Litchfield enquirer., 1846-08-27

= for by your Government.
r But the contrary policy has unhapily pre-
! vailed; and now l predict, il the system Q
5 low duties, without discrimination, except il
r hostility to domestic interests, is to stan,
, for any considerable period of time, aided
{ as it will be, in its work of ruin by thi
warehousing scheme, the effect on American
wool and woollens will be as follows.
t l. 1t will stop, in a great degree, perhaps
wholly, the imports of coarse wool, but in
manner, or rather from a cause, that will
prove highly disastrous to our farmers Tor
it will destroy, or at any rate greatly cripple,
our manufactures of carpeIing and other
coarse woollens. The South American
; wool would, in such cases, be taken to Eu-
rope, and after being there converted into
Competing and other cheap woollens, would
be imported into this country, and in that
form be sold to our people, and in the mean
time the farmers would have the poor conso-
lation of knowing they had lost, in the de-
structiOn of these home manufactures, a val
| liable market for breadstuffS, beef, pork, but
ter, cheese, corn, oats, hay, and other agri-
cultural products generally other than wool.
Z. 1t will affect very injuriously the man.
ulatureS of woollenS all over the county,
Mr.. Walker insists that under his system,
the imports will be greatly increased, and at
the same time he tells US the manufacturers
will make profits equal TO the average earn
ingS Of other employments in the State, or,
in other words, they can continue their bust
ness with success. How can this be in the
face of heavy impor:ations of woollens P
On the contrary, affirm, that a vast pro-
portion of these establishments will be bro
ken up, others will run short time, and
few perhaps, having great resources; will be
able to maintain themselves, and even to
make moderate profits, as they will get wool
low and labor cheap by reason of the multi
tudes thrown out of employment
3. The farmers will lose, by gripping or
breaking up these establishments an impor
tant market for agricultural products other
than wool. They should necessarily bear
in mind that, in purchasing foreign woollens,
they in fact pay for all the foreign bread
stuffs, beef, pork, &C., consumed in manufac-
turing such goods abroad, and that in the
form OF woollens such products are in effect
sold here in competition with the products
of our own agriculture. -
4. Wool itself must be greatly reduced in
price. This must result ineviatbly-frst
from increasing the supply Of wool. by the
amount in the shape of woollens; and sec
ondly, from diminishing the home or do
nestle demand for the article. There will
be fewer manufacturers in the market to
purchase, and those will only be enabled to
10 so at reduced prices. Domestic wool,
for long time past, has ruled incur market
from IS to 60 cents per pound and where
is the wisdom, by breaking down our manu-
features, of reducing the article so low that
it can be taken 10 and manufactured in Eu-
rope, and then brought back and sold to our
people as woollens, we losing freight and
charges to and from Europe, TO say nothing
of profits to the foreign manufacturer, and in
addition a valuable market at home for 9TH
er agricultural products?
5. The farmer will find it extremely diff
fcult to sell his wool for cash, unless indeed,
at a ruinous sacrifice. He will be obliged
to dispose of il in barter; and how, then,
can he get money to pay his taxes, or to raise
mortgage on his farm?
| 1t is hardly necessary to say. that these
causes must give very injurious check to
the wool-growing business all over the I'm
ion, and particularly at the South and
West. We are to look for no increase of
the numberof sheep correSpondding o With tha
|
I urge Proportion of those in existence will be
consigned 10 the shambles.
Can any one doubt the justice of this ex.
position in view of the facts and considera-
tions which l have presented? Let it be
remembered | have left out of view the eff
feet which the new measures must have on
the other great interests of the country. |
affirm it is impossible to overthrow any one
of these interests without giving a great
shock to all the rest. What, under the sys-
TEN of low antiprotective duties, will be-
come of iron and its fabrics, of the manu-
features of cotton, of sugar and molasses,
refined sugar, coal, glass, leather and its
fabrics, and namelesS other interests which
have sprung up under the protective policy
since 1916? If these interests, or any one
of them, should fail, would not the indiect
effect on wool and wcollens be highly inju-
rious? How can those engaged in other
employments afford to buy such goods unless
their business is prosperous
In addition we must look to the probable
state of the currency, under these measures,
to enable us TO realize the dangers which
must beset American wool. While the Ad-
ministration utterly repudiates the protec-
tive policy, and reduces greatly the duties
on foreign goods of every description, they
avow that they expect an immense increase
of imports, so as to more than make mp the
loss of revenue which would otherwise oc-
cur. Mr.. Walker insists that the revenue
under his anti productive tarifwill be sever
al millions more than under the act of 1912;
or, in other words, the country is to be flood
ed with foreign manufactures. How are
we to pay for such an immense amount of
goods? Will not the balance of trade be
turned against us, our country drained of
the precious metals, the banks crippled;-
and must there not be a great reduction of
the currency, if not a complete overthrow of
our monetary system? Amidst the gener-
al ruin, can the wool grower expect to es.
cape? Let experience, as folly and mad,
ness have resolved to try these experiments,
test the truth and justice of these remarks.
In this place wish to recur again to the
provisions of the act Of 1912 on " wool and
woollens," for the purpose of repelling an
imputation necessarily cast on that measure
by the opponents of protection. 1t is said
that the tariff of 1912 is so arranged as to
protect the manufacturers only, and that too