New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1846-03-06
The Tariff and Labor.

The True Suu, which was once iarr ana iinpaf'
tial journal, is now edited by rank Aoco-r o0''
who misses no opportunity 10 give the wings
back handed stab. Thus his last paper has an anu
Gle on 7. abor and Wages, in which the case OF the
Hand. Loom Weavers OF our City and Philadelphia
i Introduced, and the following use made Of it
The manner IN which these hardfated people are
obliged TO live Is cruel and inhurnan-reTof1nsy ~
while the regulations adopted By the ps that the
rannical and unjust in the eirs%e ever Re reduced 70
INDUSTRY Vi 'a.s S mean way OF ving in England
-, /, has already beer. protected to-.
L. :, ia plainly assumed, in this proiessecly
.u,,ok daily ;hat Protective Duties have depress-
Cd The Wages OF Labor n this Country anc ground
down the Laborers to mean toay Of ftc'ns' -
This is no, proved-t is not the result OF an array o.
facts and arguments i is quietly assumed as an In
dub;able and obvious truth If this is neutrality,
commend US rather to toe open sntagonlsn OF tie
Globe and Morning News.
There is no man who has at all investigated the
deplorable condition Of the Hand-Loom Viewers
who does not knooc THE word is carefully consider
cred and not TOO strong that whatever is peculiarly
deplorabe in that condition is caused, not by Fro
lection or the Tariff in any way; not by the tyranny
and injustice of employers; but by tie continual
advancement and perfection Of Machinery. The
Han Loom Weavers of our Country stand now
where those of India did twenty-five to thirty years
ago where the Copyists or Scribes OF Chrstendorn
did in the hafcentury which followed the invention
of Printing The only difference Is caused by the
fact that the Division of Labor has become fer more
minute, and the difficulty OF passing from one
branch to another is far greater than twas in o
! fha pd-I
vers as such, there is absolutely no permanent i'm
provement possible. Machinery will move forward
step by step, taking from them what little work is
now left them, and doing with one hand the work Oh
thirty or forty Hand-W eavers until there will be
nothing left them do Ct which they can even keep
body and soul together. The shrewder and more
skilfu will from time 10 time be absorbed into the
management; Of Power-Looms or other congenia
employmenis while the less ndrot and flexible are
moving irresistiby onward to fate which we snud
der to contemplate II mus: be averted-but ho7c
/ To tell them that any possible modification OF the
Tariff will bring them good times as RGnd-LooDi
Weauers, is to deceive them villsinousy ,oexcite
them against their employers as unteeling tyrants
is equally cupable. Or plan would be to create
and foster as many branches Of industry as pos
aibe and try to draw them gradually off from their
Hand Looms into these. We are also strongly
favorable to making the Public Lands free in small
quantities to Actual Settlers, and attracting them
thither. Were those Lands free, we would heartily
advocate the removal ,hther at the cost of our City
of all able bodied inhabitants who chose to go and
would probably be able to make living there.
Show us any practical means of alleviating their
suferings and we will advocate it; but 10 attempt
to press those suerings into the service of LocoFo
coism is baseess and unjustifable.
Whoever will thoroughly consider the case OF the
Hand Loom Weavers can hardly fail TO see in it an
absolute demonstration of the general necessity OF
Protective Duties. though in their particular case
Protection is unavailing 10 them as Hand-L DOM
Weavers, because the unequal and ruinous COM
petition to which they subjected is not exclusive.
ly from abroad. Atkinson, in his essay Political
Economy, uses the kindred case of the Hand L oom
Wcavers Of India to demosh certain fundamental
propositions of the Free Traders and he does it
eileclualy. See his work.