The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1850-01-12


warehouses Workshops contribute to those objects ID
proportion 10 the labor and capital employed in them and
90 do warehouses The conveniences and benefits d
both are the same in kind. while differing in degree.
But IL the profound economist at the head OF the
treasury intends 10 be understood that workshops OF
manufactures contribute than all other smpioyns'fs
Institutions Of industry and capital to the acquisition
Of wealth, the commerce. and the power OF nation,
deny the proposition in toto. There is greater inter-
est-geat above all other nterestsin the amount OF la
Dor employed in the capital nvested in the vasness,
variety and value of its products in the numbers de-
pendent upon it, in its contributions TO wealth. to CON-
merce and 10 power, than all other interests combined
and that interest is AGRIcULTURE-the first OF the arts
and the mother and sustainer Of all the arts; and
that interest Mr. Secretary Meredith has scarcely alluded
TO his report Certainly he has placed it in the rear
of the workshops, and to be benefited and protected by
the workshops. after they shall have been protected by
the government To these two interests he applies Mr.
Websters sage axiom OF public economy: "Let govern
ment take OF the rch and the rich will take care oil
the poorin other words, let government take care OF
the workshops manufacturers, and iron masters and they
will take Of the FARMS the farmers the aborers and
operatives.
We AFFIRM in opposition to the Secretarys proposition
that agriculture is the great predominant interest Of the
country, and that manufactures although an important
interest," is much less important one than agriculture
We affirm that in this country, and in all countries, the
capital invested in agriculture is vastly greater in the
gegate than the capital invested in manufactures that
its products are vastly greater that the number Of
employed in il is vastly greater; and that contrib
utes to the wealth of country, its commerce, and
,te A. lI.thn .,tn~ II
Take our own country, for instance and how much
capital is invested in manufactures and mines, and how
much in agricultural In the two former interests. it
probably will not exceed 100000; and in the latter,
it is not less than $6oo,uooooO. The products of the
two first interests, deductng houses mills, and con-
sructon Of ships, which tables class
ufactures. will not exceed $3oo.ooo.OOo, while the
products Of agriculture are less annually than
III 500, 100000.
Now which Of these interests contributes most to the
wealth. commerce, and power OF the nation (which
tributes most to build up its marts OF commerce. its great
cities land which most assists in diusing wealth and
independence the elements Of power among the Of
the peope Does the Secretary OF the Treasury know
II he does, he has not enlightened the people this
pont and hence il becomes proper for attempt to
supply his omission.
What has contributed most to build up New York Is
it not agriculture and its products' What would have
been the extent Of the of New York. if it
not for agricultural Her foreign trade is nearly $780,.
600 900 per Do the workshops manufactures.
furnish the materials for this immense trade! II will
be pretended No, agriculture mainly which does
it. 1t is the l5o.ooO.Ooo OF value Of produce which
comes from the ineror-from the famers-for consump.
lion and expectation. Take from New York the re-
sources which she derives from agriculture, and she
would degenerate 10 an uncomfortable city, II is ag-
culture which contributes to her wealth. supplies her with
materials for commerce. and Of adds to her power
and that OF the country So is with New Orleans The
interior trade Of New Orleans, derived solely from agr
culture amounts, in some seasons. to $9O,o0o,oO0.
Her great export trade, amounting to s5o,oOo,ooo or
$50 900 ,ooo-perhaps exceeding these annually
also depends entirely upon agricultural products 1t
is agriculture, and not her workshops, any other
workshops, that has made New Orleans mart Of
wealth, commerce, and power. And so il is with
Cincinnati Her import trade amounts to about $50
as the reports of her Board Of Trade show,
and her export trade as much more; and both de-
pend mainly upon the products Of agriculture. And
so it is with Boston. She owes her prosperity more
to the great agricultural interests lying in the country
behind her than all the manufacturing cities in the
State OF Massachusetts, And so OF Philadelphia, Balti.
more and other large cities Of the Union The manu-
featuring cities are comparatively few and inconsdera-
BILE The manufacturing interest possesses concentra-
ted capital and employs comparatively but few persons,
depending more upon machinery than persons for
its products, and hence contributing TO indi-
vidua wealth than agriculture. And il the Score.
tary had said that the workshops made the Jew
rich. and agriculture made the many comfortable,
and built up the great marts Of commerce, created
the great OF the nations wealth, and the
basis Of its power, he would have come nearer the
truth His grand proposition should have run thus
Where are the workshops OF the world, there the
enares and the nabobs Of the world, aad the seats
Of pomp psgeanty, luxury, and their attendants penu
and distress"
In order to show that we are in saying that in
every country agriculture is the great and ranscendant
interest," employing capital, more persons, and
tanning than all other interests combined, we will
refer to the different interests in Great Britain, to which
country the Secretary doubtless looks the very
Try whose condition and success will confirm the
gacity and correctness Of his profound proposition.
appears from synoptical table added to Spackman's
analysis Of the Occupations Of the People," that the
following are the amounts Of capital employed in the
various interests Of the United Kingdom Of Great Britain
and Ireland
sterling. Federal money
In agriculture f2,000,0oo,OOo 81, 1000 900
II ~. 1l