Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1846-07-16
raoa THE NATIONAL rxrEr.xsGHrcEa.
TAgsFFN ABROAD AND At Husa1

.Alz-.
rRoA THE NATIONAL KxrEEL10ENCEG.
TARIFFS ABROAD AND At HOME.
On the industrial questions now under what
we can hardly venture 10 call deliberation at
home, we find ID the late European papers
some articles worthy of attention, particularly
The first Of the following. The Paris Constita-
tirlai says:
The sympa;hies Of Sir r. PxEL for the
doctrines OF ApAN Smith are altogether new,
and he bias appealed 10 them OILY because
they tend to support certain projects, the car
.rying u which IS demanded hy 8 powerful
party. These projects affect commercial free
dom but in VERY slight degree, and England
I is oil all countries the farlhest removed from
that freedom To prove this assertion we
have no need even TO examine the details of
her tariff, and il is sufficient 10 point out some
general facts TO be convinced that the demon
STATIONS which England is making at present
do not affect in any very deep manner her
system Of protection and monopoly. Com
mercial freedom does not in fact consist in the
suppression OF some entrance duties, and in
the facility given 10 certain foreign articles to
reach the national market Commercial tree
dom has larger pretensons but less easy TO be
realized and we may be certain that England
will not renounce so quickly the commercial
policy which she has been pursuing for nearly
two centuries. Her navigation act, which has
been torn by other nations, and of which,
I however, she endeavors still to preserve the
vestiges, has been judged in very different
ways. The partisans Of free trade declare that
the manufacturing and commercial power Of
England has established itself even in spite of
the navigation act, whilst others, on the con-
trary, affirm that the cause Of this power must
be looked for in the monopoly of transports
We shall no, here discuss these two opposite
/ opinions; but the fact is that the English
statesmen maintained the navigation act with
singular obsunacy, and that they consented in
some measure TO depart from it only when its
I provisions compromised their commercial re-
latlons with other nations. tits only from inn
peratve necessity that il was renowned, for
the first tiIne in favor of the United States, in
favor of that race of conricts who would not
acknowledge the monopoly. Since then,
i England, in order to escape from reprisals, has
successfully modified, but only modified, this
celebrated act with respect to great number
! of maritime nations. But we shall leave these
views and proceed TO the monopolies which
have remained vigorous and unchanged. To
read the greater part OF the opinions passed ON
Sir r. PEEL's measure, one would be tempted
to believe that in short time there will be
amongst our neighbors neither entrance duties
nor customs. This, il must be declared, is an
illusion, betokening much simplicity. For,
notwithstanding the proposed reforms, the
English Government SO arranges the matter
as still to draw from the customs an annual
revenue of from four hundred and fifty to five
hundred millions of francs. Notwithstanding
the reforms, there will not be custom-h Use
officer the less in this vast extent of coast. II
/ tlefop
ing will be still lucrative one and, in fine,
tobacco, tea, brandies, wines will continue TO
| be affected with such exorbitant duties that
the tariffs of other nations will be examined
in vain for such elevated imposts on the same
articles. If that is TO be called commercial
| freedom, i, must be allowed that the persons
doing so are easily contented. But this is not
all. The exports in En- gland amount TO about
sixteen hundred millions Of francs per annum.
| In that sum the colonies count for about a
quarter. The advocates of free trade, who
profess so high an admiration for the liberal
measures of Sir r. PEEL, are well aware that
| they will never carry their goods, with the
consent of England, to India, Ceylon, the
/ Cape Of Good Hope, lonian Isles, Malta, Gil
braltar, the British possessions in the Gulf of
| Mexico, Canada, and the crowd Of colonies
which our neghbors hold in the seyerest de-
| pendence in every quarter of the world. In a
/ word, the advocates of free trade know per-
| fectly well that our neighbors will not renounce
in favor Of an idea, and through pure philan-
throphy, the colonial monopoly, any more
than they will abandon the diferential duties
and restrictive measures which protect the
English shipping interest. And vet it is only
by renouncing this monopoly and these mea-
sures that commercial freedom could be eslab-
I'll g. Il
struggle is going on at present possess only
secondary importance, and do not touch the
groundwork of the system. Besides, the re-
ductions which are proposed on manufactured
goods absolutely signifies nothing. either for
! foreign producers or the English manufactures
themselves. The latter are expert enough not
TO fear competition; and. in truth, Sir X. PEEL
has been very fortunate in finding persons who
regard as a favor reductions which will not
change in any respect the position of imports
and Of patlve manufactures. II is a veritabe
inhrmity to always seek examples among for
eigners to prove that we are plunged in barbar-
ism in what concerns free trade, and, above
all, TO look for these examples in England, the
country par excellence OF monopolies and re-
strlction. II Sir X. PEEL were to make ten
reforms similar to that which he has Just at
tempted, Great Britain would be still far re-
moved from commercial freedom. The lea
guers and free traders, if they were sincere,
would continue TO urge their claims. But on
this point we commit the matter unhesitating-
IL TO Them, and their radicalism would soon
calm down If there was any appearance Of
lessening the colonial market, and of causing
the English shipping interest TO compete with
those OF foreign countries. In that, however,
consists true commercial feedom. Ii is in this
domain that the great mercantile interests Of
nations struggle together. and it is there that
for long time manufacturing and commercial
power has been sought Tor. Care must there
fore be taken not to lei ones self be deceived,
or ones attention turned away from the capt.
tai questions"
So much for England and her Free Trade.
France evidently comprehends the new lber-
atty. And so, in turn, does England COM
prehend the extent of French commercial phi
lanthropy. Witness the subjomed from the
London Morning .Ns,es:
"The French are puzzled and divided as to
what they should do with Belgium. Those
amongst them, and they are many, who are
chiefly actuated by views OF national granduer
and political ambition, are OF course for an
nexing Belgium, commercially at first, rs
Ere@ O,,t 9th han