Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1846-04-17
Ealing off &a.l0l.545.


Nov air let us examine what effect this has
had uron prices here; and as have been deal
/ ing only with wheat, shall confine myself 10
that or rather 10 -four confne myself 10 hour,
because the only statement have OF prices Tor
large number OF years contains the price oil hour
alone.
THE period from the end Of 1924 to the 3lst Of
December, 1888, when The first reduction uncer The
compromise act took place, may with propriety De
called The era of high duties. During these nine
years, as appears by a table published oy The
United States Commercial and Statistical ke-
yisler, the average price Of flour was 50 &c.
For The next nine years, when under the opera
lion OF the compromise acl, The duties were con-
s,antly falling, the average was ST u. And The
rise in the average Of wheat corn, &c, was
about in the same proportion. In the summer oil
1912 the present Tariff law was enacted. The
nrice of -four in lS4l, the year preceding lis en-
aclmenr. was &c so. In l843, the year succeed
ing It's enactment, it was ST. a.. In 1874, il was
SO; and last year, until The partial failure oil me
EDropean halves was aScerlalned, II was about
the same amount. Average for the three years
succeeding the enactment Of our present lafin
al so We have thus seen that from 1874 10 This
time a period OF twenty-five years, The price OF
-four has invariably risen and fallen as the rate
oil duties has risen or fallen. The length Of This
ner;od precudes the IDEA that accidental causes
have produced The result.
Rntthe gentleman from Massachusetts, Mr..
Hudson argues that the northern manufacturers
afford The best market for our agricultural pro-
duce. He goes into calculation OF the amount
OF their consumption, and insists, we repeal The
Tariff we will break down The manufacturers,
and destroy our best market.
Now, Sir, Insist that The market afforded rs
by such manufacturers, as are benefited BY The
Tariff, is very inconsiderabe. A good deal OF
false reasoning upon this subject, has grown out
Of the manner in which The late census was
taken. All those engaged in manufactures and
trades, are pu, down under one head the factory
girl and the ship -carpenter are put together. In
This manner. those engaged in manufactures are
put down al 79l, 7l9 Now, oflhese, very large
proportion are mechanics juiners, shp-carpen-
Iefs smiths, masons, bricklayers, shoemakers,
NC. none Of whom are benefited as will pre-
senlly show, by the Tariff. have made cal
culaIion rs to my own Stale, which establishes
this beyond question. II is known that most,
nav nearly all Of our manufactures, properly
Speaking, are in Eastern Virginia; and YET in
that part OF The Stale there are 222 S27 engaged
in agriculture, and only 800 in manufactures
and irades-upwards OF As 10 |. Whereas, in
Western Virginia. where there arc scarcely any
manufacturing establishments. there are 1894
engaged in agriculture, and 1866 in manuiac-
lures and rades-not quite g 10 |. This shows
that the greater proportion OF those IN virginia,
included under the general head, are engaged in
trades. The reason Of the difference in Eastern
and Western Virginia is this !: In Eastern Viz
cinia our shoemakers, hatlers, blacksmilhS,
,ailors, &C. have been driven from their employ
ment by Yankee, not English competition,
Whereas, Western Virginia, in consequence Of
lis remoleness from the seaboard and the want OF
Accommodation, is compelled, TO much
greater extent, to give employment TO resident
mechanics.
The same Thing is apparent in Massachusetts.
have before me her late census taken last year,
BY her own officers; and without going into nj
nut. analysis of it, asserhat even in that Stale,
the number Of persons engaged in the mechanic
ans moi benefited by The Tariff, greatly exceeds
the number engaged in manufactures, benefited
hy it, The following table. taken from that cen
sns, comprises nearly all those protected by the
Tariff
Famber If AGlh -NaSIjaetor.. &e asd male and female
opera,ire employed thersin
Mills, sc. Males. Females. Total