Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1846-08-21

else. You ;pav throw operatives out OF employ
m-nl, but you viii mol probably make them bel
Ter friends by that, when they will not believe in
The necessity OF il. Nor will the country. Sir
II is demonsirable that, under the law We have
passed, every manufacture Tor which the country
is ripe, will be able 10 sustain itself, and make
better profits than any ether pursuit. This |
showed in my speech upon the bill We have pass.
ed, when it was under discussion. | must be eY.
cGsed now for repeating what said ihgh. We
do not wish 10 destroy the manufactures, nor do
We believe that the passage Of the bill before the
committee will do il. The average rale OF duty
Under il is 25 per cent; upcn mos! Of The project
ed articles it is 30 per cent. This rate OF du'y
affords a larger extent OF protection than is gene
rally supposed. The memorial OF The New York
merchants, presented 10 Congress al The extra ses-
sion, says :"Twenty per cent. duty is a protection
Of no less than forty per cent. 10 domestic manu-.
features, because, in addition TO The Guty, the ex.
penses oi importation are about II per cent, AND
the profits OF the importer are probably abou'
ia per cent" This statement shows that the bill
before The comnittee will afford incidental prolec
ton 10 the extent ol from 45 TO so per cent.
Will not this afford protection enoueh7 Are
there any manufactures Tor which the country j:
l.pe. that canno, prosper under d protection OF 81
per cent? They foufishe,i, and made larger d.
yidsnds, even during the later period of The Com
promise act, Ihan any other pursuit in The county
This | showed from the publication oi lie ma
nGlacluTcfs themselves. | showed ty their owG
statements, that al that period the Lowell manu-
iaciuicrs made on an average ten per cent. Al
this time their profits are much greater.
The truth is, The conduct OF the manufacturers
themselves shows that they do not require The in.
ordinate protection conferred by the Tariff oil
1910 This / cho ,roI a1o. - H. ---~-L .I-x.I
10. In March, 1888, the Tariff Compromise
was adopted. Under is provisions the duties
were gradually reduced until June, 1912, after
which the highest rate OF duty was 10 ne twenty
per cent. When it was adapted, and Tor years
afterwards, it was regarded as a solemn cove.
nanl OF peace, which was never 10 be disturbed.
Mr.. Clay, when advocating The compromise,
when asked Whatsecuriiy the country would have
against the violations ot its provisions, said:
what man, who is entitled 10 Tie character Of
~ American statesman, would stand up in his
place, III either house Of Congress, ard disturb
this treaty OF peace and amity2"
Governor Davis, of Massachusetts, who voted
against the compromise, was equally explicit
He said:
Suppose that South Carolina should abide BY
The compromise while she supposes it beneficial
to. 1.-The Tariff States and injurious 10 her; and,
when that period shall close, the friends of pro-
lection shall then propose 10 re-eslablish the sys-
tem-wha honorable man who votes Tor this bill
could sustain such a measured"
The SonIh, from the beginning, showed its de-
termination TO stand by the compromise in all its
provisions. From the FIRST, she refused 10 disturb
rs provisions, even when brought toward in the
l~Dsidious form OF propositions from the moth 10
reduce some OF the duties.
In ad.itinn .a ,aic ,,B,S, ~ Tho Stata I Sr;Sl,fttr.S
at diiicren! times declared thai the compromise
ought 10 lie held sacred and ~inriolate The Lee
g~islaiure OF Virginia so declared, almost by a
unanimous vote, The Wings voting for ii. In the
Presidential contests OF 1886 and 1910, The candi-
dates on both sides we're pledged TO the compro-
mise. Under these circumstances the great mass
Of The people, who could mol conceive OF The per-
fly which afterwards sanctioned its violation,
must have regarded il as the settled policy OF the
country. Nevertheless, with this apparent moral
certainty that, after 1912, the duties were not 10
exceed twenty per cent, manufacturing estab.
lishrneE,s sprung mp all over The country. The
census returns show ihatirom 1900 1910 The rate
q; increase Of manufacturing establishments wai
very great. In the table ! pr iasn ae hal, ai,Ssm
we're ei;ta6li>liel ialttsf The adoption Or n..-annro.
mise act. | recol,ect that IN Virginia most oi he
factories we're starred after that time.
With what face, then, can persons engaged in
those establishments come before The nation and
insist that ihoy will be wIonsed By the bill before
The committee, which gives from 5 10 10 per cent.
higher protection than they could have calculated
upon when they went into The business?
lido not donbt, MIR. Chairman, that many Of the
manufacturers are sincere in the apprehensions
they express Of The effect Of the bill We have pass
eI. But | 10 nor thiai The: ought 10 condemn
i! in advance. They ought 10 give il 4 fair trial.
Ny decided opinion is they will find they have
s.eatly magaiied the injurr il wiil inlict upon
inem. Suca has been lie experience in England,
rs ,hc Right Hon. w. l.. Gladstone most corciu-
>ively shows III his very able review Of the effects
Of he late changes in the Ene!ish commercial po-
Icy. lie gives many instances where perscns
proved, apparently inconleslibly, on paper, that
The changes proposed would ruin them, who AZ
forwards admitted that they either had not been
affected at all, or benehcially. And in this coun-
try, | have no doubt The better market a, home
that The increased prosperity which will result
from a greater freedom OF commerce, will more
than compensate them for the protection which
will be Withdrawn. Greater prosperity in the
agricultural and commercial pursuits always has
and always will add greatly 10 The consumption
Of manufactured Articles.
There are two modes BY which 4 market may
be improved one b. increasing the demand with
~, decreasing he supply; The other by decreasing
the supply without decreasing The demand. and
j, you do rot 10 any case increase the supply
more than You increase the demand, you do not
iriure The market. And here is the whole answer
10 The argument which is so much harped upon
here, that You cannot increase the import OF TO-
reign fabrics without disp'acing an equal amount
of American. ! maintain il is entirely practi-
cable 10 do the former without the latter, aud the
~, zo,.t = - N.r.aaa 90, ~. ~
this Is done by comforting The greatest amount of
prosperity upon the greatest number. II your po-
iicy increases consump tion more Than it does i'm
noriations, even the home producer vii! he bene-
fitted. This has proven 10 be The ease almost! III
yariablv in England, Is could show in detail il
time permitted.
! have one word 10 say about another ground
# this ranic-and tina, is the "ad rahrrem" rrin-
cinic. Every ore Will admit that rhe assessment
II duties or ihe uafue is The mos; eGuai, best I'M
de!siood, and in every respect most desirable, if
practicable. Is it so7 What is our own expe-
rience upon that suhject2 Abomt three-ftlhs Of
The revenue under the tariff act Of 1912 is collect
ed on The sad ralorem" principle. And this rrin-
ciple, by that acl, is applied 10 articles about
which there is as much danger OF fraud as any
other. The difference in that act and The one
we have Just passed is only in The extent Of The
application Of the principle, and no, IN Inc prin-
cipie Itself. How has il worked in that act? II
there has been any difficulty, lhave yeIlo learn il.
Permit me, before concluding, 10 advert 10 an
othe, ground Of bitter complain, on the part q
The pro,eciionis,s. They say, that Pennsylvania
was dup on The subject OF the tariff, ard hence
our ability 10 repeal the act Of 1912. To make
good this charge, they are compelled 10 s'ultIiy
the people Of that old Commonwealth. Mr.. Polk
had been a free trade man all his life, and the
evidences of his opinions were upon record
Even the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Gen.
try) admits that upon this subject he has been
consistent. Yet, suppose Pennsylvania was du-
ped in The presidential election, which | by no
means admit, yet i, is mol pretended she was in
the congressional elections. Her Representa-
lives. with one exception, have voted against The
repeal Of The acr Of 1912. 1t is no. pretended
that The reople anywhere were duped in The con-
gressional elections; ard We, tn tariff is purely
4 kg;slatlr. measure. |, is true, the President
was sincerely and aricn;ly tie friend Of the bill
we passed. but still j; was a legislative measure.
MIR r. in conclusion, adyerted to The fact, tina;
The progress of ireeirade principles had heen
yery great in this country, even when there had
been no corresponding change elsewhere; ano
he argued that that progress would be much
more ra Did hereafter, particularly IN the 2rea'