Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1846-07-31
-- I0west deep, 1owef deep,
Still threatening to devour US, opens wide.

- lowest deep, lower deep,
| Still threatening to devour us, opens wide.
Now, there are two modes in which such a
system must iniurously affect the arts of me-
chancal production, and the various auxiliary
branches of industry. The one is the fuctuation
of duty on the foreign article with which they
compete To all industrial pursuits, stability is
important to those which, like manufactures,
require large capital and long period for or
g,nizaton and preparation before any returns
can be received. which employ numerous labor
ers and whose regular series OF operations en-
tends through consi crable time, it is absolute
" indispensable. Many months always. some
times even years, clapse b,tw en- the purchase Of
the raw m itera and the sale of the elaborated
product. The price Of the material ought to be
regulated by the price to be realized from the
sale of the fabric. This, with permanently
fixed tariff. can be calculated with an approx
nation to certainty; with sinking scale, it is
matter of blind conjectire. The producer will
insist on price warranted BY existing rates !:
the manufacturer. fearful of a reduction before
he can effect his sales will seek TO buy with re-
ference TO that continge lcy; but the hopes Of
energetic men usually predominant over their
fears. and even their Judgment and the chances
are that the manufacturer will take the whole
risk, and pay losing price This tendency was
remarkably eXemplilicd in the woollen manufac-
ture under the compromise act. Every rcduc-
ton Of duty occasioncd n greatly increased inn
portation of cloths. and woolcus fell much fas-
ter than wool The wool was. as it usually
must be, purchased in the summer Before it
was manufactured and conveyed 10 market the
January reduction Of duty produced fall in
wooens. and the manufacturer was often obliged
to sell his broadCohs for even less than the
wool had cost him. This state of things contin-
ued during the whole sinking process, and the
consequence was the loss Of the entire capital OF
the woollcn factories in New England, with a
very few exceptions.
The other runous effect of the proposed re-
duction is the encouragement Of importations
on which the Secretarys argument il founded
Every additional foreign articles imported tx.
cludcs from use one of domestic production
Increased revenue, with reduced rates of duty
can only be obtained by vastly augmented I'M.
portaions; and whenever they fall off a. tc
diminish the revenue, they are to be stimulated
and invited b. new reduction of the tariff. TnC
: principle of encourag ng the grcase,t amount 81
imports is broadly avpwrd; or. i'll other word-
the Secretary virtually declares, that so far as
: the power of the Government extends, the Tor
: eign shall be enabled to underscll the domestic
producer. lie is u be aided not only by low
: duties, but by the warehou,ing system, which
authorizes him to accumulate his wares in on,
seaports for a succession of years, and them al
his option, to withdraw them without paving du
ties or, by flooding the market, to crush at once
any Amerc IN manuf ,ciure which may threaten
competition. II is idle to hope that any brancl
o domestic industry can sustain itself agains
this unholy combination between our own Gov
:, crnnent and the CAPITALISTS of Europe.
There is studied and insidious effort to sep
ara'e the interest Of the manufacturers from tina
7 OF the producers t. represent the former as
class too insignificant in point of numbers, tc
: be regarded in the broad scheme of national pol
lev, and especially to treat the subject as an ad
: vcrSary question, between the people on on
. hand, and the cotton and wooen spinner on the
: other The fact that every mechanic is equally
the object Of free trade prescription is kept on
5 of sight But the reasoning of the Secretary
and the provisions of this bill, Just fatal tt
: the humble mechanic. who is to poor TO hire
I ournevman. as TO the capitalist who employs
It hundred wcavors. The blow is to be struck, no
= AT the weaver and spinn,ralone, but at the miner
/ tn, blacksmith, the shoemaker the tailor, tn
n wheolrgl,t, the halter, the cabnet-maker; an
}, foreign competition is to be encouraged in eve
Il rything but mere food and raw material. Tn
best of all profits that of the labor of conversion
is to b. thrown into the hands of strangers, an
IS the great home market of Massachusetts,, an
L. the other manufacturing States, which consum
ne of one hundred millions of dollars is to be de
l. stroycd by driving every manufacturer and eve
n ry mechanic to abandon his workshop and groS
II his own bread.
l. And how are those enormous evils, the ruin {
D. the millions who dope I'd upon mechanical indus
T. Y. and the loss of tn great market tor westcT
: produce, to be compensated! The markets Q
81 the world, containing population Of eight hun
r bred millions, disabled from purchasing our pre-
y ducts by our high duties on all they would Sc
r in exchange" are to be thrown open to lis =
OF WHAT subm, prospect! Republican Amer
80 CT i to turn nursing mother to royal Europ
70 AMI barbarous Asia, and our 20,00o,oOO OF pee
re pie are to feed, from the surplus OF their glrncr
H. the furnishing 7So,00O001, who are strc'clIln
= ont their hands to us, both from the firm cont
" nents and the isles Of the ocean! Hitherto II
IT. tariff has been a wall of adamant between Us an
y the countless mvriadS that are waiting to pot
u. into our laps the gold of Ophr and the diamond
W of Gocondl. in exchange for the fool that vast
y in our storchousc. because there Is none TO col
T. sumo it, But this bcaricr Is now to be remove
IL our people are to return 10 the pristine smpci'
G, of Arcadian life the rude clang of the forg
at mans hammer, the hum of III spindle and Il
70 creaking of the pondefous engine, shall no lo
Us ger crate harsh thunder upon democratic ear
- and we shall know no occupation but the ca
" Of gentle herds and the quiet labor' oi the ploug
IT. The Chinese will bring the silks and teas OF u
celestial empire the Iindoo the muslins of ID.
nv ca; the switrthy Arab the coffee OF Mocha; Il
IL Malay the spices of Banda and Amboyna,
~ Ternatc and Tidore; the Englishman the brot
eli cloths and cutlery of Leeds. and M,nclcSter,ai
II, Birmingham: the Frenchmln the silks and RI
eo bons Of Provence; the Portuguese the gcnero'
!! wines of Oporto and Madeira, and gaii c!
r. change them all for the III nps and potatoes