Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1846-10-06

cling and coualizine The duties on imported goods,
was seized with ihe spri, oil prophecy. He saw
The manufacturing establishments oil The country
compelled 10 stop in consequence oi The new Ia
riff; he saw the workman deprived OF employ
menl; he saw American ships conveying Amer
lean produce to The British ports, and finding
themselves anticipated and undersod BIZ mer-
chants bringing wheat from The shores OF The
Black Sea and The Baltic. All this he loresaw,
and proclaimed 10 Congress, and took care that
the speech in which he proclaimed il should DC
published for The edihcalion oil his constituents
As the wing papers are not likely how 10 rcprin,
MIR. Slrvhms predictions, that ihelf reacers may
see how exactly they are verineai anu as he IS
doubtless too modest 10 do il himself, we give
them as they appeared in The National lntellisen-
Ger al the time:
"Mr. S. would therefore, proceed 10 enquire
what would be the practical effect OF this new la
riff bill as il had been reported from the Com
mile of Ways and Means, surprising il 10 re
possible that such bill could pa.ss
"The first in Inc train OF evils II must produce,
would be the proslration oil domestic manufac
lures. Multiiudes now engaged IN them must n
once be thrown out Of employment The COM
ions they now eniuyed, an. even - lecrSsar!es
OF lie, would soon BE- found wanting. Bitter ex-
pcrence would soon teach the laborer that though
in the purchase Of his lille necessarics ne might
get the iu benefit OF the two or three hundred per
cent saving proposed b. Sir Robcrt Walker yet
his practical condition would be Tar worse than
il was before.
"rhe second evil would be that we must sustain
the loss OF millions ol capital now vested in ma
nuiaclures. Much III this must inevitably he
rendered useless, The BUSINESS Of its owacTs would
be ruined, their prosperity blshed, and they
themselves brought 10 bankruptcy and want.
"And how would agriculture be afectcd7 One
of the chief arguments in favor Of The bill was
the alleged benefit which it would confer on The
agricultural classes The doctrine sounded in
The ears Of our farmers was, tina! The tariff oil 1872
was directly against their interest; and il any
doubted This they wee met with an air of triumph
and pointed 10 The repeal OF The corn laws. The
British ports were 10 be thrown open, and rich
marke, furnished .ur American bread-sluhs.-
But moments reflection was sufficient 10 teach
any man Of common sense that il the British ports
were thrown oren he British market must al the
same time be open 10 The competition oil all the
world, and when the American farmer senI there
his wheat he would find that the farmers from
the Black Sea, and from the shores Of The Ballic,
would be lhore before him. The wheat OF Otes-
sa, The wheat from Hamburg the wheat from
Danizic, would all have anticipated his, and al
prices for which they could no; sell. lie would
now ulSCUEcT, III Spilc VI dli NiII Lh' spSsii
which had been told MIN BY Inc advocates Of free
trade. thai, after all, il was the demand that resu-
lated price, and Gol The duty alone"
Mir. Strohm was surprisingly accurate IN the
last OF these predictions which regards Inc mar
kei for oar produce in Great Britain. Vast guam
titles Of grain and other articles Of food have
been scat out The British ports have been hrons-
ed with American vessels bringing these welcome
cargues-yei neither captains nor crews nave
heard anything Of the Baltic anil Black Sea far
mers This Baltic farmer and his brohcr Of the
Black Sea are esregious humbuss The ILLINOIS
and Wisconsin farmers, and those OF Inc o'iici
Western States, can raise wheat Tor nall what u
costs the cutivator in the north OF Europe or inc
neighborhood Of Odessa, and can command q
prodigously greater surplus from lne'r own 'ich
and boundless region, The most easily TILED OF any
in the known world.
There could not be a more convincin. illnslTa-
lion of the advantage al foreign market Tor The
produce OF our soil, than what's uo@ going on IN
der our own eyes when from our abundance, We
arc compromising the people .! Europe Tor me Ne
hciency q. their haivrslS Nor could there he a
more complete p;o1i the io'ly ot attempting 70
create home market 10y restrictions on com
mcIce, than what we have seen Tor the last three
years during which, with The protective system VI
lis highest vgor, the pI,ce q! american produce
has been constantly declining. They lax OF d
home market 10 consume our grain" said TO
lun,bia county farmer the Other day; 'they have
Given ms home market ill they have eaten down
our flour 10 three dollars and halt barrel Let
Us now have foreign market and sec Il The peo-
ple on The other side o the wafer will no, cal II NJ
10 better price" We take II 10: granted tha
The Columbia County farmer is b. this time sails
fed with The experiment.
Mir Slrohni'S other predictions, concerning The
ruin Of our domestic manufactures, the turning
oi wnrkmen out oil employment ana the loss o
capital already invested in mills and machinery
have no more chance Of being verified Than h''
prediction concerning the foreign market. Lee
us see.
The profits OF the mill owners in our country
for The last three years have been enormous
They must now be less; the goods made must ue
sold a, cheaper rate To make up for wha
the mill owners lose in This way, they must IN
crease The quantity of The goods they dispose ol
| they must manufacture To a greater ex'enl lni'
will give activity 10 business, employ greater
number OF worknen, and BY creating demand
| for workmen lead 10 rise OF prices. Again
| By manufacturing goods on larger scale, ah'
| selling them at lower rate, as the lorei5n com
petition will oblige them 10 do, they will IND ina
! they have the means OIL supplying lorcisn mar
| kets in competition with The British manuiacin
rer. Mr.. Appleton maintains that they can de
this already The reduction Of The duties will
in a manner, oblige them 10 do as we'll as make
The undertaking more easy
Thus, neither will our mills. cease 10 turn GU
their products, nor the work people be deprived
of wages and bread, nor the capital invested II
manufactures be lost in consequence oil The new
| Tariff On the contrary, our mills VIII be dli
ven with greater activity, the workmen VIII be
better paid, and the capital invested VIII be nlaus
10 give employment and wages 10 a greater num-
Der Of people