Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1846-06-18


900 at six per cent. Each laborers capital,
then, is equal 20 $4,000 at interest. Multiply
this by millions, the number Of laborers,
and II gives you capital amounting to the
enormous sum OF six thousand millions OF dol
lars, producing, at six per cent, three hundred
and sixty millions of dollars year. Thiswas
the Labor capital he wished to sustain and |
uphold. This was the great national industry |
be wished TO protect and defend against the |
ruinous and degrading effects of a free and un- |
restricted competition with the paaper labor
OF foreign lands. He went to secure the A.
merican market for American labor. In the
great struggle for the American market he took
the American side. On the other hand, the
gentleman from Alabama and his friends went
FOR "iree trade" for opening our ports TO the
manufacturers Of all the world; for bringing
in freely the pauper productions of Great Bril-
tain, TO overwhelm the rising prosperity Of our
own poor but industrious citizens. They went
for crushing American enterprise: grinding
down American labor, and putting their eoun-
tryman on footing with the very sweepings
OF the poor houses of Europe, and would, in
the end bring them down to their political.
as well as their pecuniary and moral condi-
ton. Mr.. 5. was for eherishing American la
Dor; for giving it high wages; Tor surrounding
il with all the substantial comforts OF life
Which was the true friend of the PEoPLE :?
Aud yet these free trade" advocates, from the
Secretary down, prolessed to be tue exclusive
friends Of the "poor man'" and we are de-
nounced as the friends OF "millionaires and
monopolists." We now imported fifty mill
lions worth of British goods annually, and
therein we imported twenty-five millions
worth of British agricultural products; OF Eng
lish wool. English grain, English. beef and
mutton, English fax, English agricultural pro-
auctions OF every kind. And vet gentlemen
would rise here and talk of British market for
our breadstuffs. Why, how much of this did
England take? Not quarter ola million, in
all its forms
Here was beautiful reciprocity. Here
were the beauties of free trade. Here were
| our equality of benefits. We took fifty mil
lions in British goods, one half oft agricultu-
raj produce, while she took one quarter of a
million Of our breadstufls. This was our boast
ed British market. What was this British
market TO us2 The Americ, n market consumed
annually nearly thousand millions of Amer
lean grain; the British market one quarter of
one million. Great Britain took of our flour
not tenth part OF the amount taken by the
East and West Indies; not third part as much
as Brazil; not as much as the little Island of
Cuba; and not much more than half as much
as Hayti. Poor, miserable, negro Hayti, took
last year So. Ia barrelso of our -four, while Eng
land, Scotland, and Ireland together. took but
30, 355 barrels of -four and one barrel of corn
meal. Yet we ere told in the face of these
official facts, by the Secreiory of the Treasury,
that we must take more British goods, other
wise she will have 10 pay us "cdsh for our
bredd'ti6s, and, not hdring il TO spare, she
will not buy as much of our cotton" What
aninsult 10 American farmers is this. As an
honorable man must lac not blush for his rep
utation when he looks upon these facts? But
what better could we expect from this Amer
lean Secretary, who, over and over. in his re-
port, deuounces the Substitution of American
MANUFACTURES for foreign goods. and declares
that direct taxation is more equitable and lust
than duties on foreign goods, especially in its
operation on the poor Better levy taxes on
our own productions than on those OF foreign
ers Such are the doctrines openly avowed by
this Secretary TO favor his miserable system of
"iree-trade." Away with such British doc
trlncs as these! They could never find favor
with the American people while spark of
patriotism animates their hearts, or a drop of
Revolutionary blood runs i'm their veins
The gentleman from Alabama will no doubt
discover another terrible absurtlity when Mr..
). stated that Great Britain exported and sold
more agricultural produce than any other coun-
Try in the world. Yet il is strictly and unde-
nlaoly true. Exported, not in It's original
form, but worked up and converted into goods,
IRON, CLOTHS, &c, consisting OF raw materials
ana oreadStuiis. Great Britain exported. on
an average. more than two hundred and fifty
mllllons oil dollars worth Of manufactures, one
hall OF the whole value Of which consisted OF
the produce OF the soil. The United States
took about one fifth part of all the exports of
Great britain-being more than all Europe
put together In report Of a committee in
the british Parliament, made some years ago,
II appeared that the British goods consumed
by the people OF the different countries of Eu-
rope, France. Russia. Prussia, Austria. Spain,
Belgium, &c. amounted 10 FOURTEEN ecnts'
worth per head. while the people Of the Uni
ted States in the same time consumed three
Hundred and fftyJoHr cents worth per head !
This showed the immense importance Of the
American market TO Great Britain, and &C
counted for her great solieilude 10 retain it.
II also showed the superior wisdom of the
European Governments in excluding British
goods by highn and prohibitory tariffs; thus de-
velopingand relying upon their own resources,
encouraging and sustaining their own national
industry, promoting their own prosperity, and
thus establishing (as we should do) their own
national independence on the most solid and
lasting foundations.
Mr.. s. invited scrutiny into the facts he had
stated; he challenged contradiction. He put
them before gentlemen, and begged them to
xamine and disprove them il they could. He
invited them to reflect upon them in spirit
OF candor To dismiss from their minds eli
party bias; to rise for once superior to the low
grovelling prejudices Of party; TO wake up 10
the great interest, and feel for the real strength
and true glory aud indepe ndence OF their ma.