Hannibal journal. (Hannibal, Mo.) 1852-1853, 1852-03-18

our own manufactures, FOR so sure as we take
The course or policythat shall depress Western
Industry, so suro will manufacturing industr,
among us be doomed alsop When the West can.
not farm with profit, she will manufacture; but
that will be an evil day for the West, in my
opinion. / think that better things can be done
in this world, than the manufacture Of coH9n
Dor woelen goods, or even Of mon.
! hayethrown out these idoas, and do not
know Gut'that the House may think am going
too far arguing this question; but il seems to
me The great reason why the Northeast is in
tercsied in opening avenues 10 the West, is her
own prosperity, which is TO grow out Of in
creased intercourse. We have the means now
OF foreign and domestic commerce capable not
only Of employing over three and three fomlhs
millions of tonnage, but foreign and domestic
commerce capable of developing itself much be-
You'd lis present limit. What is the limits of
our exports, and what has it always been?-
We shall have $lo0,O00,0O0 OF gold produced
in California per year, as much legitimate art
icle Of export cotton, flour, pork; or tobacco.
And here must be allowed to express my
astonlshment that gentlemen, well informed up
on other subiects--g gentlemen who seem saga
cious, from the manner in which they argue
other questions, should sometimes throw oLt the
idea that the country is really suffering some
great injury because gold is exported. What
ought TO be done with it? If the country pro-
duccs ,SlO0,000,OO0 worth of gold in year, is
it desirable that il shall remain here? It.
would be the greatest Of calamities if it should
remain here. What will be the effect upon
your currency? If you add fifty per cent to
your currency per year--and you would add
more Than that, if you keep your gold and is !
sued paper in the same proportion-what would
hn afno
the relations Of debtor and creditor, upon the
whole framework and business of society? All \
your business relations will be thrown into
state Of anarchy. If you could succeed in keep /
ing at home Bl00,000,000 per year, in addition
to your already redundant currency, there would
be state Of uncertainty produced in all bust
ness relations which woold be as fatal 10 the !
prosperity OF the country as the commercial CT DO
sis OF 1887. The country would see a crs
upon tremendous scale, altogether beyond 4
case OF S37. Fortunately you cannot succe
in keeping the gold at home and deranging G tn
erything here. No tariff, no restrictive law os
nothing conceivable upon the subject, could pl
duce such an effect. When Spain adopted Law
by which She punished with death the exportI
ton of gold and silver, yet, inasmueh as it W
worth more abroad than at home, and it cou "
not be exported regularly, it was Struggled
of the country. And such would be the State ibs
thEgs here, if you were TO make law to-mc p
row intended TO confne your specie here. te
you passed your tariff TO keep the specie in OF
country, furnishing with death the man who r,
ported, the specie would 90 out of the countS a,
because it would be extremely easy to get il
out, and because the temptation to do so wol' Il
soon become so very strong. l say then, VIII a
cut stopping TO argue this question of poiitii I,
economy at length, there is added TO cur forrs
exports this vast sum of gold: and our impoe II
ought to increase in proportion. Whoever SD
cause for alarm, because we have imporit &
al6,Ooo,ooo OF guods within tho last yoar, i q
stead Of the average amount which we used
import formerly, takes a very narrow view ii II
deed, Of The position Of this country, as compa'
cd with other countries with whom she carrie 4
on commerce. 1t is cause for congratulated =
and not alarm, and we should rejoice that OF
trade is extended, provided it is a legitima
extension, founded upon the means of pun Z
chase we actually have in our power. see G
evidence, as yet, that it has gone beyond that Q
uink the aggregate Of imports and export
over 100000 900 is entirely suited to the com
mercial means and wants of the people at III ,
present day, considering the great accession OH
sold from California, and considering the great
accession of available produce, from the opening
Of channels Of communication with the Vest
Ii You can carry from Chicago to the Atlantic
barrel of flour for half what it cost you few
years ago, of course il can be afforded cheaper
at the scaboard, and there can be more export
cd. The means Of transporting TO the sea-
board cotton, tobacco; and eN cry article OF ag-
ricultural production have been so much cheap
encd in the last four or five years, that cur
commerce has been largely increased, and car
rylng this progress still further, and cheapen-
lug The means Of transportation, will still fur
Their increase our commerce ina still greater ra-
ito than the commerce Of the present day as
contrasted with the BUSINESS OF twenty or thlr-
ty years ago. | can sec no good reason why 1t
should not 60 on increasing in very great IA
ito, and yet be healthy and Legitimate business,
though OF course too rapid progress IS posi-
bic.
had prepared myself with figures and state
ments, by which 10 confirm the views l have
taken, and / will not trouble the House with
them. know details are always less interest
ing here than general views. The state of
things being such as have indicated, it seems
to me the Northeast, as q section, should look
well TO The manufacturing and comm ercial inter
csts, and should inquire whether it is not the
best thing that can happen for them, that men
should be pros porous in the Valley o. The Mis-
sssippi, and that they should raise great deal
, Of corn -four and pork and other products; and
sell these articles at high prices II is not their
question alone. II is our question as much as
theirs. They cannot raise at great profit, pro-
auctions which they have no means OF getting
to market. Open the means for them to reach
The market, and you open the means TO return
that which you purchase for them, or manulac-
ture for them, through the same CHANNEL
What is the reason that has caused theseamanu-