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


Of consumption among the people. The dcficienc,
has not been made up from abroad. for the impor
Of lS4s exceeds by only $4,000 tons that of lS46
and that Of 1850 by "a 900 tons.
| NOW, 1T Is clear that the power to consume fue
increased with great rapidity from lS43 to ls47
rnpidity, but actually diminished in its ratio Il
population in the period which has since elapsed
Certainly not because the people were before too
| produce things to be given in exchange has dimn
ished. The men who cannot sell their labor to bt
employed in the production of cloth or iron, are
unable to purchase fuel
| The domestic consumption Of cotton in the year
1919, but 265, 900 bales while Of that grown in
lS47, it was 600 900 bales OF that grown in lS4S
it was still about 600 000 to wit, taken for the At
iantic ports, 53l ,772 bales, and consumed in the
interior, 75 900; making total of 606,772.
Of that grown in lS4S, the former was 5l8,039
and the latter 10000, making total of 6ls, ,O39.
While Of that grown in l649, the fret has fallen
to 4s1 I69, and the second to lot 500 total Of
| sos, ,269.
OF the new crop, the quantity taken from the At
lantic ports, from September to November !, was
5o,s63 bales, against 74775 in the previous year;
OF the year from the Alta utic ports cannot exceed
900 bales nor that of the whole country 500, 900,
although the population has increased at least fen
per cent. since il had reached COG, 900.
At the ratio Of increase that was exhibited from
1912 to lS47, We should consume in the coming year
almost million Of bales. whereas it will not ex-
coed half that quantity and yet this effect has been
produced by measures adopted by men who be-
leved that the domestic consumption Of their great
staple was impedcd by the action of the tariff of
lS42. Ii they were right, why has II not increased
even faster since the changer The productiveness
oi labor should have increased, and the power of
consumption should have grown, whereas it has
greatly diminishcd, in actual quantity, notwith-
standing the increase Of population. Itwould seem
clear that there has been diminished power to
produce commodities to be exchanged for cotton,
as the mills and furnaces of the Union have gradu-
ally been closed. The men who cannot NAL ke iron,
or mine coal. or convert cotton into cloth. cannot
buy cloth.
We may now look to see If we can find in tho in
| creased imports any amends to the planters for
this wonderful diminution in the growth of the do
mestic market, which cannot be estimated at less
than 300, 900 bales. In the two years ending June
80, ls46, the average import of foreign cottona
was. > $l2,6Sl ,U10
In that ending June 80. 1s47, it was - 1902 900
While in that ending June 30, ls4s, it
was only. ,,,,... l5,lSU,OOO
In that ending June 80. 1850. it has
peeh. .....-............. l9,o95,0OO
| Under the tariff of ls42 the import of foreign
cotons had nearly doubled in amount, having
| risen from little more than seven millions in 1912
to thirteen and half in the year which preceded
the passage of the tariff of 1896 and above sixteen
i'll the year of which the first half was under the
regime of IS42 The growth of the power to i'm
port fine cottons has, therefore, diminished with
the dimnution of the power to produce at home
the coarse ones. This, however, is not all. Large
as was the domestic production of cotton goods,
the average export of the year lS45 and 1916 was
under four millions, while that of the year ending
June 81, lS4S, was Ills, 900.
That ending June 80, lS49. ....... a ,933 900
ana the lnst year. 4,731, ,4Ai
| Deducting these quantities from the imports. il
VIII be secn that the net import of the period Of
protection was nearly hn millions, while that of
'iree trade" with an increase OF population Of
tho ratio of growth having greatly diminished al
though we have gone in debt, during the last car,
almost a million of dollars per week.
1t is obvious that, with the diminishsd poicr TO
convert cotton into CLOTH there is increased
cessity for looking to foreign countries for
ket for our diminished product, and that this me-
cessity steadily increases. In the first two months
OF the present crop season, the cotton taken for
home consumption had decreased one third, while
the export of cotton goods in the single month OF
October, from the port of Boston alone is stated to
have 80 much increased as to have reached nearly
half million, being third Of the whole amount
since January
1t would seem from this that the power to con-
sumo cotton goods, domestic and foreign, which
had doubled in the years Of the tariff Of lS42 has
actually fallen off IN quantity, notwithstanding the
addition to our population OF nearly three millions
OF people, showing that the power to produce COM
modities to be given in exchange for cotton cloth
10 not as great in amount it was then. Trade
has diminished, and has become less free, because
it is necessity alone that this increase Of
ports
Ifwcnow desire to know the cause of this, we need
only turn to the fact that the production of iron,
which should have grown to slmost million and
half Of tong, has fallen to 400 000--that the pro-
dnctQn of coal, which should have grown to six
millions, has remained stationary at three-and
that throughout the country the ofthe cotton
mills are stopped, running short time. the con-
sequence OF which is, that the operatives can buy
little food, ard have nothing to spare for clothing.
In the Leighborhood of Boston, 800 900 spindles
stopped. In Rhode Island, II factories closed.
In New England at large, not less than 700 900
spindles are stoppcd, and must continue so. Dur
continue running, because they had laid in their
stock OF cotton at low prices, but now they are
stopped until there shall arise demand for cloth
that will enable them to sell it at az much will
convert it into cloth. At Buffalo, large mills arc
cosed, and it is in other parts of New York. In
New Jersey, every mill, with one exception, is
stated to be closed. In Pennsylvania, some Of the
largest establishments stopped, and others are
working short time In Maryland, eleven eare
closed; and the stoppages are spreading gradu-
ally throughout the country, ultimately to reach
toe quantity Of wa wages TIA, Would & paid M in, and
for all these factories, and the shops with
them, we shall find that it could scarcely be less
than sixty thousand dollars per week, or three
millions OF dolarD in Year to replace WHICH there
js nothing for the Iass Of the persons that were
thus employed are deprived of all employment If
next we remark the fact that all these persons,
thus deprived Of work, must cat, though earning
nothing, we shall find that they not only have
nothing themselves to spare for clothing, but that
the necessity for finding numbers of them in food
dcprvcs parents Of the power to purchase clothing
for themselves and thus it is, that scifh every dim
wop in the potcfr "a canpt coiss into eotA, there
u diminished posvsr TO consume the e fafis made,
while soiM every incrsase in e po,cer Of conversion,
there is increased po,rer 10 consume the large quantity
fAgtts made. In lSal the net import was npt four
aiilions Qf dollars, whereas in lS45 and 1876 it
ninost ten millions although the home consumption
of cotton had doubled; and yet there was then no
''glutp
II will be said that the increase Of the price of cot
ton has tended to produce this effect. but that should
hare produced conyary one; and it always will do
SO when the manufacture at home is permitted to
increase. The planter is enrichcd by the doubling
OF the price upon the whole crop, and the country
at large is enriched by that doubling upon the large
quantity exported; and therefore, the power of do
high price than with low one. The crop grown
in 1886 was less by amost third than the ave-
rage of the two previous years, yet domestic con-
sumption increased, and il did so because as the
Drice of he IN