Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-03-13
AsrnaIcAN sILRs.

IS terests Of the United States Y -
. Messrs. GALES SEATos Permit the writer TO ofe
his Acknowledgements for the kindness displayed pc
tical opponent by the insertion Of his appeal to Con
gress in your journal Of the 18th utimo and for tn
really hatterng compliment contained in your edto
al. 1t shall be his study, however, to deserve goo
at the hands Of all men and this he hopes to &C
by courtesy and moderation Of language whilst dis
public questions with his political friends
| opponents,
~ -. s.u and Representatives of the United States:
Gontls,aen After the lapse Of a month"; the writer find
;so,s i ~ q, vable position Of being without op
ponent at the Cape anu ne can only account Tor u o.
ne snnnoson tba, "a justice and practicabiity Of tn
,.aos,rs ~ tr;F- rso to which he briefly called thu
attention % Congre. ana the public be denied
Tho ot h,ects b has ~ NJ art to find outlet fo
the products of our manufacture ng industry in the neutra
of the world other rus 70 increase our OK
port trade stimulating the internal .uusy q tne Union
opening up fields Of employment ~ our unrvailed
commercial marne and giving employing ~ 70 the people
His proposition, he apprenenos goes ionA way towards
accomplishing the object which his politica. opponents
CHERISH with this difference that the protection st policy
aims at enhancing the price Of commodities by increase
duties alteration in the mode Of levyng the
whilst his proposition lays the the base of
manufacturing industry lessons The of production by
so cheapens fabrics to He takes it that this
policy is the only that amaory of the people the
United States viii sanction. There is repugnance to
increased taxation in any form and in all countries 1t
obvious that if any relief is to be afforded to our de-
pressed manufacturesfor he frankly admits that they
have been and depressedt never be obtain
ed by enhancing the price Of commodities it must come
from contrary direction.
Here let the writer dispose of prevalent faacy Some
gress should grant relief say merely drugs dyes &c.,
such relief goes to enrich the capitalist alone. This
is of those grave that rudimentary
knowledge political economy would Immediately detect
and expose. There is only possible contingency in
which special benefit could arise to the capitalist
pete absence of competition the United States the last
place in the world to look for this exception 1t is
petition that has made this country at the wonder
and the envy of the world Under combination of cir
cumstances the Federal Government remit taxation
without its reviyfyng influences extending themselves
through the various ramfcations Of the body polite
Capital and LABOR ndissolubly welded together The
opinion that capital and labor antagonisc that Gov
ernments protect the capitalist but not the laborer
is altogether falacious and deusye. 1t is the law Of
supply and demand that regulates these interests When
capital is cheap the tendency Of labor is towards rise
in money value when DEAR towards its antthesis The
writer's proposition involves the application of less
amount of capital to obtain certain result therefore
by cheapenng commodities, consumption is enlarged (y
competion) and the demand for labor ncreased this
again reacts favoraby upon the agrcuturst and upon
the shipping interest in enlarged requirement of food
of home and foreign production 1.-THE latter to the benefit
of revenue and all great interests stimulated
and benefited We must capital By lessenag the
Of production This is sound political economy for
this country, where capital has tentency become
turaly dear.
Honorable Senators and Representatives the undersgn
ed respectfully bespeaks your attention while he discharges
most pleasing task But, before proceeding, obser
walton two is requisite In the previous appeal your
attention drawn the relative position of the cotton
wooen and silk trades towards the foreign importatons
of the and you find, from official returns that
produce three times the in value of cotton
goods that imports Of woolens little two-and
a-half times; but of silks mp ty times the value
Of silk retained for home manufacture On refer
to Hun's Merchants Magazine for Februaryand here
let the writer observe, idle compliments to its editor
that is par ereence the best commercial magazine
either hemisphere and ought be the bookshelf Of
every mechanic in the United Satest appears that the
amount Of silks passed into consumption the port of
New York alone for the twelve months ending December
last, $23, 486, 456. What the amounts may have
been at Philadelphia and Boston only conjecture
returns have been published. We will assume
them 10 DC S3OOO,VOO ana this gives us the enormous
amount Of 26 4S6 450 still further widening the ratio
between home and foreign production Our production
in the States last year may be put down at 500000 the
trade being under depression and must continue
until your honorable houses grant that Of JUS
ce which has so long required and for which silent
but eloquent appeal is now placed in your hands
Gentlemen there must have been some blightng cause
in operation to produce the state Of things indicated
above and the writer accepts his share Of the national
disgrace attaching for not having directed public atten
ton to il years ago indeed he would have done
last session. but for the trying times through which
passing, and which mperatiyely demanded the at
tenop Of all conservatives Of the Union. But bet-
than never The Of depression in the silk
trade is self evidente lack ssYply Of material
Unlike the cotton trade which has ample supply Of
home growth and in the event of failure foreign sup
ply a1ed Of the woollen trade which is supplied
with threefourths Of its consumption at home the silk
trade has had the fiscal obstacle Of fifteen per cent ad
valorem duty contend against nearly the whole raw
In such valuable article silk this duty is an onerous
and evidently destructive one rendered douby unjust
by the manufacturers paying duty upon wastage item
per cent and for which they receive no return
This intended at the enactment OF the arin
and your honorable houses need but TO have ne case
fairly stated to grant the requisite relief mus, se
borne in mind that in abrogasng the duty on raw SIX
no special favor is given the business win DC paced pe
csely ON the footing of the cottcn trade at present