Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-05-03
Dinner to Henry c. Carey--Remarks
of Hon. John He'll.


cal Economy, in Philadelphia, on the 9th
ult. Hon. JoHs BELL, of this State, was
presen. as an invited guest. Mr.. w. ID. LEWIS,
one of the Committee of Arrangements made
few remarks, on the occasion, closing as
follows:
Happy to see present an eminent conserve
tive statesman, whose long period of service
in the public councils has been marked by
consistent advocacy of the doctrine that pro-
lection TO domestic industry is the true path
to nations independence, and that all de-
partuIes from il by the American people ar
vicious and burtfuI. propose, Mr.. Presie
dent, the health of the Hon. John Bell, of
Tennessee. sa7
Mr.. Bells health was drunk with vociferous
applause and when the tumult had subsidized
that gentleman said:
1t is quite an unexpected pleasure TO me to
be here tonight. Having to revisit Wash
ington few days ago, on business connected
with the breaking up of my social relations in
that city, and the return of my family to
Tennessee. had the honor to receive an in
vitation to be present on this interesting oc-
casion. Though attended with some personal
Inconvenience, could not forbear to avail
myself of the opportunity thus afforded me
of testifying my sense of the eminent worth
of your honored guest-of the man who,
without official station or its announcements,
has performed services of greater value to his
| country than those of half the generals and
statesmen who figure in its civil and military
| annals.
His is the high distinction of having Crap
pied successfully with the difficulties of sub
ject of great and vital Importance to the per-
manent prosperity of the country-of having
solved problems which had proved too complex
;ntr h.,
tiers upon political economy of the past and
present age, to the perfect satisfaction of all
| but the willfuliy blind, or the bgoted parti-
zan of theory founded on no sufficient OBJ
/ servation of the results of experience. No
mere theorist himself, but lifelong seeker of
the truth, be has been able to shed such a
food of light upon his favorite subject of in
quiry as must soon sweep away the popular
errors and prejudices to which the discOrdant
| views of his predecessors in the same field OF
inquiry have given rise, and which the igno-
rant demagogue and the interested political
partizan have contributed to keep alive.
Our American author it is true, has had
advantage of higher field of observation than
most of his predecessors, and well has he
profited by it; but some of the most striking
| and conclusive facts which bear upon the
| subject were open to the observation of many
| who passed them unheeded. Standing out in
bold relief among them was the great fact of
| the bOundless wealth and moneyed resources
of England, the fruit mainly of her manu-
! featuring industry, encouraged and promoted
! by u rigid adherence, for long period to a
: protective policy, and which she never modif-
! ed in The slightest degree, until she had so
+ got the start of the world in skill and capital
as to defy competition; and even then the
changes made in her policy, especially the
repeal of her corn laws, were designed to
give increased protection to her man lfactur-
ing interests, and ought to be regarded as a
mockery of the maxims and principles of free
trade as expOundtd by its advocates in this
; country. The single example of the success
ful results of the protective policy in England
is worth more than all the spurious theories
and ad captandum arguments of the free
trade doctors in the calculation of the true
principles of political economy. If anything
could add to the force of that example, it
would be the result of the same policy in
France, sternly maintained against all the
lights of human reason and experience, as
the free trade advocates wOuld have us believe.
How can it be explained that France, besides
her great outlay upon internal improvements.
and the support of an expensive civil list has
maintained her half million of soldiery-
her great, and still increasing naval arma-
ments. nearly rivaling those of Great Britain
! passing through the Crimean war. in the
| meantime, with her credit unshaken-meet-
| ing with slight inconvenience the revulsion
! of lS57-the condition of her population
! improving from year to year, and her foreign
| commerce expanding all the time, and keep
4 ing even pace with the progress of her manu-
| featuring industry-how can all this be ex-
! planned, if it be true, alleged, that her pro-
! pective policy supheld in opposition to, and
/ in contempt of the true principles of political
/ economy?
| Witness, too, the results of the SHINING o
| the States of the Zollverein against not thf
/ lights of the age or of science, but againse
the reflection of them from British mirrors
/ Great Britain now finds the market in those
| States for her manufactures reduced from
| millions in valne as in former times, to few
| hundred thousands. Those States were never
before in so Furnishing and independent a
! condition, nor do they show any signs of be-
! coming victims to the delusions Of free trade.
The first Napoleon had the sagacity to de-
tect the secret of the invincibility of his
great adversary, and he the first to per-
ceve that France might find cOuntervail-
ing resources in the labor and industry OF her
numerous population, when wisely directed
| and fully employed.
Great Britain showed equal wisdom and
sagacity when she resolved to peril every
thing-even her very existence as a nation
in resisting the continental system of Napo-
| leon. She saw and acknowledged by her
conduct at that period, that If her manufac-
lures were excluded from the continent for a
few years, the very life blood of her vast
power and resources would soon be exhausted
Neither time nor the occasion will allow
me To indulge further in this strain of re-
mark; nor need regret that | cannot pause
to point out to this enlightened company the
intimate connection and dependence which
the past experience of the country has demon
strated to exist between the protective policy
and a sound and sufficient circulating me-
dunn. so essential to the activity Of internal
| trade and commerce; nor need | dwell, In
\ this presence, upon the Importance Of up
holding the protective policy. the great
corrective of overtrading and the surest pre-
ventive of those commercial and monetary
! revulsions which have so often swept over
the country, bring distress upon all, and IRE
trievable ruin upon thousands.
But cannot pass unnoticed some other
| points connected with this subject, which
| strike me as most worthy of serious reflection.
! The mOnstrous anomaly Is now for the first
| time presented in the history know not il |
may not say Of the world-of government
! in its financial policy arrayed in hostility to
| the best interests of its cOnstituency-the
! people-a government seeking relief from
. present embarrass ments. at the expense of
future certain and wide spread ruin to those
+. interests-a government willing ~ barter the
future prosperity of the country for present
eAse 10 itscll WIN hll tue iiBut VI past TX
perience TO guide them, the faction which
controls the government-Id do not. of course,
speak of parties, nor a partisan, but of
that small array of extreme radical, ultra
men. whose influence is now paramount
still obslinately persists in denying and ig-
noring the Importance of giving even SO
much increased protection to domestic in-
dustry as would follow as n mere incident 10
| the raising Of an adequate revenue for the
| a A 6Rh IL
with them less Objectionable, than 60 take
| any. the shortest, step backwards, In their
< regular advance in the adoption Of the policy
/ of free trade The eOuntenancs given IN a