The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-10-23
are being closed, and the demand for labor is be.

: for land, and the value of that you now pro-
pose 10 improve by aid of the various grants you
now solicit at the hands of Congress. To remove
this difficulty, and thus enable you to profit by
the grants We are about TO make, we propose to
adopt the measures necessary for reproducing a
demand for labor and promoting that lmmigra-
ton which is essential TO the growth of your new
States, the demand for your products, and the
increase in the value of your lands. BY the same
measures, we ourselves shall be enabled once more
to produce the cloth required by your laborers,
and the iron required for the roads you are now
about to make with view to bring into activity
your vast water powers, by aid of which you will
yourselves, at no distant period, make your own
cloth, and your vast deposits of coal and iron ore
capable Of producing iron 10 supply the world,
that for their full development wait only for
that increase of population which it is the object
of protection to attract, by increasing the demand
for labor. These measures kindred ones and
should go together. You need cloth and iron to
make your roads and improve your harbors. We
need food, and desire to give you cloth and iron;
and TO enable you readily to pay for all you need,
we willing TO reinquish 10 you large inter-
est we hold in the public lands, adding there
to many millions from the public treasury. Our
interests and the same. You cannot profit
without benefit TO US; cannot be injured with
out damage to you.
.Rcasonable as all this appeared, fellow. citizens,
We were unable to agree to it. We had repu-
dated the Democratic doctrine of JACKSON and
Polk in regard to internal improvements, and had
determined to follow the dictates of our own udg-
ment in obtaining aid from the improvement of
our means Of communicating with the world; but
we had also repudiated, as unde7nocratic, that Of
the amentcd JACKSON in regard to protection to
American labor, and therein laid our difficulty.
He taught US that we had been too long subjected
to the control Of British merchants, and that the
farmers and planters of the country would be
largely benefited by policy that should promote
the making of our cloth and iron; but the latest
Democratic authority that of Messrs Polk
and WALLER. and we have generally gone by The
ne,oest definition Of Democracy, be it what it might
We therefore deemed ourselves called upon to fol-
low in the footsteps of Messrs. VAN BUREN and
Polk, in preference to those of JACKSON, MONROE,
MADISON, JEFFERSON, and WAsHISoToN, and the
answer we made to our Wing friends was to the
following effect We willing to have our har-
bors improved, and our rivers cleared from snags
and sawyers; and for that purpose to accept aid
from the National Treasury, provided you will
permit to apply the aid 30 granted to the
purchase of British cloth and British iron, but
Pennsylvania iron, We will permit our haI bors and
rivers to remain unimproved until after the
election of General CAss shall have terminated 'the
noise and confusion" in his head that have hitherto
prevented him from arriving at any satisfactory
conclusion in regard to the constitutionality or de-
mocracy of appropriations; and conscientious
ON the subject of using domestic iron for our
works, domestic cloth for the laborers employed
on them, that we postpone the passage of the law
we much desire, with full belief that our next
Democratic President will follow in the footsteps of
the lamented JACKSON and the revered POLK in
vetoing every measure of that description. We
willing to accept your land TO enable us TO make
our roads, provided you will not ask us to furnish
our farmers with market for their food by
adopting any measure tending to the reopening
of your abandoned mills, and furnaces, and
mines. Rather than purchase your cloth and your
iron with the proceeds of your land, our people
shall continue to use mud roads when they might
have railroads, although We know that the making
Of thosc roads would treble the value of all our
lands and bring into value all our immense bodies
of coal and iron ore enabling to export iron itself
to the South in payment for the cotton that would
then be required to supply the numerous factories
that would grow up in the midst of our cheap fuel
supplying Ourselves with the cloth that we nov are
compelled TO buy and at half the Cost and makinga
market for food 10 an immense extent, 10 the inf
mite advantage Of our farmers. Our interests lie
in the direction you indicate, but our conscienres-
alas, our consciences!-are in the keeping Of Gene
raj CAss and he denies the democracy Of these mea-
sures. We must therefore decline your offer of aid
II we DO improve our harbors, our lsborers must
wear British cloth II I'VE do lay rails on our roads.
they must be Of British iron. None other will an
purpose, Such, fellow-citizens, were the
difficulties which stood in the way of all Western
measures. We were conscientious men. Like
poor La'moelot Gobbo, 'our consciences hung round
the neck Of our hearts whenever we thought Of
giving protection TO American labor, although We
had no difficulty whatever in forgetting the con-
scientious objections of great chief. JACKSON
and Polk, in regard 20 rivers, harbors, and roads
We felt that though the protection afforded by the
tariff Of ls46 was perfectly constitutional, that
granted by the act Of lsa2 was unconstitutional,
although the only difference between them was,
that the useful In times Of depression
abroad when protection needed. and the other
useless in times Of depression when protection was
needed, and became eStravagant in times Of ex-
citement abroad when protection was not needed
rising "a prices rose abroad, and falling az they
fell, crushing the who furnished the largest
market for Western produce
'If, then, you bave failed 10 have an appropria.
ton for the improvement Of your harbors, you
must charge the failure 10 the great conscience
keeper Of our party, General Chss. II you have
failed 10 have any thing done for your riven, and
II you have failed 70 obtain grants Of land for the
making Of roads, you must look to General CAss
for an explanation Of the cause. lie il. ~ We have
already told you, the conscience keeper Of the
Democratic party, and will, we have no doubt.
give you satisfactory reasons for his course when
ever the noise and confusion shell have somewhat
abated. We had large body Of whigs ready 10
second our cfort,, and NO had Wing President
ready TO sign the bill when passed; but, alasl Il
was undeD'ocrafic 20 improve harbors, make rosds,
or protect American labor. and all these measures
fell together Rc-clect va, II you will; but until il
shall become demoorahe 10 use American cloth and
American iron, we fear We promise you little
aid Ifyou must have Western measures arricd you
must not look 10 We Democrats 70 do e FOR YOU for
arc conscientiously opposed TO the use Of domcs
tic cloth or iron, even when the means Of payment
are furnished by the very mon who make that cloth
and that iron 4"
We trust our Western friends will thus cate
chse their present Representatives. If they