Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1851-06-26
Stale The Country.

INC lHC piCSCHls AACiCCOIOlSg pSNdhioAJ
pressures have first manifested themselves in
the eastern cities. In the severe one of1S37
-'42, consequent upon the reduction duties
under the compromise tariff, the distress be-
gan in New York, and gradually spread over
the country, until every interest. commercial,
manufacturing, and agricultural, was pros
trated. All these interests, however, quick
/ ly revived under the protection afforded by
/ the tariff of 1912. Under that tariff, short
as was its continuance, an immense advance
was made in manufacturing industry, and
many millions of dollars were permanently
invested in the most judicious enterprises.
But the triumph of locofocoism, in the e.
lection of Mr.. Polk, together with a Con-
/ gress of the same stripe, overthrow this poll
cy under which the country was SO rapidly
prospering Since then, there have been two
extraordinary causes that postponed for a
time the disastrous effects that would have
otherwise speedily followed this suicidal pol
! icy: one of which-thc famine in Ireland
/ has ceased to operate, the other-the discov-
cry of gold in California-is yet operative,
and will probably continue so.
The first of these causes, because it gave
a good market to the products of agriculture,
effected the entire country; and to it was su-
peradded another cause, which has also long
since ceased to operate-that was the high
price of iron in England, consequent upon the
railroad mania then existing in that country.
In fact these two cause.-the famine and the
railroad mania-operated to aggravate the
the disastrous effect ofthe present unprotected
condition of our country. The first stimula-
ted and greatly enlarged our agricultural ca
pacity; while the other greatly increased the
capacity of Great Britain to produce iron.--
Now both interests are depressed but with
this difference-the English manufacturer
can and does throw his iron into market at
small profit but the American farmer cannot
throw his productions into the English market
at price which will pay him for his labor
So the home market is destroyed by foreign
competition, and the foreign market affords
no relief, for want Of remuneratIng prices
The consequence is that -four is reduced to a
price so low as to deprive the producer of all
profits, and cuts down even the value of his
labor even to a very low figure. Now this is
a very bad state of things. Thousands of
people are out of regular employment and far
more are toiling for a compensation far below
what they ought to receive, but for the policy
adopted by the party who set themselves up
to be the especial friends of the laboring
man.
) But it is said in reply, money is very abun-
dant in New York. So it is; but what ben
eft is that to the great body of the laboring
people! 1t is the gold of California that
keeps money plenty in New York. This
gold, instead of flowing over our country in
exchange for the productions of agricultural
and mechanical industry, flows to Europe
quite as fast as it comes,in, to be exchanged
for goods, which we ought ourselves to man.
ufacture That gold, therefore, instead OF
doing us any good, is draining the life blood
Of the country, because it enables the impor-
ter to bring In goods to crush our own manu-
facturers, and fill the shelves of thousands OF
retailers with more fabrics of foreign manu-
facture than our surplus produce at present
can pay for.
This it is which makes the present pres
sure different from any that preceded it.
Others began at the great marts of commerce;
this begins at the west Heretofore, the far
mer was the last TO be reached; now he is the
first or among the first. In times past, the
first cry for protection came from the COM
mercial cities; now it must come from the
agricultural and manufacturing community.
1t is very extraordinary that no experience
Of the beneficial effects of protection, and OF
the disastrous effects Of the want of it-now
experienced for the third or fourth time-can
induce the American people to adhere to the
protective system. Crude theories which a
child might refute are received as oracular
from the lips Of demagogues, while the teach
ings ofexpeliencc are disregarded. We care
not to go into abstract arguments to prove
that prosperity of this country is inseparabIy
identified with policy for which we have SO
long and earnestly contented, when we can
do so more convincingly, more simply and
clearly, by pointing to the experience of the
! past.-PiuS. Gdz.
/ "I1tD6uS Wj5at a Nanle"-The follow