The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1852-06-23
MODIFICATION OF TIE TARIFF.
SPEECH OF HON. ]. MEACHAIG,
OF Vermont.
In THE HOUSE or RErR REsENrATIvEs,
.JYne @ 0,,H 10 1852


Whole "a de state Of tie Union on the Indiai
Appropriation Bii---
MIR. MEACHAM said:
Mr. CuAlRnAN: Other members hav,
taken occasion t. discuss the opinions o.
their sectioAs or parties. real or prospec
tlve-opiuiors that have nothing to dc
with the leg station of the country. Be
lieving that have 10 commission tc
make public opinion or candidates, OF
Presidents. | take the liberty of intro
duciug a subject which demands imme
diatc action hy this House l have
sought an earlier occasion ard supposed
it would be granted on the Presidents
Message. But six months Of the sos
sion have passed and the ruling power
with a controlling majority have not
seen fit to give the weighty matters in
the message of our excellent President
the cold courtesy Of consideration or
reference.
Many weeks since, q gentleman from
Massachusetts, (Mr RANTouL.) while
advocating a grant of land toa Missouri
railroad took occasion to lecture on the
duties of Northeast men. The speaker
held peculiar position The last Con
gress granted to Illinois 2730000 acres
of land to build a railroad The State
freed the land from taxation till the time
of sale, and then gave it into the hands
of company in Boston or New York
to build the road The company is a
small one; the gentleman is one of the
number, and leading director There
is his letter (holding it up) showing the
value of these lands, granted to be the
best in the Union, and lying along the
greatest thoroughfare on the continent II
He has fixed the minimum price, buthas
left the maximum unsettled
He has put the price at $40 per acre
at SIS per acre, and its :" intrinsic value
from its power of production, at S29 so
per acre. If sold at the first price, those
lands will yield the company S27 ,300,-
600, if sold at the second price, they
will giveS40950,0 900; if sold at the third
price. they will afford Ss0,535 900. Sen
ator DAWSON has stated the cost of the
whole road at S6900OO0 that being
true, the road can be built and leave a
pratt to the company, at the lowest esti-
mate Of the gentleman. of $40 400 600
his second estimate will give them a
profit of "a 050,000; his highest csti
mate will yield profit to thirteen mem
bers of the company of $73,635, 900
No wonder this company can afford tc
employ ali eminent Cabinet officer (Hon
r. j Walker) to feast with the Barring.
and Rothschilds of London, while max
ing loan for his employers. The Dem
ocrats have stoutly warred against in
ternal improvements by the General
Government; against diverting the pub
lie lands from the National Treasury
and against all monopolies in the hand,
of corporations 1t was, therefore
strange to see the gentleman, selfprovct
so long and so consistent a Democrat
striking off in a tangent from the doc
trines of his party, aud advocating 10
cal internal improvement, tributary tC
his own. at the expense of the nation
himself prospective sharer in a mos
enormous grant of public land anC
himself Democratic member and di
rector in one of the most overwhelming
and overshadowing monopolies that evcl
existed on this continent
While occupying position, certainl,
pccuiar-some would have considered
it delicate-the gentleman volunteer
his tuition to Northeast men. lie pre-
diets. aye. threatens. that if they do no
follow his counsels, the manufactures
Of wool, al d cotton, and iron, shall tax,
to themselves wings and fly westward
towards the setting sun. A shrcwd oh
server asked why lie did not include tn,
manufacture Of leather and shoes, anC
make the treachcry 70 his constituent
complete. Shall we now see the gentle
man after abandoning New England fo
his Western interests. move round til,
political zodiac TO the sign Of the pal
mctto, and sit costly down with the cen
tlcman from South Carolina. (Mr OAR.
who has just delivered so able a free
trade eulogv on the Democratic nomi
nee ? After the delivery of that speech
/ turned to the facts relating to tha
subject | had already gathered | care
fully collated the reports Of commerce {
navigation--I can only gather facts
cannot make them and feel warrante,
in declaring that the facts do not sus
tain the gentleman's assertions Will
waiting proper time | lave been in
strueted by the statistics of Henry c
Carey, one Of the ablest writer's on polit
ical economy in this land by the abl
memorial from New England by j. G
Hayes, Fsq., of this city by correspor
dence with men of leading intelligenc
engaged in manufactures For much O
this am indebted to the able Repre-
sentative from Boston, (Mr APPLETON
and especially to an able letter from
Vermont farmer, Hon. William Jarvis
who lives in retirement on the banks o
the Connecticut More than half Ger
tury since, as an officer of this Cover
ment, he Travelled through England an,
Spain lie marked the contrast in tn
condition of those countries In on,
was industry, activity, and progress i
the other, Incidence, inactivity, and po,
erty. He looked for the causes, fo
there was nothing in nature that pr,
duced it. The soil and climate of Spai
was far better fitted for the growth Q
grains, the olive, the silk.worm, III
grape, and the finest of wool Spain
till she banisbed her artisans by a pr,
cess more sudden than ours, but ne
more sure--took the lead Of the world !
manufactures He then inquired for
cause of this difference; aud found thr
in one, industry in commerce, and agr
culture, and manufacture was protecte
from ruinous competition in the othe
the laborng class was left unshielde