Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1858-10-11
Exports and Imports.

From the Boston Transcript we select the chiet
points in the latest contribution ui writer signing
himself "Poht aud Loss.
Tine Unilcl States must he classcd among tho
producing nations, nne-tcnths oil our exports be-
ing Of pr"duce and raw material. Yet We have
made rapid progress, md in many respects are
greatly ia advance Of all other producing nations.
For this there are many rcnsons, and tho most i'm
portant one is that we belong To tho ruling and
foremost race in the world-the one which cx-
hibits in their greatest perfection nl those qnal-
ties OF enterprise, energy, daring prudence, thrift
love Of order. and love Of home, which have help
ed to mike the English name respected and
feared throughout the world, and which no cir
Gums stanccs, nor any commercial system, h0wov-
rr false. can wholly noulrnlise and deprcss. We
have also IN immense tide Of migration setting
towards our shorcs--so great thnf, added to our
nnural increase. It swells our population to
the extent of something like u million per an
mum. Again, We hn,c immense natural advan-
trgcs embracing every soil and climate Of the
gnhe; millions Of acres of virgin soil. not yet
exhausted by the free trnde process, offering
such inducements and such rewards to the hand
Of labor as were never known in the history Of
the world.
The Revolution left us poor and feeble nor wns
it until under tho lead of Mr. Calhoun; we adopt
ed the protective policy. that We started forward
anl developed with grent rapii,ty our immense
resources. Under this system. many Of our
States have accumulated considerable wealth.
which has grown with the growth ofour mnnuiac-
,urc4. what mciiM me hare lies not IN the p"odn-
eng bnt IN Hc manufacturing Sfaf,s. and ii Is on
these Suites Mat Mc credit ofoW government is main
y brscd.
1t il well known that we should not put too
TX ravaIant mn estimats on onr nttainments in
wealth and power. Men often in overesti-
mating, hut seldom in understanding, their
property. Undoubtedly. deiendcd M we are by
the Atlantic ocean and tho martial spirit Of our
people, wcurc in,ncibin 10 my force that can
be brought agniast ~: but that may be said of
the Swiss mu,Intaincers, and was for centuries
true of the unhreecled Ilghand.rs whose wealth
consisted in whut they carried on their backs
The power That raises aud equips large fleets
and armies for foreign campaigns. like that
of the Crimcn, is something different from this
aud il based on solid accumulation Of rnpital.
We have accumulated very large debt abroad
where our State aud railroad securities lncary all
very mnch below par) nrc held and We pay over
twenty millions of interest money per annum.---
1t il the poor who borrow. not tho rich. Our
government il borrowing money to meet its dali
y wants, II process which suyors not very much
of wealth. Its credit is good ns far as it goes
without u technical national debt, but not good
as that Of ngand, with debt Of considerably
over 81 900 OOo. 900. How far the credit Of our
government based purity on an annual crop Of
cotton and grain, tor the most part consumed
before it leaves home. would ~ in The way Of rails
ing aud cquirping M army of only 10000 men,
and II corresponding fleet. for two years
pnign in CHINA, each ono can Judge for himself.
and this is the test of wealth and power. How is
it that with population increasing at the rate of
nearly u million per annum, We hive been for
years afraid to build II new factory ora new forge
and that those We have are not worth hall the
cost? Ii is not because we have glutted our mar
kets because that has been done by EDglnnd
that has sent over 100000, 900 during the past
t,l,nIt f,ir-
eign markets, since all exports to all parts
of the world does not exceed S3O, 900, 900 per an
mum.
Our $500 900 900 Of exported produce l regard
as being evidence not Of strength, but of weakness
~ is the immense export Of sugar and molnsses
from the Island Of Cuba, which. if the Spanish
armies and fleets were withdrawn, would be en-
tirely delenceess, and the prey the first conner.
1t may seem extravaganza but may be ncverhe-
less true, that in any emergency which should
test our resources fitting out such nm expedi-
ton have supposed to China in connection
with England and France our capacity to raise
money. would compare with that of those two
tons, our exports of manufactures compares
with theirs that is in the ratio of 80, $40, and 600
these being the number of millions of manufactu-
red goods exported by each nation. Il nation that
erpo,is 10 disf1m markets its cotton and corn IN
bnih, instcad Of making Hnp at hon,e and the" er-
I,orting II, IS IN u rery poor ray and hnding con-
stanHy to u iorer grade Of ctrhzat,on and 'rfne-
Dent.
The last twelve years furnish abundant evi-
dcnce of this. 1t stares us in the iace in every
direction. Such n system, instead of tending to
diversity cmpoyments. which is the grand secret
of national prosperity. tends to leduce ever, thing
to rude and Improbable agriculture, 1t such
it can be called impnverishing both to the land
and to those who till it, subecting them to enor-
nous taxes in transportation. and compelling |
them to sell at from 25 to so per cent. less than
they could get from customers at homo II such
were to be found.
Our railroad securities all over the country are
not worth an average Of half their par value,
and we have failed in our attempt to support o
line of ocean steamers, Where then shall We
look for the evidence Of our great wealth and