Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1846-05-07
BRATTLEBORO, THURSDAY, MAY Z, 1916.


void cayil put it at eight to one. To test the (
truth of his position, he prepared, if time per-
mitted, to refer TO numerous facts. But for the
information Of the gentleman from Virginia who is
friend 10 the poor aud oppressed farmers will tell
him that we have imported yearly for twenty-sx
years, $50 says Mr. Walkers report) more than ten
million OF dollars worth Of woollen goods. Last
year we imported Sl0,666, I76 worth. Now, one
half aud more Of the value Of this cloth was made
up Of wool, the subsistence OF labor and other ag-
riculiura productions. The general estimate is
that the wool alone is half. The universal custom
among farmers when they had their wool manufac-
tured on the shares, to give the manufacturer
halt cloth. Thus we import and our farmers
have TO pay, for five millions of dollars worth Of
foreign wool every year in the form Of CLOTH mostly
the production of sheep feeding the grass and
grain olGrea, Britain while our own wool is WORTH
less, for want OF a market and this is the policy
the gentleman recommends TO American farmers
Yes sir and the gentleman is not satisfied with
five millions, but wishes to increase it to ten mill
ions year for foreign wool. viii the gentleman
deny this He dare not. lie has declared for
Mr. Walkers bill. reducing the duties wool near.
ly one half, with a view 10 increase the revenue
Of course the imports must be doubled, making the
import OF cloth twenty millions instead often, and
of wool Ten instead OF five millions Of dollars per
auuum.
This was the gentleman's plan to favor the far
mers, British farmers, by giving them the American
market His plan was to buy every thing, sell
nothing, aud get rich. "a laugh.) What was
true as 10 cloth, was equally true as to everything
else Take hat, pair Of shoes, yard Of silk
or lace, anayze it, resolve it into its constituent
elements, and you will find that the raw material
and the substance fabof, and other agricultural
products. constituted more than one-hllf its entire
value. The pauper labor Of Europe employed in
manufacturing silk and lace got what 1t eat, no
more; and this is what you pay for when you pur-
chase their goods. Break up your hume manulac-
lures aud home markets. import everything you eat
aud drink aud wear, for the benefit Of the farmers
Oh, what friends these gentlemen to the farmers
and merchants and laborers Of this country-no,
sir, am wrong, of Great Britain.
! Now | ask whether wool is not, in the s,rictes
sense, an agricultural production And if i'm.
port ten millions in CLOTH is not five millions ofthat
sum paid for wool alone-a product of British far
mers As a still stronger illustration OF this argu-
ment, Mr. S. referred to the article Of iron. Last
/ year, according to Mr. Walkers report, we import
ed 50 0l3 1876 worth offoreign iron, and its manu-
faciures, mostly from Great Britain, four-fnhs of
the value Of which, as every practical man knew,
consisted Of agricultural produce--noihing else
Iron is made OF ore and coal and what is the
and coal buried in your mountains worlhi Moth
ing-nothng at all, unuaed What gives it value :
/ The labor of horses oxen, mules, and menl And
what sustained this labor but corn, and oats, hay
and straw for the one. and bread aud meat and
vegetables OF every kind Tor the other These
agricultural products were purchased and consum-
ed aud this made up nearly the whole price of the
iron which the manufacturer received and paid over
to the farmers again aud again, as often as the pro-
cess was repeated. Well. is not iron made in Eng
land OF the same materials that il is made Of herel
! Certainly then is not four-fhhs OF the value of
British iron made up of British agricultural pro.
duce and il We purchase nine millions Of dollars
worth OF British iron a year, do we not pay six or
seven millions of this sum Tor the produce Of Brit
ish farmers-grain, hay, grass, bread, meat and
other provisions for man and beast-sent here for
sale in the form of front He put il TO the gentle
man from Virginia (Mr BAyLY) TO say il this was
not true to the letter. He challenged him to deny
it, or dispute it il he could. The genilemans plan
was to break down these great aud growing mar
keis to the British and yet he protested to be a
friend to American farmers Il From such friends
good Lord deliver them u" One remark more on
this topic Secretary Walker informs that the
present duty iron is 75 per cent, which he pro-
poses TO reduce to 80 per cent to increase the reve-
nue. To do this, must he not then double the i'm
ports of iron Clearly he must. Then we must
add ten or twelve millions per year to our present
r imports of ron and Of course destroy that amount
of our domestic supply to make room for il, Thus
at a blow IN the single article oiiron, this bill is
intended TO destroy the American markets for al
least eight millions Of dollars worth Of domestic ag.
rcullural produce TO be supplied from abroad and
this is the American-no the British-system o.
policy which is now attempted to be imposed upon
this country by this British.hating Administration
Let them do it, and in less than two years there will
not be a spece-payng bank in the country. We viii
be again bankrupts and the scenes and sufIerngl
, of 1910 will return and with it, as a necessar,
/ consequence the political revolutions of that pc
, Rod
! The home Market Mr. S. commended, was ever
thing to the farmer, and the foreign market com
, paratively nothing. Massachusetts alone purchas
h ed and consumed fourteen times much Of thu
grain flour, and meat of the other States as tn,
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, from
whom we took fifty millions ofdollars worth of man
ulactures yearly. Massachusetts took 35 million
worth, Exclusive Of cotton and tobacco,) whit
Great Britain took but two and half !! Yet, &C
! cording to the gentleman from Virginia, the for
h egn market was vastly the most important!l
Mr. LEAKE here put this question to Mr.. s.
E Whether cotton and tobacco were not agriculture
q producisl
], Mr. S, Certainly but they are not our only
o agricultural products There were other Interest,"
i inthis country worth looking after and preserving
: besides cotton and tobacco. But, no doubt thu
+ gentleman concufs with Mr. Secretary Walker
who tells u.s. in his free trade report which has
S delighted England, and no wonder il has for h
j there says we must take more British goods, be
l. cause, if we do not, england must pay for gu
, breadstuh'' in specie and mot having il to spare
she will bring down TO even greater extent tn
II price of our cotton" Yes, "our cotton"-thcr
/. is the rub The North and West must quit work
J. sell nothing, and bring every thing from England
II and send them our specie as long as 1t lasts, so tina
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