The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-04-30
THE REPUBLIC.

airy, while imports have grown but % 900 tons.
The power Of consumption diminshes with the
diminution OF the power Of production.
The great object of what 10 called Stree trade" ID
to increase trade with Europe, by sending there
our raw materials, instead Of working them up at
home, to be sent in the forms fitting them for use,
to the producers of tea, Coffee salt, copper, and
other products; and yet it is impossible not To
be struck with the utter nsignificance Of the COM
modities received in exchange. The whole ener-
gies Of the country are directed to this foreign
trade large portion of its territory and Of its
population ia employed in producing cotton, rice,
tobacco, Hour, pork cheese, &C., &c, for Europe;
and for the maintenance of this trade build i'm
mense cities, and fleets of ships and steamers and
support expensive embassies, with most OF which
we could better dispense; and what does it amount
to! All the iron we receive from them does not
amount To fifty cents per head. All the wool
scarcely exceeds halfa pound per head. The flaxen
goods would scarcely give to each person shirt,
and the silks would do little than give to each
handkerchief OF all the cotton send abroad
the quantity returned ia trivial OF the products of
the earth we receive from Europe scarcely any
thing, and what we do receive from thence con-
sists mainly of the services of men, women, and
children employed in spinning and weaving cotton,
wool, flax, and silk, under hard task masters
iddiemsn who live at the cost of the producer and
consumer; and thus it is that we contribute to the
maintenance of system that is destroying the peo-
pie OF Great Britain and those of all her colonies IL
may safely be asserted that there exists record of
any independent nation submitting to be compelled
to aid in maintaining a system Mt once 30 ruinous
chargeable with furnishing the means by aid Of
which that country 10 enabled to tyrannize over
Ireland India, China, and the other nations OF the
earth. Without aid she would be powerless
for the maintenance Of system that can be de-
signatcd by no other term than that of satanc;'
and yet tbs in the name of democracy" that we
invited to aid in the continuance of course of
oppression unequaled now, or at any other period
OF the world.
II is clear that we produce less to send abroad.
We have lees cotton for export, because we pro-
duce much less in quantity than we did four years
since. We have less tobacco to export, and less
rice, and the prospect is that when shall have
gotten fairly started in our career of road making
we shall have no food whatever to spare, but, on
| the contrary, shall have to increase imports
from Canada. Our export trade diminishes and
freights are low.
Our import of men is now diminishing and each
successive arrival brings intelligence of the in
creased difficulty of filling ships, at lower rates.
and this dihc ulty must continue to increase the
price Of food shall rise with diminished production
attended ofcourse, as it has been and must con-
tinue to be- with an actual diminution Of money
| wages. We obtain less OIL We have less freight
Of our shipping employed in the foreign trade have
largely diminished, the necessary consequence Of
which ia dmnution of ship building.
In the year ending June lS43 built "a 900 TONS
In that ending June, 1S47, it reached .243,OO0
In the year lS47-'S it was .......... .3lS,000
For lS49'50 it has fallen to. ........ .272 900
We see here the quantity trebling under a sys
teu that was to destroy foreign commerce, and
stationary under that intended to foster it
at the expense of domestic production, upon which
commerce must be built. How far this ia the case
facts in relation to the building of vessels for the
ca nal and COa5tpP trades: