The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1855-01-20
From the n. \. Herald.
TIE RECIPROCITY TREATY.

FROM tle ". ! lIcth u.
THE RECIPROCITY TREATY.
The negotiation of the above treaty is but
one of a series Of acts in the administration
of the government, and in the legislation of
Congress, that show that the agricultural in
terest of the country is utterly disregardcd.
1t is disrranchised, so to speak, and COM
pletcly overslaughed by the paramount inter-
est of commerce and manufactures. 1t is re-
morsclcssly sacrificed in any treaty, or in any
act of Congress, when it conflicts in the
slightest with any other interest. Even the
President, in his late annual message, seems
not to have deemed agriculture of sufficient
prominence or interest, III q national point of
view. to lie entitled to any notice whatever,
and docs not even name it. The powerful
control and influence of the commercial press
of the country-and of the commercial men
Of the country-of the capital and numbers
of the concentrated population of our large
cities, seem to entirely obscure it. nay, more,
when they choose they can overwhcm it; at
troduco at their pleasure new rivals to share
its markets. The representatives from the
rural districts in Congress seem paralyzed.
and are unable, it would seem, to even plo.
test against the sacrifices their constituents
are thus called on to make.
Certain it is, that the merits of this recip-
rocity treaty came fully before the House Of
Representatives, on the bill introduced to re-
peal the duty imposed by the tariff on pro-
vincial produce, Canadian wheat, &C., and
the passage of which was necessary to the
validity and operation of the treaty. Yet the
agricultural interest appears not to have had
one single friend there to rise and defend it
against the hardest single blow it ever re-
ccivcd
This may admit of explanation. Some
lcgcrdcmain Of the ''rulcs' may account for
it, but the facts are undeniablc that no voice
was heard in the House resisting this iniqui-
tous suicidal British treaty-iniqui Ger
tainly, so far as it sold the markets of the
American farncr-that he has been charged
80 per cent upon everything he has worn and
nearly everything he has used for the last
quarter of a century to build up, and that, in
the most sanguinc cxpcc tation of the manu-
facturors of New England (but in this they
will probably be mistak cn) he is likely to
continue to be charged while the Canadian
brings his wheat in to feed the artiZan the
| American farmer is thus taxed to furnish en-
rloymcnt for.
Whether these gentlemen from the rural
districts, even those with an almost exclusive
agricultural constituency, will remain as 81
lent when the commercial press has heraldcd
forth, with all the pomp and circumstance of
long leaders, the merits Of the Collins line,
and the cities have been drumned up again
for pctitions-whcthcr they will resist, or
help to impose Il further tax upon their con-
sttucnts, to build up monopoly, and vote
for '.protcction' who never voted for protcc-
ton before, | know not But one thing is
pretty ccrtan-thc country is likely to hear
more about Mr.. Collins steamcrs-one mer-
chant and one merchant s ships-thlo ugh the
press, letter writers, lobby members reports
speeches and dinners, within the next three
months, than has been heard about agricul-
ture in Congress in three years, or in thirty
years. But this is rather beside my subject.
Before examining the merits of this treaty,
| wish to call attention to passage contain
ed in the late message Of the President, i'll
reference to it. | think it goes far towards
convicting the Chief Magistrate Of something
very like an attempt to deceive the country.
He certainly has used the technical language
of the treaty as only special pleader in
bad cause would be likely to use language,
and has submitted really false issue to the
country. The basis of the treaty is not and
never was what the President i'll so solemn n
paper as his annual message to the people
would seem to represent it to be. But the
farmers have charged him and his admins
tration with having sold their wheat fields
for Goldfish and mackercl." Listen to the
Presidents statement of the bargain he has
made So far from selling their wheat fields,
he got both the inshore fishery and the navi-
cation ofthe St. Lawrence, for the right coded
to Great Britain to sell the fish they take on
the coast in our market free of duty! So he
says the treaty "stipulates,' and because
such fraud or fiction has been inserted into
the treaty by two cunning diplomatists the
President justifes himselfin holding forth to
the country, that il was the real and bona
fide consideration, for, as he expresses it,
privileges of the highest Importance and
value to the United States" But not to do
the President injustice let us give the pas
sage entire as it st ands in the message =
so soon as it Ohe treaty. was ratified,
Great Britain opened to our commerce the
free navigation the river St. Lawrence, and
! to our fishermen unmolcstcd access to the