Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1848-01-12

4
change, the nations revenue and welfare
| When free trade is advancing SO rapid,
throughout the world, shall we retroerad
and invite Great Britain to re.enaci he
corn.laws, and drive again from her port.
our bread, ,stuffs and provisions? And now
when under our successful example III,
ports OF Europe are most probably abou
being more widely opened to all OR ey
ports, shall we check the advancing spir1
OF the age, and extinguish the dawnine
light Of commercial freedom !? Every
where nations are being aroused upon thi,
subject; their statesmen are resisting The
interested classes, and exposing the iniur,
and injustice Of shackles upon trade. mn.
will soon enrol the names of other coun
tries on the great International league o
commercial freedom for. tho benefit Of man.
kind. II was our own country and he,
public unctienaries who proclaimed these
great truths before they had received The
sanction of other nations. Our great move
ment was felt in British councils, was quo
ted rs a precedent in the halls of British
legislation, where American free trade doc.
uments were recorded among their archives.
and our doctrines approved and example
followed by the repeal of the British corn
laws and the reduction or repeal of other
duties upon our exports. Indeed, it has
been conceded by some of our own most
distinguished Protec,ionists, that the pro.
mitigation Of tree.trade doctrines in the
American official documents Of ls45 Ger.
tainly accelerated, if indeed it did not ac.
tually insure, the repeal Of the British com
laws. With such results already from our
efforts, we have every motive to persevere
until the tree.trade doctrines of Great Brit.
am and America, the two great nations of
kindred blood and language, shall open the
ports and dlsenthral the commerce of the
world What may we not hope from our
efforts with other nations, if they have sue.
ceeded in Great Brilains That country,
so long the bulwark ofprotection, APPLYING
it by sliding scale upon the masses of her
people down to the utmost point of human
endurance, has at length overcome the er-
rors Of ages. One other own great states.
men, the most able and efficient champion
Of the protective policy. at length lifts his
eyes TO the light Of truth, and, with that
moral firmness and lntrepidity Which is the
evidence OF real greatness, aban-
dons the cherished policy of his life, only
because he found it to be injurious 10 his
country, and unites in the support Of com
mercial freedom with his truly illus,rious,
but untitled countryman, who has earned
for himself the highest of all earthly dis.
of benefac,or OF his country
and Of mankind. 10y
France, Russia, Germany, Austria, Italy.
russia, Switzerland, Holland, Bell giun,,
Denmark, and Sweden, and even China
nave moved or are vibrating or preparing
o move in favor Of the same great princi.
,le; and if our own country and Great
Britain adhere TO their present enlightened
policy, the rest Of the world must lose their
commerce, or adopt, as they will, our ex.
Lmple.
pennsylvania, surprisingly rich ir coal
nd iron, and but year since so unani.
aous for protection, has tried low duties.
Ter coal and iron pour forth their treas.
res in increasing abundance; her bread.
tufts and psovisions find better and more
bundant market; her agriculture, her
commerce, her manufactures and nayiga.
ons her miners, farmers, merchants, and
eamen, manufacturers and mechanics.
nd, above all, her toiling workmen with
nhanced wages, and every pursuit Of in
ustry blessed with increased prosperity.
ise up in favor ofthe new and more liberal
ommercial policy, and her people, By
nnjority Unprecedented, largest in the
Oh mites where her coal and iron do most
bound, recall their former verdict il, favor
f protection, and Pennsylvania becomes
le very keystone ofthe arch of commercial
'eedom, which must span the hemisphere
e inhabit and unite the interest of man.
ind. II
Nations cannot grow rich by destroying
restricting their commerce; and if the
is good, the prohibition must be
etter. Commerce is an exchange of pro.
icts; specie often adjusting balances, but
so inconsiderable part of the
alue oil products and properly, but small
ortion of sales can be for specie, but must
, in exchange for other products. The
tempt, then, by high tariffs, to make
rye sales for any length OF time for the {
'ecie of other nations, is irnpracticable,
I'D must diminish the quantity and price {
our exports. AS specie sales for long
sriods or great extent are impossible, that ,
alton which, from the surplus products of f,
own labor, at the best price, purchases {
the lowest rate the largest quantity Of {
e products Of the labor ofthe world, pro. q
'esses in wealth most rapidly. thus, if \
le nation, by high duties, should forbid ,
citizens purchasing any Of the products o
other nations, except at a greatly ad. /
nced price, or should restrict the ex. S
ange of the products of its own labor for q
g products of the labor OF other nations, {
ch restricting nation would certainly re. q
i've less of the comforts or necessaries Of O
In exchange for the products of its own a
Dor, and in this manner (the wages Of e
Dor being connected with the value ofits d
oducts) depresses wages. Ifthere were Il
rec nations-the first raising breadstuffs, Il
, second sugar, and the third cotton-and b
} first restricted the exchange Of its e
sadstufs for the sugar OF the second. and "
, cotton Of the third, it would certainly h
| less sugar and cotton in exchange for u
breadstuffs, than other nations which en- cI
urages free exchanges. Labor, then, W
taxed and unrestricted in all its exchan. C,
} and markets, will certainly receive in c,
II ore . L. r~a. sno,,y+ as 49,. 1.~l,,~..l :.