The Madisonian. (Canton, Miss.) 1850-1855, 1851-01-16
From the Nav Ynrk Snn-

interests OF the whole people, a social
community, and not a simple question Of
parizan policy. In this light, the San
has always been a firm and earnest sup
porter of free trade principles. 1t has al
ways maintained that these principles form
the sound and natural basis Of CONNER
cial enterprise, and that any system which
favors the interests Of a few to the preju.
dice of the many, is dishonest in concep-
lion and injurious in its operations-that
it must necessarily tend 10 the destruction
Of the political and social equality OF the
people, and consequently is a%nli-republi-
can. And this we find to have been its
results during the short experience we
have had Of it in this country. We also
know we'll what has been its results in En-
rope. Ii is this experience that is now
awakening men Of all parties TO the evils
of the system, and inducing them to adopt
rational and independent views Of its i'm
policy and wrong. Il is also this expe~
rience which should induce the indepen-
dent r. ess to take its stand on the side of
truth and justice.
The only difficulty in bringing u peo-
pie to form an accurate view on the evils
of the protective system is, that the par
ties and presses interested in its continu-
ance, have been active by every desire,
stratagem, and sophistry 10 impress the in
dustrial classes with the belief, that their
interest lay in a system Of high tariffs
One ofthese stratagems has been, that pre-
vious to an election, or just when a rigoT-
Gus effort was about to 10 be made to in
crease the protection on some articles Of
manufacture, the manufacturers would re-
duce the price Of labor, or entirely sus-
pend operations, aud then tell their en-
ployees that unless they got more protec-
ton, they could not pay former prices, and
could not go on with their works. OF
course, the operatives concluded that their
employment and wages depended upvn
the amount Of protection afforded the man
ufactugeTs, and they very naturally clam
ored in favor of a higher tariff. But the
manufacturers having made immense prof
its, could retire for a time from business,
and instead Of applying these profits to the
improvement Of their machinery, or in
c~reasing their facilities TO manufacture
more CheaplY, they put them in their 1ock-
cts, and commence 10 buy and bride poll
ticians TO further their aims. (Look, foF
example, to the Lawrences and their New
England confreres.)
A portion of the manufacturers, howev.
er, who were not just satisfied with the
fortunes they had acquired, adopted the
cry Of inadequate protection, as an excuse
for lowering the rate OF wages, and though
the operatives might try TO resist their
game, in a short time their necessitits
compelled them to submit, and the whole
blame was laid on the low tariff, when il
properly lay against the %avarice and sche
ming Of the manufacturers, who will not
manufacture, unless they have exlravagant
profits. W. have a notable example Of
this in the recent affair on Fall River -
The manufacturers combined 10 reduce
the wages, the operatives combined 10 re-
sist the reduction but the result has been
that the operatives have had to Yield
Now there has been no change in The pro-
lection of the manufacturers, no decrease
in their profits, but, on the contrary, they
have a better market than for some time
past, and consequently, better profits
Their object is two-fold they want to
gain greater protection, and they want to
have larger Profits. They have mol one
particle of sympathy with the Operatives,
beyond the extent to which they can bene
III themselves by their labor nor would
they add a penny to their operatives
wages, though the tariff was trebled in
amount, provided they could get a suAi
cheney OF labor at the low Rates, and this,
the great competition in labor through the
influx Of operative emigrants, ard the
number who are drawn away from agri-
cultural pursuits TO work at'manufacturing.
enable them 10 get. 1t is therefore plain,
that the increase of protection would mere
y benefit the manufacturing capitalists,
and leave the operatives less protective.
1t can easily be shown, that the opela-
tives would be much worse off. if a high
tariff were adopted. They would contin-
ue to be paid their present wages, or less,
in all probability, while every thing thew
used would be increased in price. A high
tariff would necessarily raise the price of
the manufactured articles, as foreign COM
petition would be shut out and it would
raise the price OF agricultural products
thus, the operative would be a serious
sufferer. But more; the advance in the
price Of manufactured articles would cause
less of them TO be used, less would be
manufactured, less labor would be employ
ed than manufacturers now promise, and
less revenue would be raised from foreign
imports, though the expense of collection,
and OF the Government, would continue
the same (; and either those manufacturers
or some necessary articles of consumption
would have to be taxed 10 make up the de-
hciencv, just as the British Government
tax tea and tobacco heavily, to make up
their revenue. Thus, a high tariff, 10.
stead OF increasing the revenue, and add
ing to the peoples comfort, would decrease
the revenue, curtail the peoI lie of an a.
mount Of their enjoymenls aud Injuries.
and worse than all, would plumber them q
the rewards of their labor, for the especial
benefit Of a few manufacturers. It's the
slllIest nonsense to talk about how our
manufactures would flourish under a high
tarld, when it is as plain as MONDAY that
their prosperity under protection would be
the virtual enslavemenf and nlnnder Of III.