The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1846-07-02

aod he challenged gen lemen to point hin
10 4 single instance in reference 10 which
this was not true. The prices of com
nodiiies, instead Of being raised by pro
lection, had been reduced 10 one-lhird
one-tolrtb, and even TO one-Ienth and one
twelfth part of what had been paid fol
hem when imported from abroad. The
gentleman, if he walked up to the Fair
might have seen American cotton, such
as had cost when the enormous mini.
NUNS were first imposed for It's protec-
ton by MIR Lowndes and Mr. Calhoun
elghty.fye cents a yard, now ready 10
be Delivered in any quantity, aud OF better
quality, at seven cents; and woollen ans
sold IN 1910 at sixty-fve cents, now sell
ing, of much better quality, for thirty five
and these articles were subject 10 the very
highest duties ia the whole catalogue 49,
proving, beyond all contestatlon, The truth
of the proposition denounced as an absurd
ity by the gentleman, that the highest du>
ties often produce the lowest prices, when
levied on articles which we can supply to
the extent Of our own wants. Here was
The result OF American industry, skill, and
Improvement, when left free to act oot
their own energies, aud occupy, fully and
freely, their own approprilte markets,
without the disturbing and destructive
competition OF the pauper labor of Eu"
rope. Mr. S. had mentioned the article
Of cotton, because it afforded a striking il
lustraton of he general doctrine, showing
tEa! the mininums, the highest protec-
live duties, had produced the greatest re-
duction Of prices. But the same thing
was true, to greater or less extent, with
respect TO every protected article in the
matters of fact. He challenged contra
diclion-he coured gation-he de-
fed gentlemen to disprove an atom of
what he had asserted. And, 10 put this
truth in the strongest light, he repeated
hat the highest and most obnoxious du>
ties, those obhored mlnmums, against
which gentlemen had wasted such furious
denunclalOns, presented precisely The We
ry cases where the reduction OF price had
been the creates. Those duties, it is said,
how amounted to two and thee hundred
per cent. ad valorem. AND why Be
cause they were fixed specific duies.-
They rcmaaed stationary, however pri- |
ces might change; and, OF course, as the |
price wcnt down, the duty bore larger |
proportion 10 it. AT first, The duly was,
say. half The prize Of The article; as the
price declined, the duty became equal TO
the price; then 1t became greater than the
prco; then double the price; and, al
leagib, treble and thea gentlemen ex-
oil oil IN hat oh inn i.,I
duty It is three hundred per cent on
the total valae Of the article What hor-
rible profits! How the duty must raise
the price y when, all the while, the duty
remained the same, and It's effect had been,
not TO increase but 10 bring down the
price just three hundred per cent.-ffom
thirty cents down to seven and half cents
per yard, and this was robbery and plun.
der =! Aad sl!ll the gentleman said it was
an absurdty, which no man could swal-
low, 10 say that the higher the protective
duty the lower the price. Now, Mr. S.
would venture 10 say, that if the duty on
iron and lis manufactures were increased ! |
Tomorrow five hundred per cent, the rap
Id rush of capital into that business, and t
the vast increase of supply would be such, I
and the consequent reduction of pFice so c
great, that the United States would soon S
supply the world with iron, its capacity '
for It's production being Unlimited. lie t.
had stated facts, showing that high duties L
had produced low prices. Can the gen. c
tleman deny lhem2 There they stand on
imprcgnable foundations, firm as the hills | v
1t the gentleman and his friends dis @
prove them as they can. That such is 81
the practical operation of the system is IT
fully established by the fact, that whilst d
manufactures Of various kinds had declin- t
ed to one-fourh of their former price, "
agriculture! produce and the pages OF L
labor had underwent little or no reduction, p
owing to the constantly increasing home "
demand for bo:b, resulting from the pre- al
'ecive policy. III
But he wished to be understood cor, es
rectly NJ S did not say that the effect tn
Of all duties was to diminish prices; on n
he contrary, be cid not deny that it was HI
nc effect Of some duties 10 increase prices. s.
Bot what be said was this: that duties W
eVied on articles we could make, 10 the f
3&!ent of our own wants, and with view W
o project our own manufacturers, did in d.
III cases operate, in the end, to lower pri, tn
es, by increasing capital, competition, by
nd supply. Duties imposed on foreign III
rli9Ies which we could not make for our, of
Elves, woaIl generally increase the pri> tn
e., because they did not increase the sup ag
Iy by increasing home competition. His mi
osiu0n was this: duties le0jsd for reue- M
ne on articles ace cannot produce increas> We
d prizes; a04jfs! protective duties, lecied M
% articles ace can and do produce, d. Ion
FINISHED price. The tru'h OF both these br
ropostiou5 was proved by undeniabIe