The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1847-03-24
COMMUNE


Pcers mar. Webster's, aud Fir. Walkers policy.
If Mr. Webster had made no other speech than the
one he delivered IN 1920, as well as that IN FL IN ,e,
the restrictive SYSTEM his reputation lor SOUND
political philosophy would not have been SURPASSED oy
that of Sir Robert Peel that OF any other among the
great advocates of free trade day II he had gone
more completely with the popular will; it, instead OF ad
vocatng the cold and hcaess and repulsve doctrines Oh
restriction and prohibition and exclusive privilege what
a more delightful and grateful aspect would his conduc
as a statesman OF great and commanding intellectual
powers have presented for our study and admiration
The following extracts from his extraordinarily powerful
and convincing address of 1870 furnish telling commen-
aries on the prohbitive SYSTEM and we may add that
if he labored for an age he could not overthrow has own
arguments in favor of free trade LET INN continue ms
suicidal efforts he will only furnish another Illustration
of Ssyphs at his hopeless work IN truth it is moral
mpossbility and Mr. Webster well knows that It IS SO
Do what he may, he cannot the seal OIL the bond ana
all his subsequent efforts the cause OF the monopollsts
only add the evidence of his folly and inconsistency
great and garing PROFESSIONALLY is and most often
sive to his countrymen. But to the extracts;
Between agricultural empoyments and manufacturing
operations no one could hesitate, lie thought, their eff
feet on individual responsibility and happiness Such was
of land that almost every industrious aborer had the
means, by his labor. Of becoming IN short time free
sense of propey and of personal independence, which is
generally essential elevated character lie has stake
demosh it, He does not look all property as the enved
possession of Others and as proper prey Tor hun and h
law and government defiance but as stock IN winch
has share, and which he is interested therefore to
protect Now know that The oil all THIS Is true
Of the thousands of ouncymen manufacturers IN The great
establishments OF Europe.
and are often neither happy IN ner own ',a a mo
without danger to the 9lS NJ, nc ,r ne mao
mted Jail in the several counties IN England. Tor crime
debt, for thirteen years VIZ from 1874 to 1917 win the
those counties respectively The result what he should
have expected except that IL was much more striking In
the most agricultural counties, the number commiiedto
Jail in 5000 In the most manufacturing one in
less than 1000 proportion of twenty in favor OF
culti tle
means of subsistence of individuals
principally recruited from among the manufacturing popu
ation had been stated, he believed that during the late
all the rest Of Scotland This facility finding recruits
might be convenient government; but it was hardly
short Mr. W. said he would put any who pos
sessed the blessing of chien whether he would not hope
till their soil will their own hand. with the reasonable
prospect of responsibility and independence, although This
Stony mountains, than that they should through life as
oureynen manufacturers taking the chance OF the ignor-
condition. although it were in the best manufactory in the
at was no recommendation him that the larger fac
tories gave employment andchdren. He thought
it Kind of employment not suited to the one or the
lately been obliged to Interfere to prevent the cruel and
excessive oveworng OF children in these establish
ments lie was happy-nost happy-o know that, with
MS all possible care had been taken regard the
habits of the persons employed especially in the excellent
establishments neighborhood, with which he was
acquainted. But it must be remembered that the sys
tenn was but Just now begun Those who come for employ
must with excellent habits, already formed under the
care of their parents the arnhouses of New Eng land
Thus far all is we'll But let deceive ourselves
Some situations favorable to moral habits. and others
voabe and among the last of such powerful
tendency has been able TO resist He would
but believe that the respectable young men OF the country
would choose hereafter 10 look for companions for life rather
in domestic amies--rather among those who the
panons OF their mothers the guardians OF their young broth
and sisters, educated in the family society, and with
family afcctionsthun 20 for their choice to the crowded
weavngroom at factory in an atmosphere OF cotton and
OIL and amidst the din OF spools and spIndes He knew
that he was speaking upon what might be thought the re-
mote, perhaps, may imagine If the system be es
tabshed and adhered to-whch he could not believe until
he should see 1.-THE effects will NOT be taroy IN their arr
val Two generations in bis opinion, would change the
whole face Of New England society He persuaded him
SELF however, that the proposed change was tcable
Our very state and condition warrcd against IT, Our best
interests he believed were opposed to IT, and Of all public
give his Appreciation He believed the encouragement al
ready gwen 70 - nv M w1,a dha1 ; eo' Ne @
ton constantly ASKED Will you do nothing for the
uacresp But this he thought unfair mode OF stating
the question Much is already done the manufacturers
The duties they now stand afford great protection,
and in some cases, extraordinary oouie 10 our anuac
turers."
The unceasing and wearsome clamor about the 'home
market" he standing text for tariff homilies and stale
disqusitons the necessity of protection) is well met
not alone by Mr. Webster, but MIR. Walker ALSO who
has evidently drank deeply at the same fountain with the
Massachusetts, senator before the latter was involved in
the mesies which were skuliy for him by the
ingenious gentlemen of Lowell, or, it may be, some
nearer the ''cade of liberty" itself. The "home market
was the great end of their Wishes the very philosophers
stone" itself to them; it to accomplish mTacles-to
turn our country into another garden of Eden was to
rob poverty of its curse, and, like Mdass wand as we
have change everything into gold But what does
Mr. Walker say?
Sour farmers now have, and retain, home
rket with without the tariff, because breadstu and
provisions cannot profably be imported here The lew
bear comparison in number with the people OF the
world whose markets lost i'm whole part by high
duties Nor is it chiefly the farmers but the merchant the
shipbuilder, and shpowner the seaman, and the hou
sands aborers in the of foreign that
furnish much the larger portion OF those who driven by
high tariff from existing pursuits into manufactures; and
consuming they all did, brendstuts ana provi
Visions before after this change their PURSUITS,
no additional market is thereby secured TO the farmer
Indeed there absolute loss in so far the machinery
of the manufacturer which breadstufls or
provisions is substituted the manual labor engaged in
agriculture, commerce, and navigation. The number OF
manufacturers would not be increased t increased at alp
than one-tenth by the difference between the ar OF
1912 and that of 1886; and of that tenth, more than one
half would have changed from agricultural pursuits
In the meantime, when commerce and navigation Hour
ish under low duties, larger number oil consumers Oh
from agriculture, than would be driven from II into manu-
features by high duties Nothing, then, is gained in home
market the Farmer by high duties whilst the markets oil
the world are lost or diminished The population OF the
world is thousand millions increasing at the rate
of less than millions per with but ttle aug
anywhere of breadstufs and provisions except
this MAJ ket the vain attempt to create an ade-
quate home market by sacrificing agriculture commerce.
and navi cation, for the benefit of manufactures
Here we beg to give extract FROM Mr. Websters
speech in 1920 which might have been inserted more
properly, perhaps another part OF our hurried review
of the tariff policy but is, 1t reads not altogether IN
appropriately here:
Manufac turing capital comes in the end, to be owned
but by 1t does not, therefore industry Ike
capital employed in other pursuits. The OF the
n,,npn i'm