The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-02-09


Progress OF Real Free Trade I'm Russia.
The British system Of free trade looks to de
stroyng the power Of association. 1t would
have all the people of India engage themselves
In raising cotton, and all those of Brazil and
Cuba in raising sugar, while those of Germany
and Russia should raise food and wool; and we
know well that when all are farmers, or all
planters, the power of association scarcely ex-
lists; the consequence Of which is seen in the
exceeding weakness of all the communities of
the world in which the plough and the loom,
the hammer and the harrow, are prevented
from coming together. 1t is an unnatural one;
men everywhere seek to combine their exer-
tons with those of their fellow men; an object
sought to be attained by the introduction of that
dlversificatlon of employment which il is the
OBJECT of protection among ourselves to bring
about. How naturally the habit Of association
arises, and how beneficial are its effects, may
be seen from few extracts which we shall now
offer our readers from an interesting article in a
recent English journal. In RUSSIA, says the
writer
"There does not prevail that marked distinction
between the modes of life Of the dwellers in town
and country which lie found in other countries;
and the general freedom Of trade, ,r,ich in other na-
fions is still! Object Of srriion, has erisisd IN
Russia since a long by gone period. strong man
ufacturing and industrial tendency prevails in
large portion Of Russia, which, based upon the
communal system, has led to the formation of
what we may term national association facto-
ries.'"
La confederation of this view Of the general
freedom Of internal trade, to which we have
desired particularly to call the attention of our
readers, the writer states that, widely differ
ent from the system of western Europe
"There exists such thing as a trade guild. or
company, nor any restraint of similar nature.
Any member OF a commune at pleasure aban-
don the occupation he may be engaged in, and
take up another; all that he has to do in effectng
the change ia to quit the commune in which his
old trade is carried on, and repair to another,
where his new one ia followed"
The tendency Of manufacturing industry is,
he informs US
"For the most part entirely communal; the in
hnbitants OF one village, for example, all shoe
makers, in another smiths, in third tanners only
and 80 on. A natural division of labor thus pre-
walls exactly as in factory. The members Of the
commune mutually assist another ,oiM capital or
labor; purchases are usually made in common,
and sales also invariably, but they always send
their manufactures in a general mass to the towns
and market places, where they have common
warehouse for their disposal"
In common with all countries thrt are as yet
unable fully to carry out the idea Of ADAM
SMITH, of COMPRISING large quantity of food
and wool into piece Of cloth, and thus fitting
1t for cheap transportation to distant markets.
and which are, therefore, largely dependent on
those distant markets for the sale of raw pro
duce, the cultivation of the soil in Russia is
not
"In general, very remunerativc, and also can
only be engaged in for a few months in the year,
which ia, perhaps, the reason why tho peasant in
Russia eyinces so great an inclination for manu-.
features and other branches of industry the char.
acter Of which generally depends the nature of
raw products found in the districts whore they are
followed
Throughout the empire the laborer appears
TO follow in the direction indicated by nature.
working up the materials on the land on which
they are produced, and thus economizing trans
portation. Thus
''ln the government OF Yaroslai the whole in.
habitants Of one place are potters. Upward OF two
thousand inhabitants in another place are rope
makers and hArness- makers. The population OF
the district Of Ugitich in 1875 sent three millions
Of yards Of linen cloth to the markets Of Rybecck
aud Moscow. The peasants on estate are all
candle makers, on a second they arc ali manufac.
turers Of felt hats. and on a third they are eoely
-. 49, 81
axes. In the district of Psshechp there are about
seventy tannerios, which give occupation to a large
number Of families; they have paid workmen,
but perform all the operations among thernselyes
preparing leather to the value Of about twenty five
thousand roubles year, and which il disposed of
on their account in Rybeeck. In the districts
where the forest-trees mostly consist Of lindcns,
the inhabitants are principally engaged in the
manufacture Of mating, which, according to lite
greater or less degree Of hneness, is employed
either for sackng or sail cloth, merely pack
ing mats. The linden tree grows only on most
soils, rich in black humus, or vegetable moud but
will not grow at all in sandy soils which renders
Il comparatively scarce in some parts Of Russia
while in others il grows sbundantly. The mats
are prepared from the inner bark, and as tho lin
den is ready for stripping at only fifteen years Of
age, and indeed is beat at that age. tbe.e trees form
rich source Of profit for those who dwell in the
districts where they grow"
We have here system Of combined excrtion
that has, we confess, much surprised us, and
We can scarcely doubt that it will also surprise
most Of our readers.
The men who thus associate for local pur-
poses acquire information, and with IL the de
sire for more; and thus we find them passing
freely, as interest may direct them, from one
part of the empire to snother-a state Of things
widely different from that produced in England
by the law of settlement, under which men
have everywhere been forbidden to change
their locality, and have been everywhere liable
TO be seized and sent back to their original par
ishes, lest they might at some time or other be-
come chargeable upon the new one in which
they had desired to find employment, for which
they bad sought IN vain at home. THE Rus
sian." says our author
"Hss great disposition for wandering about be-
yond his native place, but not for travelling abroad.