The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1846-09-11
REMARKS OF
Andrew stewart. Of Pa,
THE ErrEcroF PROTECTIVE DUTIES
IN DEFENCE OF THE PROTECTIVE
POLICY.

THE EFFECT OF PROTECTIVE DUTIES I
OK PRICES.
The first argument OF The gentleman had !,
been the position, that the effect oil pro
lectiye tariff vas oppressive, especially on
the poor, and on the interests OF agriculture
and labor. How was II oppressive upon
these No other interest 10 the country was
half as much benz 6led by the tariff as the
farmers, aud mechanics, and woIklugmen. i
The gentleman said that II injured them by /
increasing the prce OF manufactured com.
modiiies Tor the gcn,Iemau's assertion was,
that protection dad invariably increase the
price OF the articles protected. Now, IN
reply, Mr.. S. would distinctly pu. forth this
assertion, 10 winch he challenged contra. ]
dlclion, viz that there never was proiec.
tive duiy levied in this country, on any ar.
ticle which we could and did manufacture
extensively, VIII ch had not resulted ~ bring.
ing down the price Of thai article; aud lie
challenged gentlemen TO point HIM to SIN.
gle instance in reference 10 which this was
not true. The prices Of commodities, IN.
stead OF being raised By protection, had
been reduced TO one.lhiTd, one.iourih, and
even TO one.tenlh and one.lweitth part Of
what had been paid for them when import
ed from abroad. The gentleman, # be bad
walked up 10 the Fair, might there have
seen American cotton, such as bad cost,
when the enormous mlgnuns we're hfsl
imposed for is protection by Mr.. Lo"ndes
and Mr.. Calhoun, > els. yard, now ready
to be delivered in ans quantity, aud OF bet.
Ter quality, at cents and woollen Jeans,
sold 10 lSi0 al g. cents, now selling, OF So
perior quality, for 30; aud these articles
were subject TO the very highest duties IN
the whole calalog ue-proylng, beyond all
condensation, the truth Of the propoo uon
denounced as an absUrd;y by the gentle.
man, that .he highest duties often produce
the lowest prices, when levied on articles
which we can supply TO the extent o. or
own wants. Here was the result 0! Ane:.
lcan industry, skill, and Improvement, when
left free 10 act out their own energies, aud
occupy, fully and freely, their own apPro-
pirate markets, without the disturbing ano
destructive competition Of the pauper labo'
OF Europe. Nj. S. had mentioned the ar
ticie of cotton, because il afforded a slflk
ing illustration OF the general doctrine
showing that the mnlmuns, the highest
protective duties, had produced the great.
est reduction of prices. But the same thing
was true, to gteaser or less extent, with
respect to every protected article ~ the en-.
lire list. Mr.. 5. stated lncUn.royernbls
r g. H. Is offgr oaA IA -
tlon-he colrted Investigation detieC
gentlemen to disprove au atom OF what hi
had asserted, And, 10 put this truth 10 II
strongest ligb., he repeated that the hgh
est aud mos obnoxious duties, those abhor
red minimums, sgaius! which genleme
had wasted such IutloGs dununclatlous, pre-
scented precisely The ve;y cases where ID
reduction Of price had been The creates
Those duties, Il is said, nov amounted !
two and three hundred per cent. al pai,
rem. And Why Because they were ia
ed specific duties. They remained station
airy, however prices might change; and, {
course, as the prCe ven! down, the dut
bore larger aud still larger proportion /
il. Al first, the duty was, say, halt tn
price Of the article; as the price declined
the duty became equal TO the price; the
/! became greater than The price; then dol
bic the PRICE and, at length, treble an
then genilemenexcIaimed 10 horror, "W h
an abomnlble duty Il Is 300 per cent. Q
the total value OF the article VIVA! horr
bic profits How The duty must raise tt
price = when, all the while, the duty II
NAMED the same, and lis effect had beei
not 10 increase, but 10 bring down The pro
TO one-tnfd OF what Il was-rom 80 cen
down 10 10 cents per yard aud this wa
robbery aud plumber And slli the gentle
man said II was an absurdity, which NJ maj
could swallow, 10 say that the higher th
protective duiy the lower The price. Now
fir. s. would venture TO say, that II the du
ty on iron and its manufactures we're IN
creased tomorrow 500 per cent, the Ia
pid rush Of capital into shat business, al,
the vast increase Of supply would De such
and the consequent reduction Of price 5
great, tina. the United States would 500
supply the world With iron, It's capacity 70
its production being unlimited. He Ia
stated facts, showing that high duties ha
prodoced low prices. eau the gsn!Iema
deny them There they stand On lmpree
nable foundations, firm as the hills Let ID
gentleman aud his freuds dlsproYe them .
they can. That such IS the practical OPT
ration OF the system IS fully established
the fact, that whilst manufactures Of var
Gus kinds had declined 10 one fourth Of the
former price, agricultural produce and til
udges OF labor nad underwent little or u
reduction, owing 10 the constantly incfeat
ing home demand for both, resulting trol
the protective policy. He submitted 1t t
a matter Of fact, known to every man, VI
man and child, 10 the country, where mat
ufactures existed, that they paid less tC
manufactured goods, and recesred more lC
their labor and thelr produce, owing to a
increased demand. ct, 10 The face OF the.
universally admitted facts, We are told ey'
~ day on this floor, that The tariff increase
prices, and robs and plumbers the farmers
But Mr.. S. wished 10 be understood Co
reclIy. lie did not say that the effect Of a