The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1851-12-04
Walker and Webster on the Tariff,

We give the following correct and useful
extract from report of the Hon. hobert J.
Walker on the subject of the tariff.
'Natons cannot grow rich by destroying
or restricting their commerce; and if the
restriction is good, the prohibition must be
better. Commerce is an exchange of pro-
ducts; specie often adjusting balances, but
constituting SO inconsiderable part of the
value of products and property, but small
portion of sales can be for specie, but must
be in exchange for other producer. The al
tempt, then, by high tariffs, to make large
sales for any length of time for the specie OF
o,he-ae.ioae, 10 impracticahle, and -r1n&i di-
minish the quantity and price of our exports.
AS specie sales for long periods or great ex-
tent are impossible, that nation which, from
the surplus products of its own labor, at the
best price, purchases at the lowest sale the
largest quantity of the products of the labor
OF the world, progresses in wealth most rap
idly. Thus, if one nation, by high duties,
should forbid lis citizens purchasing any of
the products of ether nations, except at a
greatly advanced price, or should re strict the
exchange of the products OF its own labor
for the products of the labor of other nations,
such restricting nation would certainly re-
ceive less of the comforts or necessaries of
life in exchange for the products Of its own
labor, and in this manner (the wages of labor
being connected with the value of its pro-
ducts) depresses wages. If there were three
nations--the first raising breadstuffs, the sec-
ond sugar, and the third cotion-and the first
restricted the exchanges of its breads,uffs
for the sugar of the second, and the cotton
of the third, it would cercainly get less su-
gar and cotton in exchange its bre adstuffs,
than other nations which encourage free ex-
changes Labor, then, untaxed and unre.
stric.ed in all its exchanges and markets,
will certainly receive in exchange large,
amount of the products of labor, and conse.
quently accumulate wealth more fapidly
than where labor is restricted in its products
TO single market, abandoning the profits oi
the exchanges with other nations. It's :hus
clear that a tax or restriction on commerce
is restitution or tax upcn labor, and falls
chiefly upon the wages of labor and it viii
soon become an automatic truth, that all tar.
ifs are tax upon labor and wages. One Of
the most common errors is 10 compare oul
imports, exclusive of specie, with our do
! mestic exports, exclusive of specie; and il
there are more such imports than exports in
any one year, such balance of trade is Sc,
down as so much lost by foreign commerce
, TO the nation. A single fact proves the falla.
cy Of this position. From 1890 TO the pres.
ent period, our imports, exclusive of specie
have exceeded our domestic exports, exclu.
sive of specie, several hundred millions o.
dollars; yet our wealth has increased with 9
rapidity unprecedented. The theory there.
fore is disproved by the facts; and the rea-
sons are obvious, of which the following are
among the most prominent: The products
of our whale fisheries extracted by our har.
dy seamen from the ocean, and most clearly
one OF the great products of American in.
dustry, when imported here are included in
the list of our foreign imports, and go to
swell several millions of dollars everys yeal
this alleged unfavorable balance. The earn.
ings of freight IN foreign commerce by oul
crews and vessels are not brought into the
account, or often against US, when invested
in foreign imports. The profits of eschang.
ing our imports, or of sales of foreign pro.
ducts, do not appear in the balance, or, if SO
to very limited extent, or often against us
Thus an American merchant ships from Bos
ton a cargo of ice during the winter, valued
at that time. as an export, very smaA sum