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

their would very discover hat protection
had been to them practical blessing, and instead Of calling
their representatives, relieve their crushing burdens
they would rather pray them pour out many such
upon them He might refer gentlemen to the article of
sanets In 1923 the price OF these goods ninety cents
yard 1880 IL fifty cents. II the advocates OF free
trade choose dress themselves in poorer commodity, and
pay for higher price, let them do but do not take from
the poor the opportunity Of clothing himself and his sm
in better article at lower price Mr. rather thought
that while the people felt the daily effects OF protection upon
all their affairs they could not be brought TO listen to
dreamers.
Mr.. Y would here say to the gentleman from Georgia
Mr jon Esl who thought the duties laid by the tariff OF AZ
such grevous oppression upon the people, that in regard to
article which could be made in this country and which
protected by high duty the purchaser did not pay
cent Of that duty The iron, Tor example, which was manu-
featured in Pennsylvania did not cost the purchaser penny
for duty, for the simple that duty paid upon IT,
housekeeper bought piece of cotton anda piece OF sheet
ing, did she pay any the goods Mr. r. averred that
she did not pay cent No community did III
point of fact pay any but the wealthy individual who
chose to dress himself foreign goods, for whom American
sanets and American cloth not good enough but whose
astocrac limbs be covered with French cashmere and
whose wife and daughters be aayed for the party in
imported silks and The vouptuary paid that could
not be satisfied without foreign wines and brandies
Mr. JONES here nterposed TO say that our poor people
not able for foreign goods because they were tax
| ed SO high.
Mr. YOUNG replied that it evident the gentleman had
been able understand him. He had just stated facts to
prove that the protective tariff instead Of raising the prices
what he formerly paid twas the poor man pe-emnenty
who relieved by the practical working of the system As
matters Stood he might if content with American manu-
actures cothe himself and his children, and pay nothing to
the support Of Government If any body had to complain Of
taxes, not the poor man. but his rich and luxurious
neghbor The glory of the system that the tax vol
untay. No iron-heaed tax-gaheer presented his gripping
hand and his mperous demand at the hamlet of the poor day
labore but left free to purchase according to their
MEANS and such they had rendered. under this
benign system of protection, of more than double value This
system had prevailed from the foundation OF the Government
| and nothing but blessings had marked its course.
The advocates of free trade constantly answering the
friends of protection with this argument If you can make
much better and cheaper than them before and
much better and cheaper than they can be imported then
you need protection This to them seemed unanswera
bic argument but the plain We could meet and
could compete with foreign manufacturers when placed on fair
equal grounds but they did stand equal grounds
The child the other strong and full grown man.
The vast manufacturing OF England had been
creasng and accommodating for century, and she
possession of machinery which able to do the work Of
two millions of human aboers. The manufactures OF Anne
had indeed increased with astonishing rapdiy, but they
not yet in condition to compete without protection
with the vastcapal and machinery OF Great Britain Abolish
all protection, and England would flood with such
quantities of her manufactures sold at sacrifice to effect
special object would ef1ectuay break down all
paratvey feeble manufacturing institutions, until at length
the threat OF British statesmen would come to be realized
among who said that he would not let the colonies make
much hobna. We should then be virtual colonies to
Great Britain, and the threat might be almost literally full
filed The British manufacturers with their extensive re-
could sustain themselves for time by selling three
ouhs of what they made in their market, and there
fore could afford to send the remaining fourth here and sell
price that would accomplish the object of breaking
down. Let statesmen unite in this design, (and
something unlike seemed 10 be favorlte object with
Mr.. Waker,) and then what would become Of our own
mechanics Of haters our aors, and backsmiths
I'm referring talors he meant nothing nvldous to the
gentleman from Tennessee Besides, after England had
accomplished this and destroyed all competition this side
/ -, IL
very natural she would raise the price to the former
standard Before the got his goods he must the
first cost in England the there and all the cost Of trans
portaton And supposng the material to be produced here
the with coons before the poor could
yard of cotton for his wife, which he got at six and
quarter CENTS he would have to pay the price of the cotton
Carolina, the its admission into England, the cost
of transportation out the Of manufacture in Eng land,
the profit of the British manufacturer the tax to the Eng
sh Government the profit of the British merchant the cost
Of transportation home and lastly the profit of the American
merchant Would he get his yard OF cotton for SIX and
quarter cents Let the gentleman from Georgia answer In
stead Of six and quarter cents, would probably return TO
the old price Of twenty-five cents and well for US if stopped
| there.
Mr. Y. asked every American farmer who consumed i'm
ported goods from England remember that far he did
this Re paid his quota towards the support of British royalty
and magnfccnce. And he would ask those free trade
gentlemen, who had long sung in the old
taxing the for the benefit of the few whether they
not humbuggng the many for the benefit of the few
Here Mr. y said he should be obliged to pass over many
things which he had upon his notes. on which his limited time
would suffer him dwell. He had shown thus far how
the farmer benefited by protective tariff the price of
he goods he and daily used He would show how
that system benefited him in another way.
The gentleman from Georgia (Mr JoSEs) had introduced
with of triumph the reduction in The British laws
and seemed consider a conclusive argument in favor Of
free trade and the gentleman went TO say that the effect
Of that would be benefit the American farmer by
giving him British market for his grain. This argument
all perfect aacy Did not that gentleman know that
before the laws abolished Government could get
wheat cheaper from the Baltic under high than il could
get wheat from the United States under low tax Did he
know Certainly his position required him to know that
although American wheat paid duty Of eight shiings ste
ling, while wheat from the shores Of the Baltic paid duty
Of fifteen hlngs still nine-tenths Of all the foreign wheat
| imported into England came from the Baltic ,
Now, If the wheatgrowers in the Baltic could beat US in
the English market, under duty Of almost double of wha
paid, what Of competition could hold with them
when they paid duty all The abolition of the
laws admitted wheat fee and there the growers the
Baltic and the growers Holland, and the growers in the
Geanc States comparatively at the very door Of the British
market while three thousand miles off Did the gen.
eman from Georgia really suppose that under these ccum
stances, the British market would be supplied by American
wheat Certainly the gentleman too well acquainted with
the subject believe this himself however he might preach to
others So from the repeal Of the laws proving benefit
to farmers s practical effect would be to nure them The
market would be filled by European wheat and, while our
amcrswouJ be compelled, by reduction of the tariff, to
pay for their goods and to have the home-market Tor
their wheat diminished they would be deprived of the reci-
procal benefit of the British market This must be PLAIN TO
any rejecting Of that all the congra-
tulations of the gentleman from Georgia little mis-
placed and premature.
Mr. " would now show that the protective policy benefit