment In every county and township. and by lis
nearly spontaneous and cosiless gI0wl In with such
aids only as have not Occasioned any material eX-
penSe or sacrifice To agriculture or commerce.. since
they are chiefly incidental to necessary revenue.
or resulted from our distance from the foreign con-
suners oi our productions and manufactures of our
Now, all this took place under low
duties, and this rapid growth of manufactures was
accompanied not by the decline of the agricultural
and commercial interests, but by a great and steady
of both, as | have shown by reference To
tables at exports and tonnage during those periods.
Gan anything like this he exhibited since the era
ni the protective system2 This statement. il will,
be remembered, was made by the jealous and dis
advocate of American manufactures at
that day. who was so well informed upon the sub
lect as To have been employed by the Treasury
to compile and prepare Inc repurt.-
Our history since that period exhibits the same
results. have already referred To tables prepared
by Mr.. Calhoun. which show that from 1926 To
1852, a period of high protection, the EXPORT Of
manufactures declined from SIS. 729. 1911;
IN 1913, to So .633 in 1882; whilst from 1883
tn lS4U. a period OF lower duties. they increased
from So, 557 $50 in 1883 To Sl2, S48, $40 in 1910.
these results cannot he accidental. they
must How from the changes in our commercial
with which they seem through a long
period ut years to have vibrated in almost perfect
unison. The census returns If 1910 show that
HE value of domestic manufactures as compared
with the dutiable imports Of That period were
more Than as nine To one under the compromise
IL is also proved that during that period
these exports abroad had almost doubled i'm com
pairing The last with the first year uf the SERIES
Win these facts it was manifest that thew ouvht
to have been content with the very large share Of
the home market which they possesspd, and tn
have looked abroad To their extending PROSPECTS,
IN the foreign markets. They ought 10 have
looked 10 lhe means of diminishing The cost IF
their own production. and of increasing The profits
Di other branches of industry. which furnished the
customers IN The market of which they had by far
The larger share, and who would consume nnre as
heir wealth Increased. The means of efpctinp
.neSe ends would have been low revenue duties.
j hey would have diminished the cost Of manu-
production. by diminishing the cost Of
much that the laborer consumed. by increasing
accumulation of capital, and thus leSsening the
cost OF lis use and they would. at the same time,
have Increased the home demand for their supplies
by increasing the number and wealth OF their Gus
Looking, then, Mr.. Chairman, to the effects Of
the restrictive policy upon The entire industry Of
the country, whether viewed as a whole or in
paris. it would seem 10 ne clear that it is emi.
nontly preJudcial, so far as the Production of
wealth is concerned. In other words. experience
teaches us what reason afirms to be trne. that il
is injurious To a people to divert its Industry from
occupations in which profits are high aud the cos,
Ut production low. 10 those in which the natural
Lateot profit is 10" and the cost Of production ligh.
But other inducements have been held out to in
weigh our people into the support Of this cruel and
system. The old pretence Of retalia-
lion is removed to a great extent since our largest
customer has proved her disposition 10 liberalize
her policy. But we still hear much of the neces-