The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1846-03-14
Agricultural,
The Tariff as Connected with
Agriculture.

non OF the larnnng interest:
Mr. S. said he wished to consider for mo-
uent the tariff as connected with agriculture
and it might sturtle the Secretary 10 tell him
that Massachusetts now eXponted TO foreign
mTkcts more agricultural products than any
other State in the Union. She exported it us
the British imported t,not in its raw form, but
converted into manufactures; and what was
still more important TO the grain-growing
states, she exported it i'm form not to com
pete with, or at all affect the price ofproducc,
in it's raw condition in the foreign markets.
And it might starle the Secretary sill more
10 tell linn that millions of dollars worth of
hay, oats straw, grass 81 corn, were transport
ed annually over the mountains TO the At
lantic markets, from Ohio, Kentucky, and
other Western States. But is it not strictly
and undeniably true? Not in its original
form, but like British goods, converted and
changed into Il condition in which il can be
transported to market Converted into hogs,
horses and fat cattle; for what are these but
ihe corn, oats and hay of the Western farm
or, changed into animated forms, aud made
10 carry itself 10 market. A fat hog carries
seventy or eighty dollars worth of hay and
outs to the eastern market with the farmer on
Top Oft, which he sells fol- the cash and re-
turns home to repeat the process. And thus
foreigners convert Their agricultural produce,
not iuto hogs and horses, but iuto cloth, iron,
hats, shoes, every thing YOU find on the mer-
,ChHnts' shetland send thom here for sulc and
consumption. Our merchants throughout
the country, so far as they sell foreign goods,
are in fact but retailers of foreign ag-
rcultural produce, converted into goods and
sent here for sale; aud when we look abroad
Ill their vnst numbers, is il surprising that
money should he scarce? 1t has been clearly
proved that more tina half the value Of a yard
ofcloth consists Of wool, and the subsistence
of the labor employed in its manufacture
That ninc-tcnths of the value pig iron con-
Ssis oragrculturll produce, aud that even II
yard oflaco is bun little else than the SjtJSis-
'3nre Of the foreign pauper labor employed in
ats fabrication. Yet the farmer seems not 10
ha aware, That when hc pays $50 for suit
ofBritsh cloth he ands $40 ofthe 26 in hud
money (they take no paper to purchase Brit
Gsh wool, and bread and meat, while lac has
no market for his own. Yet is it not true?-
Is not this the policy recommended 10y this
administration? He was admonishcd To he
brief, bat he would, while ON this point, state
another fact susceptible OF the cleareSt dem
onstraon, that the constituents Of every
member in this House from Ohio, Indiana, IL
|nois and all the grain growing States. arc
and nj this moment purchasing and consum-
ing five dollars worth of British agricultural
produce TO one dollars worth great Britain
takes o'rhers. BY referring to the official
report on commerce and navigation for ten or
twenty years back. it would be found that our
imports of British goods amount 10 nearly 30
millions n Yclr, while she has taken, ot'all the
agricultural products ofthc grain growing
States of this Union, flour, grain, meat, &c,
less than two millions and n hall. Now, if
only half the value (and it was much morc)of
these goods consisted Ofagrculnural produce,
this would give % millions of British agri-
,ulfu.,lI DrOIDpp tulypn annually Inv n
two and haf'mjllions ofours taken by them,
lust ten 10 one. Now assuming that consump-
ton rs in proportion To population; then these
western gentlemeu'S constituents arc consum-
ing not five bnt ten dollars worth of British
agricultural produce to one Great Britain
takes from them; and yet the Secretary is not
satisfied, but wishes to increase the import of
foreign goods to favor the fdymerSi Reduce
the duties says the administration, to i'll
crease imports and amen, say most of the
representatives. of the western farmers. But
what would these farmers say to their repre-
sentaves when they come to look prdcticds'y
aud not theoretically NJ this matter? He Mr. :.
intended to call their attention TO it. lie IL
tended after the example of the Secretary, TO
address some questions TO the farmers of this
country, and he hoped soon to have their an
Swcrs to lay before the House; he wanted the
facts on both sides. He would ask for in
SluIiC', llON IiluCl IloNtNC Aii1iN
was in ward ofdomestic cloth or Il ton of
iron? and whether, if brought from England
where it was made from the same Materials
they did not purchase English wool and pro-
visions converted into cloth, iron, &C., when
they had no market for their own? He would
ask the merchants and manufacturers what
were the prices of cotton and wooden goods,
glass, iron, nails, in 1916, when the first pro-
tective tariff WIS adopted, and what they
were now? He would ask the working men
what would be the effect of''free trade" rec
commended by the Secretary of the Treasury,
ION the wages oflabor in this country? Such
uuesfions, in his Judgment, would not only fur
nsh important facts, but what was more nl-
portant, it would bring the farmers and labor
.rrS to investigate this subject in common
sense, practical point of view, and figure it
out for themselves: in this way more would
he done to bring the people to a right under
standing ofthis highly interesting subject,
than by all the speeches made here and else
where.
The message tells us that protectiue tariff
benefits the rich at the expense ofthe laboring
ppor. No, sir; it is just the reverse The
tariff is a rampant thrown around our national
lnborthe great element otour national wealth. |
The tariff furnished the only security our Ia
borer had against the degrading and dwelling |
effects of an unrestricted competition with |
the pauper labor of Europe. As you reduce
this wall of protection, you reduce the wages |
oflabor As you reduce labor you reduce the
national wealth, which is the sum of your pro- |
ductive industry.
'Lr, stand here the advocate oftabor-la-
Dor in the fields and i'm the workshops-this
struggle for national protection is a strug-
gle for national labor. 1t amounted to