Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1846-10-09

! and supported by, the Argus would have no
American mechanic paid higher for his labor
: than is the foreign laborcr, no matter how low
that may be. Il would have nothing made in
Amerca-whether il be a hat, or a shoe, Or D
coat, or an anchor, or a yard Of muslin, or a
cham cable-which cannot be made here as
cheap as 1t is in Europe. IL lenounces as gross
and oppressive injustice" any interference OF
! the government 10 secure 70 the American work
man the work Of America.
What say you, all you who labor. is LOcolO-
cosm right in this! Shall we shut up our shops
blow out the fires Of our iurnaces-siOp our
manuiactOres-sllence the sounds Of industry
every where in the land, aud make our country
tributary to Europe for all that The hand or skill
oiman may produce!
There can be but one answer 70 such a qucs-
/, uon-but one opinion ola system that would lead
TO such results. 1t would be ruinous 10 the cOun-
Try. ltwould not stop at reducing to idlcness all
who labor for their daily bread, but il would in
; vovc in its deletcrious consequences, all Who
! have stake in the prosperity Of The country,
whether they be capitalists, property holders,
ship owners or ship pbuildcrs-whelherlh make
shoes or sell shocs-whcthcr they buy hats or
make them. The prosperity Of a country, 10 say
nothing Of the happiness Of the people, depends
upon the workmen oft being regularly employ
ed and well paid. Where ideness is vice and
ruin is near at hand. Where industry is, virtue
and contenlment are found.
But the Argus intends, il may be said; no such
extension Of its principles, as would lead to this
universal idlencss; that it only intends to say, i
the Baltimore workers in iron cannot make
chain cables as cheap as the English workers
,,,tfri,t H.
ploy the former in preference TO the latter"
Let us take another case. Mr.. Vansanl, the
candidate Of the Locofoccs for the State Senate
is seller of hats. The hatters Of Baltimore are
skillul, tasteful and industrious. But il is true
that they are not able, without great reduction
) in their wages, 10 make hats as cheap as lhcy
can be made in France and Germanv-whcrc
forty cents day is considered good wages
Now the Baltimore hatters must come down tC
forty cents day, or Mr. Nansant will import all
{ his hats from France! The Wings say, protcc
the Baltimore hatterS-they can make all the hats
we want, aud to allow French hats to be brought
{ here is the same as 10 take the bread cut OF the
mouths of our own people. The Locoiocos
say to do this-to protect our haucrs, would be
''gross and oppressive injustice" 10 Mr.. NansonL
He is of that party, and of course believes that il
would be unjust, ii would be oppressive and
therefore resists the law that would give the hat
ters protection, and having aided in repeating
the law, he imports all his hats from France and
, Germany! The consequence is that the wages
of the Baltimore hatters are reduced TO the mise
: rable stipend paid in Europe, or they having
nothing TO do. In either case they are ruined.
But Mr.. Nansant is u seller Of hats, and there
fore does not suffer. He imports as many hats
as he wants from France and Germany. He
gets them so cheap that he makes greater pro-
fit than ever. lie thriyes, his trade pros pers
and he becomes Il man of wealth. The Amcri-
can iourncyman halter, all this time, is struggling
10 get bread 10 keep soul and body together
often sends his children supperless to bed-and
never knows for himself, his wife or them, the
comforts ola good meal!
Who wants to see such a state of thingsl-
Does Mr.. Nansant! We trust not. But we
say, and the Whig party says, that he should
not be allowed 10 import his French and German
hats-any more than any seller of boots and
shoes should be allowed TO import German and
French boots and shoes. He may say he does
not want this state of things, but we have here
avowed in the Argus-the organ fhs party, the
advocate of his election, and which carries his
Hullt Ill us HCuu-lCIG VIC nave IL dNOWCu III lllG
Argus, that for government to interfere to pre-
vent his sending 10 Europe to buy his hats would
''be gross and oppressive injustce;'' and unless
he disclaim that such are his sentiments and
discards the party that avows them, the people
will be justified. in believing that he advocates
the repeal Of the tariff of l842, that he may do
so.
The Wings say you ought not to do this, Mr..
Vansant. They will, if they have the power,
put such duty on foreign hats as will obligc you
TO employ the American instead of the French
workman. And they would, if they had the
power not only 10 do this for the haters. but for
all other mechanics, whose business and whose
wages are interlerred with by foreign workmen.
They would not stop TO dispute whether twenty
or thirty per cent duty was sufficient, but they
would place it at Il sum that would be prohibito-
ry, so that the Amernan workmen should do the
work of America.
What say the American mechanics and mau.
lacturers-is not this policy of the Wings the
true one!