The Somerset herald and farmers' and mechanics' register. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 183?-1852, 1846-04-28

than the one furnished by the Secretary
OF the Treasury. Parliament would pass
itby acclamation. Sir Robert Peel un-
derstands his business; he proposes to
take the duties off breadstuffs and raw
materials Of all kinds used by their man
ufacturers, and remove every burden so
as to enable them TO meet us and beat US
i'll our own markets of the world, where
Yankee competition is beginning 10 give
them great uneasiness. Last year, we
exported hundreds of thousands Of dollars
worth of cotton goods into the British
East Indies, and beat the British in their
own markets, after laying discriminating
duties imposed TO keep US out, first 8,
then 10, finally Is per cent. In this
great struggle, Sir Robert Peel comes to
the rescue; he repeals the dnty on cotton
and wool, and bread and meat and every
thing used by British manufacturers to
enable them to go ahead in this struggle
with the Americans; and what does Mr..
Walker do Just the reverse. He pro-
poses to take off all protective duties, and
imposes heavy burdens on the raw ma
terials, dye-stuf1s, &C.. used by our
manufacturers, so as ef1ectually to pros
trate and break them down. Sir Robert
Peel takes burdens off his steed, while
Sir Robert Walker piles bags Of sand on
his-then crack their whips-clear the
road fair race! "a laugh Such is
the difference between British and A
merican policy. Sir Robert PeePs pres
ent system furnishes powerful arguments
for adhering to our protective system
his object is not to favor, but to beat us;
and our course is not to defeat, but to IA
vor his purpose. This will not only be
the effect Of the tariff proposed by our
Secretary, but It's its open and avowed
purpose and design; is itnot proclaimed
purpose of the message and report to in
crease the importation of British goods,
and of course, to that extent, destroy A
merican supply! Does not the Secreta-
ry propose to reduce the protective du-
ties more than one-half for the purpose Of
increasing revenue; and if the revenue is
increased by reducing duties one-half,
must not the imports be more than doub-
, led! This is self-evident, and if you
a. double your imports of foreign goods,
, must you not destroy to tnat extent A
merican supply! Most certainly, unless
the Secretary can, in his wisdom, devise
, plan TO make people eat drink, wear
!, double as much as they now do. But
where will we find money to pay for
them There's the rub. But Startling
and extraordinary as it may appear, our
Secretary, for the first time in the history
Of the world. has boldly and openly a
{ vowed it as the object of Government to
! break down and destroy its own manufac-
lures for the purpose Of making way for
those Of foreigners. In the very first
t paragraph of his argumentative report he
sets out with stating that the revenue Of
, the lst quarter Of this year is Two millions
less than the lst quarter of the last, and
that this has been occasioned by the sub
stitution Of highly protected American
: manufactures for foreign imports; and
this evil, this terrible evil, this American
Secretary proposes to remedy by redu-
, cling the protective duties, and thus break
, ing up this abominable business of Sub
, stifufing domestic products" made by
. American labor, out of American produce
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 text, but it runs
through his whole sermon Of 957
pages. No wonder it was printed by the
. House of Lords: and let our Secretary
carry through this bill, and Queen Victo-
, ria would gladly transfer the seals from
Sir Robert Peel to Sir Robert Walker,
for he will have rendered her greater
, service than any other man, dead or liv-
ing.
Fl But this is not the only doctrine Of the
Treasury report, bat Of the message its
ELF. The revenue stand ard laid down IN
, the message aims death blow at all A
f merican industry. 1t suggests kind Of
"slitIiny scale so that whenever any
, branch of American industry begins TO
beat the foreigner, and supply the market
and thereby diminish imports and reve-
, nue., this is evidence that the duty is too
, high and ought to be reduced, SO as to
, let in the foreign rival productions; but
let the president speak for himself-here
, is the revenue standard in his own
f words:
: "The precise point in the ascending
r scale ofduties at which it is ascertained
4 from experience that the revenue is great
7 est, is the maximum rate of duty which
can be laid for the bona fde purpose ol
f collecting money for the support of Gov
2 ernment. To raise the duties higher
: than tnat point, and thereby diminish the
: amount collected, is to levy them for pro-
d lection merely. and not for revenue. As
e long, then, as Congress may gradually IN
; crease the rate Of duty on given article