Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1856-09-17
From the New York Day Book.l
FREE TRADE.

1t is said that Gen. Quitman will introduce
bill, at the next session Of Congress, which pro
poses free trade"--to abandon the whole sys
tenn of artificial and indirect taxation for
traight-forward, manly and Democratic mode
Of regulating the national finances. That ou
present system is absurd, anti.D Democratic, de
moralizing and utterly disgraceful to the na
tional understanding no we'll informed or hones
Democrat will deny moment. 1t is q relic o
the old ciyilization-of the worn-out European
rascalities, the old, worm eaten and far.felched
contriyances which enable one class to pray up.
on another, to blind the people and delude them
with the notion that they pay nothing for the
support of the Government, when they are tax.
ed to the eyelids, and fairly staggering under
the weight of the burthen thus heaped on them
in Disguise Abstractedly considered, or as a
theory of taxation, protective tariff is simply
an absurdity, palpable, selfevident, unavoida.
BILE absurdity. But this is the least objection
to it; it is utterly corrupting, and to all con-
cerned--to the government that squanders the
proceeds of the public industry-to the people
who are plundered by il; and perhaps most cor
rupting of all to those presumed to be benefit.
ted by it. The idea on which it is based, or
rather from which it originates, is perhaps natu.
raj enough. Thus, a man contemplating the
whole confederacy or nation, the whole people,
is led to suppose that if they were to diversity
their industry and produce everything that The
wants of our times demand, it would be desi-
rable condition. The nation thus Independent
of all others in every respect, would find lis
commerce, its money interests its trade in short,
uniform and inyarible, and even in the event of
war the population would be able to command
all that was necessary for its well.being and
happiness.
All this is plausible enough, but what does it
amount to! Why, simply this: It is extremely
desirable for an individual TO be in the posses.
sion of sound health-that all the functions Of
his physical organism arc naturally performed,
but it is certainly the extreme of folly to take
all kinds Of nostrums and quack pills in order
to reach or secure that desirable end. And pre-
cisely so in regard to national industry. If labor
Is naturally diversiied-if agriculture and man,
ufactures of all kinds and degrees naturally de.
gelop themselves, and everything that the popu-
alton require ia thus naturally produced, with.
put any interference or Fictitious aid, why then
, very desirable condition would be arrived at.
But to undertake to force such result or to
bring about such condition by Fictitious con-
riyances, by tariffs, in short, is of course just
Is absurd as it is for man in full health to take
]uack pills in order 10 be healthy. And the
;-.:lt.ac rced -n' stan hara.-As the man poi.
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