Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1846-04-23

paratively nothing. Massachusetts alone purchas-
ed and consumed fourteen times as much of the
grain, -four, and meat of the other States the
United Kingdom Of Great Britain and Ireland from
whom we took fifty millions of dollars worth of
manufactures yearly. Massachusetts took 35 mil
lions worth Exclusive Of cotton and tohacco) while
Great Britain took but two and a half! Yet, ac-
cording to the gentleman from Virginia. the foreign
market was vastly the most important
Mr. Lcnke here put this question to Mr.. s.:
Whether cotton and tobacco were not agricultural
pioductss
Mr. Stewart, Certainly but they are not our
only agricultural products. There were other in
erests in this country worth looking after and pre-
serving besides cotton and tobacco. But, no doubt,
the gentleman concurs with Mr.. Secretary Walker,
who tells us in his free trade report which has so
delighted England, and no wonder it has for he
there says we must take more British goods, be-
cause, if we do not " England must paw for our
"breddS'u6s" in specie, and mot hiring II 10 spaye
she will bring down to even greater extent the
price Of our cotton" Yes, our cotton there is
the rub. The North and West must quit work.
sell nothing, and bring every thing from England,
and send them our specie as long as lasts, so that
England ,nHi have "specie 10 spdre" for Southern
cotton that's the plan thus openly ana boldly pro-
claimed by the Secretary and his followers. We
of the North and West must send our last dollar
to England TO buy bread and meat, and grass and
HTdlIl III VIC OT Oh IRON ana ClOtl 10 increase the
price of g our cotton" We must be "hewers of
wood and drawers OF waters for Great Britain
paupers, slaves, and beggars that England may
have "spccie to spare" for Southern cotton This
is the undisgused policy and purpose of the Treas
ury report But Mr. S. would say to these South
ern gentlemen: Don't be afraid. You will have
your cotton market still England must have Your
cottonshe can't do without it at present But
beware; the time may come when England would
not want o1U coion," and The South, in turn would
cry out for protection But the gentleman con-
graduates the West with the prospect of an early
repeal of the corn laws. But, in his opinion If
the corn laws repealed the people of the West
would scarcely get bushcl of their grain into
! England on any terms.
| Mr.. Bayly. Do you mean what you say, that
not one bushel will 90 there p
Mr.. Stewart. will answer the gentleman, by
giving him Lord Ashburton's speech in the House
of Lords few days ago. He states that nine-tenths
of the grain now imported in Great Britain is sup
piled from the north OF Europe, although they pay
a tax OF fifteen shilings the quarter; whle that
from Canada and the United States, passing through
Canada, pays hut four shillings Repeal the duty
of fifteen shnGs, and will they not supply the
whole? Most clearly they will The fact is no.
torious, that most of our grain and -four now goes
to England through her colonial ports, and at colo.
NAL duties, thus evadng the operation of the
laws, while the grain and flour from the north Of
Europe must always pay the highest duties imposed
! by the corn laws. Hence Lord Ashbnrton very
| Justly argues, that must be overwhelmed if the
corn laws repealed and this great advantage,
now enjoyed by Canada and the United States, of
importing flour and grain at about neiourth of the
duty paid by the importers from the Baltic and the
| Back sea. Repeal the corn laws put them on
all equal footing with us, and is not the question
settled, and the market lost to grain ana flour
! in all time to come? Nothing can be clearer
I n mo n IN Tho of fItA
peal Of the corn laws, and are ready TO sacrifice
the whole of our manufactures and home markets
| to bring It about. Such will be the operation of
the repeal ct ths corn laws or American agri1nl-
ture, and such is the statement of Lord Ashburtor,
who perhaps Knows as much about the matter as
the learned gentleman from Virginia But this is
not all. This opinion Of Lord Ashbuuon is sus-
tained by the most intelligent merchants IN Great
Britain Such is the uniform tenor OF the testi-
mony recently taken before select committee of
the House Of Commons on this subject. HemIq,
! Clearer Chapman, one of the Witnesses, and one
OF the most intelligent men in the kingdom, says
Repeal the corn laws, and the growing trade with
Canada and the WeSten Staies of .4wtrico will be
crushed ny the cheaper productions of the Baltic
and the Black sea consequently" he adds inner
lea, Canada, and British shipping, would receive a
severe and decisive blow" by the repeal of the
corn laws. But still the gentleman from Virginia
eXults IN the prospect of the repeal of the corn
'', uOdstS Vi fluThtI IL VIII open 10 Oul
| western farmers, to whom, however. he will not
give one dollar for their rivers and improvements
not cent but Is anxious to seduce them into
thls British free trade trap; but he would say tc
the West, tmeo danaos,' trust your friends, and
beware Of your enemies. Look at the boast ID for.
eign market, what is it? Comparatively nothing
Look at facts. The agricultural productions OF the
United States, exclusive of cotton and tobacco is
estimated at one thousand millions per year. Oul
exports to all the world amounted last year tc
81, i95,5l5. OF this, Great Britain took about
two and half All the rest was consumed al
+ home. So the foreign markets of the world amour
ted to Il millions, and the home market to 81!
! millions. Yet the gentleman had pronounced the
. foreign markets every thing 10 farmers and the
} home markets comparatively nothing. hut anoh
er fact. Our exports of manufactures last wear
) including those OF wood, amounted to S3 As, i6j
, Assuming as i'll the case of British manufactures
that one half their value is made up of American
agricultural produce, then export nearly Seuer
millions of dollars worth of agricultural produce
T in the form Of manufactures, which does not glu
or njure the foreign markets, for our flour ant
grain, in its original form. To use a familiar il
ustratlon Western farmers send their corn, hay
and oats, thousands of dollars worth, every year t,
the Eastern market, not inats rude and orgna
\ form, but in the form of hogs and horses they
D give their hay-stacks life and legs and make then
trut To market With the farmer on their back. &
u laugh.) 80 the British converted their produce
not into hogs horses, but into cloth and iron,
: send it here for sale. And, viewing the subject il
: this light he could demonstrate that there no
b State in the Union that did not now consume fr
dollars worth OF British agricultural produce to on
dollars worth she consumes Of theirs. Time wou
# not permit hun to go into details but he would fur
n nish the elements from which any one could max
n the calculation, Assuming that consumption an
1t erporiation are in proportion to population, then
t, import so millions of British goods and 25 mill
n ions half Is agricultural produce. We eS
r port TO England agricultural produce eXcludin
% cotton and tobacco) "a millions. Divide thes
o sums, % and q millions, by 2!3, the number c
ID Representatives, and it gives $ l2,lOS as III
is amount of British agricultural produce consume
5 IN the form of goods in each Congressional district
and : ,2l0 their export to Great Britain OF az
- ricutural produce This gives the proportion {
Of ten to one. Yet gentlemen are not satisfied, an
N wish still further TO increase the import of Births
is goods, and still further destroy the American la
l.I,