The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-05-30

which ever seeks 10 confer 'hS S'N~'~1N 49, 1909
the greatest number.
From the above statement, therefore, we find that
the great bulk and proportion OF the increased price
on all the corn consumed in the country is wrung
out of the hard earnings of its laboring and mldding
classes principally in order to swell the purses OF
the rich landed proprietors. For the remainder OF
this most heavy and unequal tax upon the people,
constitutes, it is always to be remembered, but a
very small proportion of its actual proceeds, since
the mere additional price upon the imports comprises
The tohOis Of what is received into the treasury Of
the government.
Such, then, is the effect Of the British corn'aws
in their actual eonnexion with the revenue Of the
British government. Their advocates, nevertheless,
are continually urging upon the country the indis-
pensable necessity Of protecting British corn, and
Of raising public revenue on the consumption OF
the people. Thus protection to British industry,
and government revenue in support Of British lib
erty, is made the osensble plea for perpetuating
policy which in reality is framed for no other Pur-
pose but the maintenance Of an oppressive monoPo-
ly in favor of the few at the expense Of the many-a
policy which, while it sPurns equality Of Protec'
the world solemn mockery Of the rights Of man.
Yet the people are told there, they are here, by
the advocates of legislative Interference that the end
of all this arbitrary infringement upon their civil
and natural rights, is to raise revenue for the pres
ervation of the blessed privileges of their glorious
constitution, and the desr-bought PrerogatVes OF
their immortal magma charta. And this is the
method by which the people there are made to de-
fray the expenses of their own conservative laws and
their own paternal government Such, moreover, Is
the picture Of land which presents, on the one
hand, almost unbounded wealth among the few,
and on the other, misery among the many, almost,
nay, altogether, without a parallel among the ma
tons Of the earth
Such, too, is the refined and ingenious system by
which the industry Of the millions is taxed for the
ostensbe, and, as is sometimes said, exclusive OBJ
ect of revenue! Such, in fine, is the device by
which the masses are compelled to rivet anew the
protective armor their national administration and
by which the latter is enabled to shield her subjects
with the broad constitutional rgs Of her restrictive
energies!
Who is there, then, among our countrymen that
does not see in the above picture Of the British corn
laws perfect identity ofprinePls and resemblance TO
the odious tariff laws of these United Sates'
To illustrate the comparison let us suppose,
then, the value Of our annual consumption of man
uactured articles to amount to the sum Of 5000 0OO,
900. Let us also suppose that Of this amount we
import $40 900 000 the remaining Sl6O 0O0, 900 must
therefore be made at home. But, since the price OF
these last will necessarily be raised to that of the
foreign goods the whole consumption Of the people
at large is taxed to the enormous amount Of $780,
600 0O0 in order to bring into the treasury the sum
only Of $4,000 900; for the late tariff act it is to be
remembered, makes the average duty on imports
about 40 per cent, which, the $40 900 900, makes
the proceeds amount to no more than the above
named share of the natl nal receipts. This, then
is the only portion of our $50 900, 900 burden upo
the people Of the United States that finds its way
into the Golfers Of the government, while the remain
der, Of course goes to swell the dividends Of the
manufacturing oligarchy.
But the evil stops not here; for while the manu-
facturers obtain this extravagant addition TO their
wealth Of s64 900 900 from the industry of all the
other classes of the community the latter Obliged
to pay more for what they buy and get less for wha
Lheg sell; when, on the other hand, the former, as
has been elsewhere very pithily remarked, ''ge
more for what they sell and pay less for what they
buy"
But say the advocates Of the tariff, the spirit o
patriotism requires that should protect American
industry in preference to the industry of foreign
tons. Now, in reply to this, we asser, that the
woollens and cottons, the teas and sugars and in
word, whatever we have once obtained from othe
countries in exchange for the staple productions Of
| our own soil, evidently much the fruit Of
american labor, as is the surplus corn, cotton, and
tobacco from our own fields, by which the foreign
| commodities have been procured. An advocate Of
the tariff would probably tell us, and say it, moreover
without fear of contradctio n; certainly without
denial on part, that speciepayng bank note, fol-
example, although not specie itself, has, neverthe
less an identity Of value with the latter, when or o.
long the can at pleasure be exchanged to al
| equal amount with the other; and that the one
| therefore, must, under this condition, necessarily
represent the other. Thus, in like manner, we also
| affirm that British products are, doubtless, no
| American products; but at the same time, when tn,
former are exchanged with the latter, it is most ev
| ldent that they then, IN an essentially mportan
sense, represent American labor as much as the,
| do British labor.
While no one, therefore, will deny that the pro
auctions of China and the Indes or of Great Britain
and France, are not the productions Of the United
States or the American peope-truisms which tn,
protectioniss are ringing in our earsis it not
we ask, equally certain that, when they import
II L.. .,J in rkoto
necessarily the purchase Of American enterprise
and hence the actual and positive result Of Amer
| lean industry. Surely the circumstance of the
being the fruits of foreign nation, ought never to
have perverted the reasoning of statesmen, so as tc
deny the fact Of their being, when sold in the mar
kets Of our country, at once the produce of Amer.
lean commerce and the representative commoditie,
sc A.,aa lala..