The New era. [volume] ([Portsmouth, Va.]) 1845-1847, 1846-08-01

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| 'ai point of view. States may furnish the differ
ent links but each forms pa of one great whale
and national boundaries will not be allowed t !,
break the continuity of the endless chain of travel
aud ct trade. We already hear OF Eve yreat lines
which are To traverse the contipent of Europe
from north to south and west east I'm transverse
n,rectons-one from Edinburgh IN rough London
Dnv"r. Calais. Paris, Lyons and Aviqnon. To
Marse''les; another from Hamburg through Ber-
I'M Dresden. Bremen. and Gtaiz to Trieste an
other from Hanover, through Paris Valenciennes
Cologne, and Hanover, To Sietin; another from
Nantes. through Paris. S,rasbonrp Ca1srube
ha'lshon. Vienna, Presbourg. and Pesth, To the
Black sea and fifth from Teste, throuob Bor
dranN. Cetie, Marselles. and Rome, to Naples.
Most of the links in some of these rontes are al
ready IN execution and the completion of the
whole Is spoken of know not how jusily-wih
the utmost confidence. Can any man doub, but
that these facilities for intercourse must BRINE ma
tons nearer together. and in kindlier spirit-a
spirit which will promote tree inierchanpes not
only at trade. but of thought and opnon2 Sir,
sooner or later nature viii enf,rce her laws, and.
IN despite of human legisiation dispense blessings
to man, I" which his reason ought To have direct
Ell him II his prcjudDes had not forbidden him to
use them. When the selfish instinct prompts ma
'tohs mgrasp at more than their share of the com.
mercp oi the world nature has so ARRANGED il that
experience will teach them that the consequence
ot the attempt is to obtain less even than thew are
ialrly entitled To. Ii was upun no theory that
powerful and selfish interests in Great Britain
have yielded their tardy assent to the princinles
of free trade. They yielded to the lessons of ex-
perience. which appealed To their selishness. and
pointed them To still greater sources of prusne,i,v
IN Jnsler,a more liberal and generous policy
Whoever will look to the history of The chance
IN the British commercial system, will find that
1t has been the result of experiments, cautiously
tfled, and so convincing In their actual operation
as To have overcome the opposition of hereditary
prejudice and Of selfshnes> which had been f,s
Tered and somewhat excused by long course of
class legislation Nothing can be clearer than
the proofs adduced by Sir Robert Peel. from ex-
perience. that the result Of everv removal or mill
CATION of the restrictions upon commerce. had been
10 increase the production and wealth and To en-
large me sources of taxation nf the country
From which proposition there mentally fInws the
cnrollary that every Increase of duty beyond the
revenue standard for protection dimnishes not on
~ the wealth, but the revenue of a nation. I
have been thus particular. Mr. Chairman. in re-
ierTIng to The experience of Great Britain and the
great truth which il has demonstrated becanse
iniehd To maintain lis existence here as well as
.heIe' ana reason can never come strongly
backed as when IT is sustained by experience liz
1t can be proved that the effect of dnties for pro
lection and beyond the revenue standard is to d.
mnIsl the sum of The ealth of the nation as we'll
as The revenue of the government, no ore could he
fcnnl selfish enough to advise ms TO Interfere with
the natural course OF industry and trade to benefit
portion at our people at such an expense TO the
whole. have never heard any maintain SD MON
strous propostlnn; bnt all who have supporled
The restrictive policy have urged that its ultimate
effects wonld be To- increase the wealth of tho neo
nie and the sources of revenue To the government
4 MS men, MI Chairman, is the great PROPOSE
tIon upon which the friends and opponents of the
protective system are at issue. Does it increase
of ni'h'hiSh me entire eaIth of the whole people
ana '"e sources OF revenue 20 the government?
III can prove That lis tendency is 10 diminish Them
then any OIL like the present which removes some
OF the existing restrictions on commerce opUht In
BE satisfactory 10 a.,s Bnt it, in addition 10 this
can snow mat mere revenue tariff wond be
oe''er-'or me manufacturers themselves This bill
ought to be not only tsfaciory. but gratifying
even TO mem believe myself that both of these
propositions are true. hut that The first is especia
y and inconlrovertibly so. What is it that FIRST
creates the necessity for protectiuD TO manpfac
lures hnt the TACT that other occnpa lions are more
pr"htaDe so long as The lsgsla does not inter
IRE. ~ 'ofeigh manufactures are allowed to en-
Ter lnto Tree competition with them, they would
oe nhders"ld IN our own markets, and wonld find
Their occupation less profitable than others al
'eohy eAISting IN the country. But the govern
he"t inlerefes To enhance the cost of the foreign
atucie oy imposing duty on IL, and the domestic
manufacturers Is thus enabled 10 undersell him
mt at higher price than would have existed nm
der lower rate of duty The consequence is.
that the other industrial classes EXCHANGE their
productions for fewer manufactured articles and
thus work al lower rate of profit The mann
iacinrer may get a larger profit than his prop,r
iionai rate Tor while. but capital and labor viii,
leave other pursuits for manufacturing until all
are reduced so near the same level as To be enual
W desirable as pecuniary investments Bot when
the manufacturer reaches this level ,h rouph STAGES
pIfFs,, g., L.
10 secure and mOnOpollze the hume market He
is still as 'mportunaie as ever for protection as
shown by our own experience and If his necessi.
ties he stated truly he is still unable to drive the
foreigner from the market withou. dnty 10 an
hance the price Of the products Of the latie,
VOW, u tbls be the case, the other smpoymenfs
are S,',I getting less Tor their products than they
would have done bot for the duty. and are there
tore gaining a less rate Of profit Bnt ,be NAM.
nG'urer gets the same or bDt little more and TINS
an classes are producing al a less rate or profit
man they would have enjoyed bnt for Government
interference. state Of things which mpst CON
tinue until the relative cheapness of ,he aoe,ts
IN manufacturing production at home as o,muar-
ed with those abroad. become such AZ in addi,;o,
IN Their natural advantages in the home market
VIII enable US To UnderseU the f,rsiCn co,nns,;,,,
without the assistance Of duty Tbis ia ,bo
precise point at which mannfactGyiao bec,,,,os
profitable to a nation and ought TO commsnrs
Before this pe''od they can only exist by dip;n
shIog the rate OF profit at which The Whole patioo
produces. VI course it follows that 2 patton mpst
increase its wealth less ,apidly under such cir
cumstances than if left 10 the natural course Of
events Could anything he more absurd and IN.
Just than thus to diminish the profits on the pro-
due'on OF whole people. The farmer, tho sal
Tor, the merchant, the aItissn. the day lahore,
are all making less upon their capital and indus
Try than they would have made bot for a law Of
their own government. The maDufacture, ~