Liberty advocate. [volume] (Liberty, Miss.) 1835-1866, 1846-08-01
LETTER FROM MR.. CLAY.


ure by the hundreds Of thousands of hi
devoted friends throughout the county
1t relates to the great principle OF PRoTEC
TON to American Industry, and utter
words Of wisdom at crisis when the
should not, and will not, pass unheedec
In the comments upon the character an
aims OF the new commercial policy Of Eng
land, will be found suggestions we'll wor
thy OF attention; and the letter is one G
marked interest and importance.
Our readers, we are sure, will share tn
delight with which we listen again to tn
wise and patriotic counscls of the grea
statesman of the west. His letter is tn
more valuable, because i; comes from thu
quiet and repose Of his retirement, ant
not from the field of active public service
1t is in every way worthy OF attention
and cannot be without an influence upon
the current Of public afiairs.--SOuthron.
ASHLAND, June 9th, 1916.
GENrLEMEN:-I postponed answering
your favor until the arrival of the articles
to which it refers, which you have beer
kind enough TO present TO me, They
reached here yesterday in safety, and
request your acceptance Of my thanks fol-
them. The pleasure which we shall de-
rive from using them, will be much in
creased by the fact, that both the raw ma.
teriaI and the fabric are American. Their
excellence atlests the perfection which
this important branch Of woollen manu-
features has attained in the United States
and il is the more gratifying because of
the great difficulties, with which they have
constantly had TO contend.
On both sides OF the Atlantic, the poll
cy of affording protection 10 domestic
appears to be under consid-
GRAFTON in the national legislatures. The
British Minister has just brought forward
a measure embracing the doctrines Of free
rade, not however without exceptions of
several, and some very important articles.
The manufactures Of Great Britain have
cached very high degree of perfection,
~ means of her great capital, her improy-
ID skill and machinery, her cheap labor,
md under system of protection, long,
'erseveringly and vigorously enforced
She moreover possesses immense advan
ages for the sale and distribution of her
numerous manufactures, in her vast colo.
ial possessions, from which those Of for.
ign powers are either entirely excluded,
r admitted on terms very unequal with
er own.
! am not therefore surprised that under
hese favorable circumstances, Great
Britain should herself be DESTROYS to a.
opt and TO prevail on other nations to a.
opt, the principles Of free trade. | shall
g surprised, if any Of the great nations
f the continent, should follow an exam
lie, the practical effects oil which, will be
0 beneficial TO her and so injurious 10
1em.
The propriety Of affordiug protection to
omestlc manufactures, its degree, and its
1railon, depend upon the national condi-
on and the actual progress which they
ave made. Each nation, OF right, ought
Judge for itself. believe that history
ocords no instance ofany great and pros
erous nation, which did not draw its es
entail supplies Of food and raiment from
'lthln its own limits. If all nations we're
list commencing their career, or if their
manufactures had all made equal progress,
might perhaps be wise to throw open
he markets Of the world to the freest and
lost unrestricted competition. But it
manifest, that while the manufactures
some have acquired all the maturity
nd perfection of which they are suscep.
BILE, and those OF others are yet in their in.
'ncy struggling hard Tor existence, a free
between them must rebound
the advantage OF the experienced and
Slllul, and to the injury of those who are /
'st beginning 10 naturallze and establish t
le arts. Il
No earthly qualification 70 the heart of /
statesman can be greater than that Of '
aVlng contributed to the adoption Of a
reat system Of national policy, and of az i
'rwards Witnessing its complete success t
its practical operation. The gratfica. a
on can be enjoyed by those who were
strumental in establishing the policy of 4
'oiectng our domestic manufacturers
very promise which they made has been
prediction which they S
lzarded as 10 the quality and quantity d
the domestic supply, as to the reduction n
prices, as TO the effect of competition at b
'me, and as TO the abundance of the pub. r
revenue, has been fully realized. And Ii
is no less remarkable that every coun tc
prediction without exception, of the v
ponents of the policy, has, IN the sequel, "
en- entirely falsiied. G.
Without tracing particularly the opera. pi
N Of our earlier tariffs, adjusted 10 both pi
objects OF revenue and protection, and Ia
ming down to the last, it seems to me g