Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1846-07-31
SPEECH OF
HON. GEO. p. MARSH, OF VERMONT.
TARIFF QUESTION,

N Means, proposing to reduce the duties on imports
~ being under consideration in Committee OF thu
10 Whole on the State OF the Union
Mr.. MARSH said:
. Mr.. CHAIRMAN: The reduction of the existing
tariff of duties is urged upon grounds of botl
public and private economy. The peculiar
y friends of the measure regard it as panacca fol
all financial evils If, at present. the Treasury
is affected with a'rophy. reduction of dutie.
will, it is said. rcplcnish il. by inducing grea,
increase of importations; if it is swoln witt
plethora. a further reduction will serve to de-
plctc it, by diminishing the receipts at the Gus
tom house For both of these i'll conditions o
the national exchequer we have, then, but one
remedy, one iniallable nostrum, and that Away.
to be applied to single class of citizens. sin
gle member Of the body polite, which, i
seems, has monopolizcd not only all the nutri
ent fluids. but all the present humors of the
system. If too thin blood flow through the
public veins, quoth Dr. Walker, bleed the me
chanic, the manufacturer and all interested il
the prosperity of the industrial arts pheboto
miZe the right arm Of the republic if the ma
tional arteries tlrob with two full pulse, then
says another Gaen of the same school. tn,
chairman of the committee of Ways and Means
you have nothing to do but bleed it again
But the people, we are told demand the pro
posed change in our revenue sy stem,as meas
ure of private economy, bccaus, it will enable
them to procure their supply of all manufictur
ed articles al a rcductol of price equal to the
amount of duty taken +; and will. at the same
time. secure to them Il steady foreign outlet fDl
their agricultural surplus instead OF an indill',r.
ent domestic market
1t will be readily admitted BY every person
acquainted with the extreme uncertainty of all
spccuatons in political economy that the re-
suits of the intended great revolution in our svs
TEN Of public finance do not admit of rigorou,
calculation, and it is in a considerable degree
purely experimental. As an experiment. there
fore, it is liable TO the general objection agains
all unnecos ;ary, sudden and abrupt transitions
III affairs involving great and complex interests
and it is incumbent on those who advocate thi
chngr, in the face of the undoniable genera
prosperity of all great puhlic and private Ameri
can interests, to show uneluivocally that Tn
system now in force is morally iniquitous. tina
lis operation is partial and oppressive. bcyon
those moderate limits OF individual sacrifice f,
the common veal which wise rulers tolcrabl
rs unavoidable conditions Of every system {
human government, or to prove to the reasonl
hlc satisfaction OF all whose interests the chang
threaten; to affect that it will augment 10 a ST
higher degree the general prosperity we now er
JOY:
That we are in fact blessed with an extrao.
binary degree ot such prosperity, whatever pa
til evils may here and there exist, suppose n
intelligent man will dispute. 1t is true, no doul,
tint tie ACQUISITION of wealth is moro dirlicu
thln formerly: that il rc-uir,s orna,ar Cruc, lit-
AMI longar confined and mora l,Lo-i,u, I,Ju.
trv. bnt This very fact i. it.rlf am cvidnnca or
greater di.ii,,i,u and n more c1ual diatrib,
. fiun Of the elements II thrift l.abr, economy
and skill. are still sgre Of their reward bi
there are two reason, why large accumulate
is no longer SO easy or so frequent. The one
that the growth IT our population, which
more RAPID th4n the increase oil our capita
:. hTing, INTO tne ht!d new competitors IN the pu
A. suit oi wealth the othcriS the great improve
nj lieH' III INC hao'a ana coii''ol oil inc prodn
NJ ave ana IN lauiacturlng lahorer. by winch he t
participates III 'lie enjoyment OF 'iie wealth 1
nj ''ci'oe' tHuc' '"e "feFa'h o tle pFo'ecu\
a. system ana the comparative stability that 1t II
il s"'es W All pursuits tie certainty oil conS'aI
Mt r'''o! ''i' anu Puhct"ai payment mas maze III
,r ab'rcr more regular IN his habits OF industry
t. occupations more Vlilcd IN character rrlurln
INC 'N'''ise Vi nsH'r ana more a'u'o licultlt
- .hah 'e oiu rou'ihe OIL rurai labpr ana constan
II y oofro"'hg from the progress OF knowledge
q, improvements III ooth processes ana result
ha,c ichucreu MN more observing, though'iu
IN ma iiteii gent ana temperance has bestow'
ID 'loh MN rug my anu 'hrt' lie Is. therefor
$ ~ c91 uesi''c ''ic mere instrument oil his en-
ty lao!c'' 'Ns frequently Piuluer'd ana stripped
'no'c VINO Prey upon 'It wees or the weaknc
IT. no rchns drawn t,n,n Tho hn.e,, ID, ,,pnn,
or ,,,LoroJ h, th, ,,;Is ,r ,la o,,';i I ' i"
h" n,nain. v.;,h hin, ,h, swan, - H. "
sh ,,rnnJ ,ha,,, Thu. ,,;,h t,m "''" u
rl INDIAN ,,c,,,,,,,;n, ,t u.,,i,b r.1,,..,, -. y
m connetoncn a. r,lciyes rs no.Sossor ,,,,,, :,
necessity Of l,hor No., unJeni,hlv on;,,,. ,,o
rannr,l and canal nrn.nrritv ,i,n ~. nr =,
III ether country h,,. nvar hrt,ro trnnn :"
!"
TO- - a' e''o' o"oe very general WIN
en- " .tc -,o,tn' a"u no" very prevalent at
Is 'o.'u ','' wei - Is 'ni' Vi preicrrihg U;
~ III ~ 'oi,''',''e 70 manufactures 9
ir lug " piouoc''oh' Inc error originated
ir- ,i'',' WI" US pu' we nave rehouhceu II; WA
IN Wv "'' CT III i'u'c u'iiie ana reason
nj aa pu' VI 1t, Mi.e 'ni'h serves contracted 1t, "a
rs' n.y. eNi'p''cu '''c rare spectacle OF OPP
les -" PATTI converting each o'her' Inc u
re- nc't, NV r,uu'ct Hlu become cutter and wca
IA, VI 'hc i''ie aiihcc soop, that used To doui
em un' srea' caP"s' now carries Drogans and neg
~ clo'l'' u oharleSton and Savanlh,-and brin
ch pich cotton pair9 Tor The looms OF Lowell.
81 Inc Sou,iern planter On the other hand, h
IN turned looper IN 'eXas scrip and bonds of stat
led OF doubtful solVehry, or speculates "a colt
III broker; and Is enriched to day and impaveris
tD-Inn II {. rI-. III %, e..