Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1850-12-21

II Is believed that experience has shown that
exports cannot be greatly extended have Supposed
by low duties upon foreign goods ia ports. Il is fact
within the observation Of all that merchants and
vigant and alert with all the knowledge which in
srest can npaIt and all the skill which experience sup
ply send abroad any and every product Of this country
which any where find profitable market These agen-
cics which always active extend export traffic at all
times to the utmost mit of advantage the prodrcer
rer. at any time given article Of export should be
ed beyord the foreign demand reduced prices the nvaia
bic result Of over supply brings loss upon all concerned
foreign article is in Ike forced upon mar
ket beyond the required supply the effect Of reduced prices
while nincs often unous losses upon the importer from
abroad Is felt by those engaged in producing the like article
at home, in consequences tenfod injurious, the
ducon OF price in market extends and affects the
entire labor of the whole country which may be employed IN
such Tanufacture productions Thus while the injury Is
temporary and limited in its effect upon the importer il
often lasting and widely extended upon the labor Of
people. We and feel it in the sudden breaking up of
not sustained by amount OF capital which
can afford encouner temporary suspension OF sales and re-
duced prices ornot yet worked with that skill and economy
which long experience alone impa In such instances,
labor suddenly withdrawn from diversity of pursuits, and
driven to the production in limited sphere this again brings
an over supply of whatever be produced by the
epoymen while in the end it leaveshe market Of the
ce whatever may be- the production Of which has been
abandoned at home at the mercy Of supply scne
The result in the end to the is invariably rise
in the price of such article and there being competition
and, of course, supplies at the highest price which the de-
nand will give him. His prices and profits unchecked By
competition in such cases. continue ose with the increased
demand and diminished home supply.
The operation and effect Of these LEWIS Of labor and trade
it believed have been frequently and palpaby exhibited in
the history Of country II is from such experience that
the genera! principles upon which tariff laws based
have become the opinions the people Hence the
almost universal impression in country prevails, that in
assessing duties on foreign merchandise such Determinations
should be made will have the effect Of producing all arti
ces which be manufactured at home in such quantity
possible to raise up two markets for the consumrhe
home and the foregn-each competing with the other, SO
that he may not be left to the mercy Of one and that the for
egn alone.
The happy indirect effect Of upon the labor,
and consequently the permanent prosperity OF our own
country is the greatest by any means OF the blessings
cone By giving diversity to the occupations and industrial
pursuits of the people, labor rewarded the ability to
sumo foreign products is attained and the wants of the
ons easuy dependant entirely upon duties collected upon
foreign imports, amply supplied While the great end
that Of competent revenues thus surely reached by this
policy larger amount Of exports at the same time obtained
towards paying for the required importatons.
Our EXPORTS the commercial statistics will Show are
made up mainly Of cotton rice, tobacco, breadsuf, and
provisions These the products Of the soil and are ship
ped foreign ports without labor as an element OF
price, than necessary to fit them for market in their first
and simplest condition Our statistics disclose the fact aso
that breadstufs and provisions, Of which produce
larger surplus than any other people, form comparatively
to exports, particularly in years Of plenty
and interesting portion Of people engaged cannot
find market abroad at such prices as the farmer afford to
receive, except when famine create foreign and ex
ceptional demand
In ,ts47, year Of famine in Europe. we exported of
breadstus and provisions without premonion Of the calam
.y which created the demand, S6s 70l l2l This exaor
binary export, while market fully supplied, put
doubt ability to supply Of these articles surplus
far exceeding the ability of any other country, provided
market found which did not exhaust the value IN the
expense of transportation The extraordinary demand OF
lsf7 not due any legislation Of Of foreign
nations II the result alone of the famine in Europe
Since that time the operation Of the British act Of
1886 has wholly removed the duties upoH such foeegn
cultural products used for food and enter into
petition there with those Of other nations This free passage
through British houses has not however, increased
the British demand for find exports diminishing in
proportion the effect of the famine by the SUBJ
sequen abundance Thus the export Of breadstu and prov
sions in I47 S8s, 7Ol, 92 in ls4s S37 472 Isl in
ls49 S3s l55507 and in 1850 1878; see state
- Our exports in 1891 lsee statemenf) Of
these articles ST., 227; in le4 ST. 1885, lO2
and the ratio of decrease exhibited since l647, will in
| 1851, but little exceed the latter amount.
The exports Of rice in 1927 amounted to ST. 343 90S in
1887 to ~, 309 279; in ls4S (he year after the ia
mine) ST. 80 1924 and in 1850 to ST. 63l 557. Estate
ment These dates embrace period Of high and low du
ties of comparative free trade at home and in the principal
market abroad These facts disclose the falacy Of the pri
cipe frequently urged that by inducing heavy imPora-
tons under system Of low duties, necessarily create
large corresponding demand abroad for productions
Whatever Uutn tnere may De In pInclpe a. appheu
to the trade between other nations Of the world In
quence of the relative Of their productions and manu-
fctures it has not the application to the United States
from the simple fact that nearly all the supplies which the
furnish to foreign nations consist Of articles Of neces
sy the consumption Of which limited to actual wants. and
be forced beyond that demand by adventurous ccum
stances When high degree Of prosperity exists in the
United States large increase in the consumption Of
most foreign productions, which may be generally classed
under the head Of uxure but have such class Of
ces TO tempt foreign nations in like to extend their
purchases from us in recrocaon for extended supplies from
them.
No nation will purchase from US, matter how prosper
may be her condition. larger amount Of breadsus than
the deficiency in her ability to supply will require even
though buy from her double treble the amount Of her
productions So, In like manner, when her crops fall she
not only will but must take from other countries what the
wants of her population require though be three or
tenfold what they take from her.
This principle fully exempled in the famine year Of
s47 when immense supplies Of breadstus to Europe
caused such heavy balance in favor, though it did
increase imports from the very already alluded to-
Of creating such degree of prosperity in the country as to
extend desire and ability for the consumption of such
articles of foreign Injuries could not supply ourselves
and the opposite result is exhibited the present time, when
making excessive imporatons not only without an
equivalent demand but the With dimn