The Somerset herald and farmers' and mechanics' register. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 183?-1852, 1846-04-28
Gongrrg6 nal.
SPEECH OF THE
HON. A. STEWART,
On Internal improvements and
the Tariff. Delivered i'm the HI.
of Representatives of the Uni
ted States. March If, 1S46.
THE TARIFF AND FARMERS.
Of pennsylvania.
CONCLUDED FROM LAST WEEK.

fkOM Las W LIN
THE TARIFF AND FARMERS.
had not intended, said Mr.. S., TO say
one word about the Tariff; but | am
strongly tempted to state a fact or two in
reply to the gentleman from Virginia.
That gentleman dealt entirely on the
benefits of foreign trade. He went alto
gether in favor ofimporting foreign goods,
and creating market for the benefit of
foreigners. Would our own agriculture
be benefited by a process like this!-
Nothing could more efectually divert the
benefit from our own people and pour it
in a constant stream upon foreign labor.
No American interest was so much bene-
fitted for protective system as that of
..qgricuHure. The foreign market was
nothing, the home market was everything
10 them; it was as one hundred to one
The Tariff gaveus the greathome market,
while the gentleman scheme was to Sc
cure us, at best, but the chance OF mar
ket abroad, while il effectually destroyed
our secure and invaluable market at home.
The gentleman says he is very anxious
TO compete with the pauper labor of Eu-
rope. will tell him one fact: With all
the protection we can enjoy, Great Bri-
tain sends into this country eight dollars ,
worth of her agricultural productions to
one dollars worth of all our agricultural
productions (save cotton and tobacco) that
she takes from US.
Mr.. Bayly. Does the gentleman assert
that!
Mr.. Stewart. | do-and will prove
it.
Mr.. Bayly. Then you will prove the
return false which are made by our own
Government.
No, sir; will prove it by the returns
furnished bv Mr.. Walker himself in sup
port of the bill which he has laid before
the committee of Ways and Means. Now
| assert, and can prove, that more than
half the value of the British goods im-
ported into this country consist OF agrl-
cultural products, changed in FORM, con-
verted and manufactured INTO goods
And invite thorough analysis of the
facts. / challenge the gentleman OF the
scrutinv. Take down all the articles III a
store. one after another-estlmate the val
ne of the raw material, the bread and
meat, and other agricultural products
which have entered into their fabrication,
and twill be found that One-half and
more of their value consists of the pro-
duction Of the soil-agricultural produce
IN ~. ctrictcst senSe
Now. bv reference to Mr.. Walkers re-
port, it will be seen that, for twelve years
back, VIC have imported from Great Bri-
tain and her dependencies annually 52a
millions Of dollars worth of goods, but
call it so millions, while she took OF all
our agricultural products, save cotton and
tobacco, less than two and a half millions
of dollars worth. Thus, then, assuming
one half the value Of her goods to be ag-
ricultural. il gives us 25 millions of her
AGRICULTURAL produce to q millions of ours
taken by her, which is Just ten to one; to
avoid cavil, | put it at eight to one. To
test the truth of his position, he was pre-
pared, if time permitted, to refer TO nu-
merous facts. But for the information OF
the gentleman from Virginia, who is SO
great friend to the poor and oppressed
farmers, | will tell him that we have I'M
ported yearly. for twenty-six years. $50
SAYS MIR. Walkers report, more Than ten
millions of dollars worth of moolen goods.
Last year we imported Sl0,666,l76 OO
worth. Now, one-half and more OF the
value Of this cloth was made up of wool,
the subsistence Of labor, and other agrl'
cultural productions. The general esti-
mate is, that the wool alone is half
The universal custom among farmers
when they had their wool manufactured
on the shares, was to give the manufacm
rerhalf the cloth. Thus we import. anC
our farmers have to pay for five millions
of dollars worth of foreign wool every
wear in the form of cloth, mostly the pro
duction of sheep feeding on the grass ant
grain of Great Britain. while our owl
wool is worthless for want OF a marSet
and this is the policy Of the gentleman re
comments to American farners. Yes
sir; and the gentleman is not satisfied VII