The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1852-04-17

1t was urged by the friends OF free
trade, and BY none more ardently than
by the Hon. Edmund Burke in his Bun
dercund letters, that "duties were Just
so much added to the price," The du-
ty on lead was fire cents per ID. Home
competition had reduced the price of that
article, in the west, from eight cents to
one and three fourths cents per h., or
say, TO one dollar and seventy-fve cents
per hundred. Consequently. instead of
the duty being so much added to the
price by this duty to the American con.
sum-r, the Spanish, or other foreign
miaes, would have had to pay 81 cts,
per h., or three dollars and twenty five
cents per hundred, before he could offer
his lead for sale in Illinois, where he
would get only one dollar and seventy
five cents per hundred for it.
The late Commissioner IF Patents es-
timatpd IN 1877, the year that our ex-
ports of breadstufs were greater than
they ever were before or sin ce, when we
produced annually $4,000, 900 bushels
of corn and 100000 bushels of wheat
more than We consumed for seed, and
food for men and animals, that this
2O0,OO0,0 600 bushels was a surplus and
for exploration; and when his estimate
was questioned by the present writer,
after review ofthe whole subject, the
Commissioner re.asserted that he could
hnd no sufficient data to change his
opinion. Other Statisticians went still
farther. Professor Beck, of Rutgers
College, payee in the Patent Office es-
tlmate that We produced annually--and
had for four or five years Ohen) past
6OO,O00,000 bushels breadstutfs more
than we consumed, which was surplus
and for expectation. Here he insiduous-
ly insinuated that we found a foreign
market for all tins vast amount of bread.
stufis. Coming as it did from such
high authority, 1t had great weight with
those who ought to have known better;
and strange TO say. this account was cop.
led from the Phiiadelphi, Lcdger--a
paper OF great circulation asd an ardent
supporter Of British Unnecessarily most
OF the papers in the United States,
Wing, Modern Democratic Abstrac-
tionists, Agricultural and Religious; not
one OF which ever expressed doubt of
the truth ofthe assertion, erroneous as it
was. On the contrary all joined in, and
re.echoed the Declaration made hv the
Ledger, that the United States was tru.
ly the "WaRE-HoUsE OF TIE WORLD"
To show the absurdity of such assertions
to say nothing OF the mischief produ-
ced by lulling the unwary INFO belief
that they were facts--I ask attention to
the following calculations. The learn.
ed Professor having made his estimate
the year our exports of breadstulfs were
tle greatest, in amount and value, i! is
tai: to presume, that, the annual sur.
plus has not decreased, and as about sew.
en- years of abundant harvests have past
since he fixed has ratio of surplus, it
would give IT'S surplus of four billion
two hundred Million of breadstntfs now
on hand. Admitting our exports since
1S4+ Qhe year the learned professor
took his estimate from) had equalled
that year, the following summing up
may not prove embarrassing, to wit:
500, 100000 bushels of the weight of
yellow corn, say So lbs. to tn. bush-l,
and 40 bushels to the ton, will be H.
100000 tons, this would fill 80, 900 ships
OF 800 tons each, to carry to market;
and as this is the product Of but one
year out of the seven, little more fgu-
ring will show the accumulated surplus
of, as above of 4,200,0O0,OOO, would
amount to 1O5,000,o0O dong tons as the
Guano Merchants would say) enough to
fill 100000 ships of five hundred tons
each to carry it to the market.
would invite the learned professor
to look about for the ships to take away
this corn, and 10 estimate the miles the
ships will have TO call to find the mar.
ket, the markets for the known world
being supplied as he was reminded by
Underwood Glenn, and the amount Of
money it will require to pay the freight.
reminding him that freights rose four or
five fold by the extra freight in about
1000, 900 tons carried to England du.
ring the potato rot. | might enlarge
upon the false arguments used to bring
about this curse of free trade but think
this enoug h for one chapter.
JOHN JONES,
Wheatland, Del.