Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1846-07-21

80 tlrcgiIpuS--t'it
nndon Dov.r Calais. Paris, Lyons, ana
ay;annn n MsrseilIes another from Ham.
hn,e ,hr,ush Berlin, Dresden, Bremen, anu
Gr.,1 n !i'ries,e; another from Hanover,
,s,"ncb paris. Valenciennes, Cologne, ana
uannyer 10 S,etin another from Names
,hrouoh Paris. S,rasbourg, CaElsruhc, Ra'isoon,
vienna. Presbourg and Pesih, TO ne blach
sea; and a fifth lIom Tesie, thIoneh oo'oeauA,
C.ne. Marseilles and Rome, TO Naples nV.'
II lhs links in some OF these routes are ai'eduf
IN execution. and the completion oi Inc "ho!e i
.noLen or-l know no, how jus,ly-with ne u'-
n,o., co,G,.nce. Can ANY man doubt hat lha'
| h,,, tac;ii,es for intercourse must binS nations
na,rer ,o-.lher and in kindIicT spirii-a spirit
ybicb will promote free intcrchanses not onlY oi
,,ate bnt OF though, and opinion! Sir, sooner
ar la,er. Nature viii enforce her laws. and IN
despite Of human legislation, dispense blessings
10 man 10 which his reason uusht 10 nave Giisc'-
cd him, il his preiudicsS had mol ioiniodeh nun
to csc them. When the selfish lnslinct prompts
nations 10 grasp a! more man 'heit smart 81 '''e
commerce OF the weird, Nalnrc mas 50 ARRANGED
i, rha, eynerience will teach Them that The ccnse-
ouence a the auemp, is to obain less even Than
,h,v are fairy entitled 10. II vas upon no theory
Thai powerlul and selfish interests in Great Bril-
ain have Welded their Iardy assent 10 The pr!nci-
p!es Of fire.. trade They yieited 10 the lessons
If experience. which appealed 10 their selfish
ness and noin,ed lbem 10 still greater sources 81
nrosneriv in a ius,er more liberal and generous
rul;cy. Whoever will look 10 he hssoiy oi me
cha ure in the British commercial system, VIII
find that i, las been tie result OF experiments,
cautiously tried, and 50 convincing IN ,hei. ac-
nal onera,ion as 10 have overcome The ogposi-
lion Of hereditary p.e adice, and ii selhshness
which had been .os.ered and somewhat exc.sco
hv a long course al class legislation. Nolhins
can be clearer lhan the prccs adduced by
Sir Robert Peel, iroG. experience, tha' ne r.
sun of every removal or mitigation oil lhe
restrictions upon commerce, had been 10 m
crpase The production ard wealth. and 10 enlarge
the sources Of taxation III the country. ffoiu
which proposition there mentally Ao@s Inc coroI-
lary thar every increase oil driy ccyobd tae re-
venue standard Tor protection diminl>hes mol on.
" The wealth, but the revenue OF nation.
have been TINS particular, Mr.. Chairman, IN re-
lrrrine 10 lie experience # Greal Britain, and
The great truth which il has demonstrated, because
intend TO maintain its existence here as well as
there. and reason can never come 50 strongly
backed as when il is sustained BY exprisnce-
If i, can BE- proved that tie effect OF duties ior
protection and beyond the revenue standard, IS 10
diminish The sum Of the wealth OF The naiisn as
well as the revenue OF the Government, no one
could be found selfish enough 10 advise Us 10 m
rerfere with the natural course Of industry ana
trade. TO tenefii portion of our people al such
AN expense 10 the whole. | have never heard
any ma intain so monstrous proposition; but all
who have supported the restrictive policy have
urged that It's ultimate effect would be 10 increase
the wealth o: The people and line sources oil Ievs-
nue. 10 the Government. This, then alr. Chair-
man. is The grea, proposition upon watch lhe
friends and opponents oil The protective s,s'e"'
are a; issue Docs il increase or diminish Ice
entire wealth OF the whole people and Tie sources
Of revenue 10 the Government II car prove
that its tendency is 10 diminish them, then any
bill like The present which removes some oi tie
existing restrictions on commerce ought 70 y
satisfactory 10 all. But If, in ADDITION - iniS,
| can show that mere revenue Tariff woald &c
better for the manufacturers themselves, lhis D'
ought 10 BIZ no; onlT satisfactory, hni gratifying
even 10 them. Ibee myself that both o. !hese
propositions are tue bn that The ST Is especial
iy and inconiroyerialy So. What is II that hrst
creates The necessity fur protection 70 manuiac-
lures. hu, The i.ciIhat other occupations are more
profitable So long as ihe Legislature does not IN
,erfers Ii .orei.n manufacturers are allowed
To enter into iree competition with them, ihey
would be undersoia in oGr own fnaFsei>, ana
would find heir occupation less profitable than
others already existing in lie county. Bn ihc
Government iElerere> 10 enhance the COST vi ihe
foreign article By imposing Guiy o. u, and The
domestic manufacturer is thus enabled 10 under
sell him. bu; AT a hehe, price than would have
existed under lower rate of duty. The conse-
ouence is, that the other industrial classes ex-
change their productions for fever manufactured
articles, and thus work al lower rate Of profit.
The manufacturer may get a larger profit than
his proportional rate for a while, but capital and
ator will leave other pursuits Tor manuiac-
uring until all are reduced so near The same
eve as 10 be equally desirable as pecunary in
But when the manufactured reach
IS this level through stages OF declining profits,
lie is still in need OF protection 10 secure and mo-
lopoize the home market. lie is still as i'm
as ever for protection, as shown ty
,ur own experience; and it his necessities "
taied truly he is still unable 10 drive The foreign
II from the market without duty 10 enhance
ne price of The products OF the later. Now,
{ his be the case, ,he ether empioymen,s are
ill getting less Tor tner products than tnsy
you'd have done but for the duty, and are there.
ore gaining a less rae Of profit. But The manu-
ac.urer ees the same or hu, lille more. and Thus
iii classes are producing al a less rate q prom
han they would have enjoyed, but ior Govern
men: Interference. state Of things which
must continue un,ii the relative cheapness .! lhe
,ueGis in manufacturing productions a; nome as
r9mpared with those abroad, become such as, IN
addition 10 ae nataral advantages in me nome
market viii! enable rs 10 undefSei Inc foreign
competitor, iihoni the assistance OF duty Inns
is tGe precise roin, al when manulac,urin@ &C.
comes piotl'able 10 Il nation, ana oa2h, 10 COM
Inence Before this period, hey only exist by
diminishing the rate OF profl', al which ihc whole
nation produces Ofcourse, il follows that Z M
ton must increase lis wealth less rapidly under
snch circumstances than ii eit 10 the natural
course of events Could any Thing ne more ao-
sud and uniust than thus 10 diminish the profits
on the production Of whole people. The far.
ner, the sailor, the merchant, he artisan, the
day-lahorer, are ali making less uTcn their CAPT
,al and industry than they would have maze, hut
for law OF their own Government. The ma
nu,ac,rrer escapes The general depression Tor 4
time. hu ultimately his turn Also mus, come, and
his profit falls 10 nearly the same level! know
ih., these conclusions have been sought - b.
avo idrd, bY maintaining that The exclusion OF The
foreign competition enables the domestic manu-
fac,urer 10 sell cheaper than The foreigner could
have done, il no duty existed. Bu; this PROPOSE
ton is 50 manl.s>iy absurd, that need no, re.
peat the arguments a-aius! il. l. rests upon The
absnrti,y, tha! there Will be more competition
amongst our own manufacturers II re conhne thc
home market 10 III m. than there would be il NJ
the manufacturers Q! the world had access 10 it.
In other words, that part is greater than the
whole. |, rests on the ab>urdily that although the
the natural agents and the command Of the raw
material upon combined view may DC cheaper
elsewhere than here; hat yet a mere legislative
provision may give rs The faculty Of cheaper pro-
ducton AT home. IL rests, TOO, uTon the absurdiiy
that protection is necessary 10 them, although
they have the ability 10 sell cheaperhere han for
cisners could possibly do if they had access 10
The market. 1hcy say that if we will give them
the home market, they can sell cheaper Than for
eignefs could possibly do, as il the reply were
not ready: il you can undersel the foreigner in
the home market, do il, and you will certainly
no, only take il, but keep it, Facts, too have been
maintained TO exist which prove The proposition
and yet when these have been examined and
me, by those competent and disposed IL the work
of detail, they have always been shown TO lead
10 tar different conclusions. II is remarkable
tina, in all The lists which | have seen exhibited
10 prove this proposition, The price of the Ameri
can fabric, ALTER the duty was laid, was compared
only with the price before protection was given
For fairness, a further comparison was necessary
between the price OF The protected American fab