Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1846-06-20

tDn In which placed during the last war The
pnfu remembrance yet fresh every American heart.
When the war came upon we had moi either mu-
nhons for It's prosecution in condition
nlacure them for ourselves But with the came of
cssy, legislative protection TO industry. The
operaed eiectual prohibition OF competition from abroad
The system OF American manufactures sprung up once and
found TO give employment TO all people, Before
that ended sixty millions of dollars had been invested
various branches of manufactures dispersed the whole
lace OF the country dusing prosperity and happiness
direction Protected by the continuance of the war, which
secured to them the undspued possession of Market
all who engaged in them became prosperous,
dustrious, inventive, and happy Would to God that the
state OF things could have been continued when peace
came But il ordered otherwise The Congress of Is
refused to impose high duties The interests of the manuac-
tuners began gradually anguish and decline The business
the country prosrae and distress began spread
into every and hamlet of the land None rich
as escape the general decenson poor not
der its baeul influence, to become douby miserable Many
of those who had honestly believed and senuous advocated
ee-ae theories surrendered their notions the convincing
power of fact and experience, and openly subscribed the
doctrine of Mr. Jefferson who had the candor say that he
had found manufactures to be necessary the independence
the country These learned wisdom the hard school
OF bitter experience. Memorials began to pour thick and fast
into Congress- presenting the most appalling picture of the
public dsesses So strong these representations and SO
commanding the voice which proceeded from the people,
that Congress at length yielded and passed what might
Justly be called the benign tariff Of 1924. The effect was
Immediately felt in the rapid return OF general prosperity
If any wanted to practical commentary on the
practical effects of free trade and OF protection let him con-
the this country in 1919 and in 1924 Mr.
Clay had eoqueny described the gloom and deep pevadng
darkness which covered the community under the system
and conrasted with the awakening light of hope and enter
and general prosperity which cheered people under
the opposite system. Let gentlemen go to the statistics OF
those years. and they would place the truth in clearer
light than any power of human eoquence So appalling had
been the distress which prevailed Pennsy during the
year 1872 that committees OF inquiry were appointed in both
branches of the Legislature to investigate the of
melancholy result The result of these inquiries asceaned
that real estate, in that ancient commonwealth, had fallen in
value hundred and fifteen millions of dollars and the
committee Of the Senate reported that during the year the
suits at law fourteen thousand; the judgments OBJ
tained than thousand and that there egh
teen hundred mprsonmen for debt in the city of Philade
phia Alone In fact SUITS executions mortgages orfeltues
mprnmens and the utter of families had become the
order Of the day. Nor this state of things confined to
Pennsylvania alone existed, almost to the extent,
in Kentucky and in many other States of the Union Had
similar investigation been made the same appalling returns
musthave been made great portion Of the country No
wonder the cries of the people for relief And Mr. Y
would call the Democratic Representatives from Penn
syvana and soemny upon them the question: whether
they prepared bring back upon their constituents the
dark of 1919. Would they make such sacrifice
this for the privilege Of camberng the foosoo Of Ex-
ecutve power He knew there at least honorable
| exception
Mr. BRODHEAD here inerposed TO say that the distress
which prevailed in Pennsylvania in 1919 owing to the
of the papermoney system and to the vast number
hanks which had been chartered in 1874 the baefu in
unce of whose issues not fully developed till the fatal
year of 1919.
Mr. YOUNG, resuming, said that he had long observed
that in all political controversies, be they of what nature
they might the banks constantly made capegoas
which were laid all the evils of the country.
Great the prosperity of the country had proved under
| the tariff of 1924 it not suffered TO last. The
Southern States refused to obey the law The infamous
doctrines of notification preached and seduousy popa-
gated until at length happy Union seriously threat
ened Then it that that great and eminent statesman,
who deserved richly the honorable title Of the Father of the
American System, consented to sacrifice his offspring to
the horrors of civil With sublime moderation he
tempered the angry spirit which had rae and soohed
by agreeing the compromise His object attained
Civil avoided but the consequences of the compromise
written and blood Hence the awful distress
Of 1887 eaul evusion took place in business affairs
The OF $40 again revived General dsust pre-
vailed and suits multiplied until the business of the
country Frustrated that longer worth while
TO As to its practical and enjoyment property be-
valueless Notwithstanding the high prosperity which
had prevailed in 1924 and 1926 when the reyuon Of 1897
came all found TO be in debt As mitigation Of the
general misery many Of the Western States passed relief laws
obddng property TO be sold under wo-thds Of its value
operated IN some degree TO prevent the general ruin
which would otherwise have ensued But If American labor
had been protected in due time such Legislative nerer-
ence would have been required.
Mr. Y had thus in a very hurried manner gone through
outline Of the past experience of the country under the
opposite systems of free trade and protection In the face
these facts what demanded That Congress should
make the experiment of reduction of the tariff
with a view the increase of
The advocates of free trade conended that legislation should
be alike for the benefit Of all and that the inevitable
effect OF protection the for the benefit Of the few.
This the assertion, but its truth had yet been prov
ed When this could be unanswerahly demonstrated, Mr..
would be prepared al to surrender the policy for he
hoped he should be the last that Hall who would adj
moistrous scheme that Of taxing the community
at large for the benefit of small and privileged class. He
proceeded principle directly the opposite, and the
decided advocate of the existing tariff because he believed
all sincerity that worked TO promote the benefit of all classes
of the community. The friends Of protection told that
duty increased prices and much taken out of the
pocket Of the and put into that of the producer
They held that il plain that child might it that
the duty asked that might be added TO the price Mr..
T. readily granted that child might see, who knew any thing
Of cphenng, that fifty cents added dollar made
il a dollar and half But arthmecal problem like
this the great and absorbing problem of legislative protection
Had their constituents sent gentlemen here TO work pro-
70 md this If that all, they might well
turn TO their homes and leave the business of legislation
Babbdges arthmetica machine. But the duty Of lie.
gisatos to look little deeper than arithmetic, and to raise
their eyes from schooboys slate the living world around
them II belonged statesman TO take a calm and prac-
cal view Of things they existed To investigate facts and
TO judge from them whether increase of the tariff reduced
prices augmented them They had TO do with things,
| figures.
Mr. Y. might adduce a thousand examples to show the
practical truth Of the doctrine he mantased for would be
demonstrated by the history Of almost article that
able to make, and which protected by adequate duty
He would select but two. lie would take the article of
dow glass Before the manufacturer Of this article pro-
heavy duty laid upon it. which, according gentlemens
theory ought largely to have increased its price, when be-
hold, the price fell To three dollars Whose theory did this
establish According to the theory Of free trade, here