The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-07-13

2 M Chairnsa, Of such discrimination in favor o
ne nssnuisctafsF against the Wool-groweT.
Bti this ~hiE tariff of 1912 was to heal all tn
~ ~ ne body polite. The farmer especially wa
~ ~ hsne6isd BY the withdrawal of laborers from
~ lil-ss ~ the soil, and the creation Of honi
msstsi" fof bis Surplus produce. But what hal
bssa ne rssslV I would ask the farmer how much
y ne pres ~ he produce increased since this glo
ris.s A,sA Yoisefirs tariff has been in operation
IL hen Wy N Ss"ors ne rool from his eyes, which
sas sdfoity y1isd opsS by this tariff act, and de
hossstsiy examine the sobjset and | doubt not h,
90 b. b. sonsiaosd that tbs fraudulent Legislative,
soatfivaBos ~ss snhingly devised by the manufae,
tgrsfs themselves, Sith the sole design 10 their owl
supssns ,nlsF,ss Yes, ar TO make the rich richer
sd ths T-sof poorer
Z have bsioFs me, Mr.. Chairman, a table Of the
pssss ~ ~oo ~ western Ns~ York foT The last Ave
years, ~hish shs~s the, ~ the years leil and 1912
Ne pfifs from ~ 70 50 cents per pound. and a
a. pfs.spl ums u y from ~ 10 81 cents, aud ha,
never a sny ether period 1895 been 90 low az
81 the pfsHen umsi ~hilsi the msnalaciures OF WOO
sss a .asi a. htxh II say period sinos lsaO.
Whist thea, ga, a1os M 70 mcguire, 10 the cause
~ thts -esing snomaly IN. comparative prices OF
Sod and the el,ths manufactured from the same
Amos every Nod of agricultural predictions Al
he Lowest point and the whole energies Of the far
u1eT prostratsd, whist the manufacturer is rapidly
gFoSing rirh Al has skpsnss' u u In consequence
tandi Meat unfortunately, Il has happened al too
early psf,od No, ar this result has been gradu.
ais pfoduoed snos thu passage of that beautiful
Nh,g pFoisotiss art And yet No are gravely told
that high pfo,soiiSs dstss 10 the manufacturer re-
ducss the pftos 81 has manufacturer aud increases
the pFos Of sbor and Of agricultural productions Al
the rae Of comparative prices Of labor and sgrcul.
turA PRODUCTIONS With mangfactufes under the ope-
tanoR Of this act would ask the maths ns teisn To
demonatrnls ho~ long Il would take TO make the
farmer and the labonag man rich and the manufae.
turers poOR
The truth Of this doctrine, that protection TO the
manufacturer reduces the prlces & his productions
and increases that e the farmer, may be well tested
by the falling oa IN price upon the article Of wool
alone under the operation OF this protective ACT Of
ls42
The census Of IslO shows the quantity Of wool
raised that wear in the United States To be IS 900
lbs and that NsW York produced one-third OF il.
have table before me which shows the produo-
ti0n IN New York, IN ls45, 10 have been about
II, OO0,OOO lbs.-being increase, since l54O, OF
nearly one quarter. A like increase IN the United
States may he assumed as reasonable, and would
mske the clip OF the present year L. be about
~ 900, 900 lbs. The falling OF IN the price Of this
since 1912, would be about s4,0O0,000. And this
~ loss 10 the woO-power Ia thai amount. One-
thTd Of this would fall upon New York-Deing
about $50 OOO-the congressional district which
have the honor 20 represent loss Of about sec 900
$4,000 lbs. the last year, and being second only to
one (Ontariol IN the State, and sustained loss by
this falling of IN price Of $4,000
I Now, cir, n this astounding falling of in the price
OF wool has been produced by any other cause than
this unjust and unequal operation Of the tariff Of
1912, how does u happen that under protection Of
~ per cent, the manufacturers Of this very wool
have steadily kept up their prices, and now realize
az high, II not higher, prices than In l6i2, whilst
the wool grower and the farmer sustan a loss from
25 to 80 per cent, under a protection Of FIVE per
cent. upon the grade Of wool generally grown by
themi
And here Mr. Chairman, permit me to notice
statement of my honorable colleague from the Liv-
ingston and Ontario district, in his remarks upon
The question under confederation this morning. He
Nr. CARRoLLl stated that his "district raised an
nuay 1000, 900 bushels Of wheat, and half mil
lion OF sheep, and II sustains the tariff All the
answer | desire to give to this statement, sir, IT,,
simply tn ask the farmers Of Ontario, who produce
about GO 900 lbs. Of wool nnnusly, whether they
sustain this highly protective tariff for the benefit Of
the manufacturer, because they sustain annual
loss of $50 900 in the falling off in the price Of their
WOOL And the farmers of Livingston, whether it is
because they sustain annual loss OF S32U 900 upon
the falling of in the price Of their wheat, whilst a
profit equal to their losses goes into the Golfers Of the
manufactured But ! leave this TO be settled be-
tween my honorable colleague and the farmers Of
Ontario and Livingston.
A te further indulgence, Mr.. Chairman, and |
will pass from this branch OF the subject
IL is claimed, sir, by the friends Of this high pro-
lection to the manufacturers that nothing short of
40 per cent. protection will enable them to compete
with the 'puupsr iabor Of Europe" Statistics, sir,
collected by the Committee of WAYS and Means OF
this House, in l84l show that the cost Of labor 10
the manufacturer constitutes "a per cent Of the cost
of his productions Now, sir, would not proec-
ton of "a per cent nstead 40) being equal to the
whole expense Of labor, be sufficient protection,
though the 'pauper labor Of Europe" costs nolhing-
and without taking into the account the superiority
of American machinery, cheapness Of water-power,
provisions, taxes, &c
Admit, then, that the price of labor is higher in
this country than in Europe-and it is right it
should be soit may be interesting, at least to the
laborrg class Of our feow-citizens, to inquire how
the price Of their labor compares with the profits Of
the manufacturer? The same statistics, TO which |
last referred, show that it requires eight times the
amount of capital and five times the amount Of labor,
to produce an equal amount Of income in agricuu.
raj pursuits that it does to the manufacturer. That
is to say, if upon the employment Of every $1,000
capital in manufacturing, II requires the employment
Of laborer to produce profit Of $500, il will
quire the employment of $4,000 capital and five la
borers TO produce like profit to the agriculturist
and the mechanic! Beautiful protection this, to
"homc industry the American aborers!
But, | am occupying quite too much time and
will hasten to conclusion by saying, that from the
examination have given the subject, in all its differ
ent phazes, cannot resist the conviction that all
these artificial, mixed, specific, and minimum Iegis-
lative contrivances, unequal and oppressive in
their operation, and should give place to the more
equal and equitable principle Of ad valorem duties
duties 10 be imposed in proportion to the actual val
ue Of the commodiiy-and for this we have the au.
thorty of the Secretary Of the Treasury. reud
sir, from his annual report:
The tax upon the actual value is tho most equal and
only be accomplished by ad valorem duties As to andu
lent invoices and under valuations these dangers be-
eved be arrested eectuay by the stringent provisions
penalty OF the nth section Of the ar Of 1884,
and oneha the is collected from al valorem
duties"
Ifthis authority is not deemed satisfactory to our
friends on the other side Of the hall, would refer
them to the opinion Of an individual which, I doubt
not, will be regarded by them as good authority,
and worthy of consideration. Mr.. Clay, in his
speech in the United States Senate March ], lsi2,
says:
say" said he that in theory and according to every
sound principle Justice the ad valorem mode OF taxation
Is entitled to the preference"
Now, sir il in the language Of Mr.. Clay the lad
vaorem mode Of taxation is entitled TO the prefer
- : r r.