The daily union., 1846-10-31
TRUrH UPON THE SURFACE.

bottom Of a well. But there are certainly excep-
tons TO the rule, There are soue Truths which are
10 be- found on the surface. 'Ihey are 50 clear IN
themselves that bat for the ntess Of some and the
preiudices Of others, the would make their way to
every mans mind. one Of these truths is the inc
quality, and therefore the injustice and impolcy Of
fictitious protective system.
IL seems clear that man is a better judge of his
own pecuniary interests than the government is.
The high-tarf system is founded on the direct vio-
ation Of this principle II mistakes the true eharac.
Ter and functions Of government, which, il is truly
said, may "legislats too much" The government
is bound to protect lis citizens for certain purposes.
Il should protect their properties and their lives fron
the attacks Of each other. II should protec, their
rights on the high seas, and on foreign shores from
the attacks of other governments Ii should acili-
tate our commerce with other nations. But when
II prelends to regulate the labor and capital Of its
citizens at home under the plea Of protecting them
against the combination Of foreign labor and capital
il undertakes an Office for which IL never intend
ed, and for which Il was most incompetent
The protective theory presupposes, first, that the
interests better than they do themseves--and
that they ought to determine how many yards
Of cloth one man is to weave, or how many pairs
Of shoes another ought to make. II presupposes
that the duty Of the government is to determine how
many farmers we are to have, how many bushels Of
corn they are to raise, and to find them home mar
ket instead of a foreign one, and mouths TO con-
sumo at home instead Of finding mouths abroad.
Like the mad dreamer in Rssselas, 1t would assume
the office OF distributing sunshine and rain through
all Abyssinia. II would cut of free commerce
from the list of employments, and confne its
people to agriculture, manufactures, the mechanic
arts, and the profesaions-prov for such ra-
ito among the number of farmers manufacturers
and others, that there should be just so many
mouths at home as would consume all that was
made upon the earth and, on the other hand, so
many farmers and others as would use up all the
manufactures that are made. 1t forgcts that this
Chinese system is founded upon perfect ignorance
Of the peculiari,ies of each country. No one coun.
try can produce every article which it wants. The
soil and the climate Of differs from those of others
One has more land than the other; another has more
people, or ships, or accumulated capital than an
other. As Addison beautifully says, "Nature
seems to have taken particular care to dissent
nate her blessings among the different regions ofthe
world, with an eye to their mutual intercourse
and traffic among mankind, that the natives of the
several parts of the globe might have kind of de-
pendenoe upon one another, and be united together
by their common interests" One country is best
adapted, by the peculiarly Of its condition, for one
employment, and another for another. 1t is the
same with the different States of our glorious Union
Each man is better qualified Certainly the majority
Of our citizens are) to discover their true wants
and interests than the members of Congress can
generally be--what he is best able to make to ad-
vantage, so that he may have more Of the surplus
productions Of his labor to exchange for the sur
plusses Of his own citizens, or of foreigners. If
this be true of any one country on the globe, it is
peculiarly so Of our own country, which has such
quantities of new lands to cultvate-such bold
and inventive ingenuity, characteristic Of our
free citizens, to improve and to invent the la
bor.saviDg machinery for the uses of manu-
factures. 1t is, moreover, a free country, where
every man should be free to select the employ
ment for which he is best adapted, free from
unnecessary privileges and monopolies. 1t is, be-
sides, federal government, extending over an inn
mense empire of different soils, climates, and in
tercsts-and any forced and artificial regulations
fabor and capital must operate unequally--con-
trary to the true theory of such form Of govern
ment, which ought to be founded on an equalization
ofthe burdens and blessings which shall fall to the
various sections Of the confederated republic, as far
as it is possible to attain it.
These are general views; and they serve to show
the inequality and injustice Of all high protective
tariffs. Lasses nous ars, as the old French merchant
said to the minister who asked him what he should do
for the benefit Of commerce. Let alone was the wise
reply; for every man is better judge generally than
the government can be. Each one studies his own
interest more anxiousy than his government can do;
and the whole community ID made up Of all its citi-
zens the whole is made up Of all its parts These
general views go well set forth in the following
,rticle in the est Louis Union' that we take leave
10 subjoin il: 4s,s ,.,ln .rs
DomEsrrc MpusrRY.---The protectionis,s urge
heir views upon the country, as if their adoption
were necessary TOT tnc adequate encouragement OF
American labor. The staple Of their arguments il.
encouragement 70 domesticindustry;' and their rea
sonng, boscd erroneous data, is as faIlacous as
is the theory that governments can direct private en-
terprse moro wisely than individuals. No business
man viii admit that another can take care of. or
CONTROL his operations better than himself, or that
a few hundred persons assembled at Washington.
can devise system which, diverting trade, capital
and labor from their natural channels, shall work
more sdvantageously for each pursuit than the va
rlous modes which private experience may dictate
Each person must judge for himself what enter
prise to embark in, and how TO conduct il, and
every governmental effort to restrict him in his
legitimate operations, or to give a forced direo-
ton TO his pursuits, result only in disturbing
the business Of the country. Certainty and sta.
oilty are the great requisites and although indi-
Wdual experience and sagacity cannot always save
men from losses, II is obvious that no general sys.
tenn can be contrived to supersede the necessity OF
private stli and Judgment The guilds and caste,
ofdespotc governments in past times were not only
Incompatible with free institutions but ruinous 70
the laborer. The error on which thew were found
ed was the same in substance that adopted by the
protoctonists Of our day. The hypothesis is the
same in both cases-that individuals cannot be safe
y irrusted with the management Of their own az
r.