Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-10-05
SPEECH OF Mr.. BELL.
OF TENNESSEE,
FIFTEEN MILLN
lCoSCI.UDED.l

The Secretary of the Treasury announces in
his report that :'the day has passed in this
country for incrr asng the restrictions on COM
nlerce." The enlightenment of the period in
which we live is too great for that! The pol
rev of Great Britain in modifying her tariff,
10 some extent in conformity with the spirit
Of free trade, IL held up as an example fit to
be followed by this country. | have ALREADY
expressed nv admiration of the profound
wisdom of British statesmen. They never
sacrifice great national interest to mere
abstraction They know perfectly well that
they risk nothing in the changes they have
made in their commercial policy. They know,
tOo-what American statesmen have vet to
learn-that the reciprocity in trade which
they affect generously to offer to the accept
ance OF all nations is neither fair nor equal in
its benefits, except as between nations in
some parity of condition, and the natural re-
sources of which have been equally devel-
Oped- There can be no fair competition 9TH
erwtse IN the race for pre-emnence in wealth
and power All the world knows that Eng
land stands now without rival in the arts Of
production, and that, if the principles of free
trade were now engrafted upon the policy of
all other nations she never could have q rival.
The free-trade partisans in this country speak
so vauntingly OF the progress of these princi-
ples that | should like to hear what nations
or people have made them the basis of their
commercial policy? what great Power. espe-
cially. has adopted this policy? Great Brit
ain, 1t is true, has adopted them as tar as they
are applicable to her circumstances and con-
dltlOn; and to that extent other Powers have
done so. But what one has gone beyond that
poinr Is il Russia? Is it Austria? Is it
France? None OF those Powers have fallen
INTO the snare, nor could either of those great
Powers adopt such a policy without endan-
ger1ng, nay, without positive sacrifice of
the great element of progress, as well as OF
independence. Which of the smaller States
of Europe have been So insane as to accept
the invitation of England? Some few COM
mercial cities only. Neither Holland. nor
Belgium. nor Sweden. nor Denmark, nor the
ZOll Verein, which represents most of the
States of Germany. nor Switzerland. nor
Spain, nor Portugal. Several of them have
reduced their duties on imported merchandise
hut none Of them have fully embraced free
trade principles.
The advocates of free-trade principles in
England affect to sncer at the narrow policy
of France in adhering to her restrictive sys-
tenn; and they point especially 10 the high
rates of duty imposed upon foreign IRON
How absurd the idea that France could allow
her iron manufacture To go down under the
cheaper supplies from England Where woIld
she be- as military Power without that most
essential materiel of war? But France has
evinced the superiority of her wisdom in other
iron interest. Conforming to the first ma KIM
or what ought to be the first maxim OF politi-
cal ecOnOmy-which is. that it is the para
mount duty of every State or nation that
would secure its independence against all
contingencies, so to mould its commercial
policy to ensure the production, within it.
self, of all the essential articles OF military
supply, and, far as practicable, of such
articles of subsistence as are of prime neces-
sity, or such as are by habit so necessary to
the comfort of the people as that discomfort
would follow the want of them. France, by
her persistent efforts and proper protection,
has brought the manufacture of sugar from
the beet-root to such perfection as to meet the
foreign product upon equal terms in the do
nestle market, and to furnish a large proper
ton of the amount consumed by her popIla-
ton.
The considerations connected with military
defences and national independence will al
ways prevent the general adoption OF those
principles of free trade which the Secretary of
the Treasury dreams of seeing incorporated
into the code of international law. As long
a. Great Britain maintains her superiority
naval Power, France dare not relax her
commercial system. To do 50 would reduce
her forthwith to the rank Of II second-rate, or
rather to the condition Of a dependent Power.
Great Britain alone, OF all the nations Of the
earth, could at this time. without danger or
permanent injury to any Of her interests, con-
form her commercial policy to the principle
of free TRADE: for, to whatever essential
supplies she may want, she can command
them by the thunder of her naval batteries.
Those who would follow tine example Of
Great Britain in adopting the principles OF
free trade in this country would do we'll to
give some attention to the vantage ground
she would occupy in entering upon a free
competition for the trade of the world; and
that is the question at last. All freely admit
that the mauufacturc of Great Britain are
the principal foundation and support of her
immense commerce. She exports no raw pro-
ducts; her manufactures now supply annually
an average OF ei00, 000, 900 of eX, orts, equiv
alent to $500, 000, 600; and this they do after
supplying the home consumption to an equal
amount. as estimated by her ablest econO-
mists: thus making the whole annual product
of her manufacturing industry EGO OO0, 600.
equivalent to 81 .0O0, 000, 900. 1t was this tx
haustless mine of wealth that carried England
through the terrible and expensive wars of the
French rev lution triumphantly; and it would
enable her again to subsidize half the world
in any great war in which they may happen
to be engaged.
If it should be Inquire how England has
been enabled to sUrpass all the world in man
ufacturing industry, the frec-trade advocate
will tell you that this great success arose from
several causes: the character of her pOpuia-
ton; their hardihood aud enterprising spirit;
the natural advantages of the country; its
minerals of greatest utility in the arts; its
treasures of iron and coal; the abundance OF
capital, the accumulation OF centuries; but
none of them are ever heard To allude to an
other and most potential cause OF the won
derful progress of manufacturing skill and
enterprise in Great Britain. i allude, Of
course to the encouragement and protection
extended by the Government To the manuiac-
turing interests by duties and imposts upon
the products of other countries, when brought
TO be vended in the English markets. When
the attention of the champions OF free trade
is called TO this point, their uttcrance Is sud
denly choked up. or they boldly deny that the
protective policy has had nything to do in
building up that great British interest
They dispose of the famous navigation acts
in the same way-acts 80 long aud SO justly
regarded by Englishmen us among the most
polite measures of the English Government,
and the origin of their maritime asccndcncy.
BY those acts the importation of foreign
merchandise was restricted 70 English bottoms
or to the ships of the nation or country OF
which the merchandise were the growth or
manufacture; aud they also provided that the
& master md thrcc-fourths OF the crews of all
English vessels should be British subjects
At the period of the passage of these act
Holland aspired TO be mistress of the sea-
Her feet became 50 formidable while under
the command of Van Tromp and De RuytcI
that at one time, during a war with England
an English ship could hardly venture out Il
sea. Van Tromp audaciously sailed down
the English channel, with broOmstick at the
masthead of his ship, and once entered the
Thames and spread CONSERVATION among th,
inhabitants OF London itself The navigatiol
acts were dictated by jealousy and the lear o
these bold rivals, and their effect was, in
comparatively short time, to humble tn
naval power of the Dutch, aud To acquire