Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1860-02-28

: in its ultimate results contributed TO rrj,
duce that unhappy irritation between the two
countries which has never yet Subsidcd, notwith-
standing the strong bonds Of mutual ntr, est
by which they are connected" If we take the
action which ain now urging upon a Virginia
assembly, some future historian Of the Northern
States may describe the action Of the North to-
wards us as the most unfortunate i'll point Of ey-
pedicncy ever adopted by the Northern State
governments, and mag depict in strong terms
the miSlurtuIcs to the North which was the re-
suit of their misconduct But am not yet done
with Alison'S narrative os The effects prodncrd
! by the nOa.i:nportation act OF the American
Congress- lie attributes the general distress
prevailing in the manufacturing districts Of
Great Britain, in the latter part Of 1910 and
1911, mainly TO the influence of the American
non importation act lie says, after s.a.ing
some MINOR causes Of distress: "But above all,
the natural irritation Of the American govern.
ment at the unbounded vexatiuns to which
they exposed both the bligerent powers from
:; the operations Of the Berlin and Milan DEGREES,
and the orders in council, had produced, on the
part Of tic government of the United States,
the non-intcrcourSc act in February. 1911,
whereby all commercial connection both with
France and England was terminated and the
vast market Of the United States, worth ali
other foreign markets put together, which took
( of British manufactures to the amount OF above
thirteen millions sterling vas entirely LOST
The writer gives a detailed narrative Of the
. Overwhelming distress with which the British
trading classes were thus afflicted Parliament
! had TO support them by a loan Of $50. .O01. 900
! The operatives throughout the manufacturing
districts were engaged in the MOS: violent and
alarming mobs and riots They were banded
! together in systematic attacks upon the proper
! ty o! their employers So great was the dc.
! s!ruction Of machines in the factories that Par.
Lament passed an net to make it capital offence
to break I piece Of machinery. Under this
( singular act seventeen persons were actually
executed before the disturbances we're arrest
cd Bear in mind Mr.. Speaker that these
sweeping results were produced by withdraw
ing from tho English manufacturers market
which demanded only onc-third Of their export
; cd fabrics, amounting to only S65 5000, 900 in
value. | shall presently put in contrast the
extent Of our control over the market for the
exported fabrics OF manufactures in the North
ern States.
Let us next enquire, Mr.. Speaker, into the
analogy between the relations OF Virginia and
I the Southern States with the Northern States
and the former relations Of America with
Great Britain. A large portion Of the labor
and capita! Of the North is wholly dependent
upon Southern support. If we choose To use
our privileges, we can control the Northern Ia
borcrs We hold them, sir in bondage as COM
plctc as we hold our own slaves am not
! going to give any speculatioEs Of my own on
this subject. ! mean to le! New England men
/ describe to you the true condition Of New En-
! gland society. direct your attention now to
New England, because it was there that this
anti-slavery agitation had its Origin; from thence
ii now derives its strongest pabulum. New
! England is the great centre of the intellectual
! operations Of the anti-slavery party. From
! that point the malign Influences radiate to all
points in the North. At that point the disease
! first appears. There is its seat To that place
! the healing hand must apply its skill. II this
I House will heed the facts which | have 10 SUBJ
/ nit, they will soon know that they have con.
trolling power over that population. hold in
/ my hand, Mr.. Speaker, the fifth, Annual Repor,
OF the government OF the Boston Board Of
! Trade. From this authentic source, gather
facts which strikingy exhibit the condition of
society in Massachusetts: . fair specimen Of
a New England | real m extract from this
report:
Our soil and climate forbid either large or
profitable investments in agriculture. In
! mord, ace are impelled, by tie rery necessities
! of our positi0n and condition, 10 continue TO
work cotton, wool and leather. and to build and
: employ ships. We cannot abandon these pur.
suits, because ire eanhot adopt any ohers."-
! There it is IF manufactures cannot be profit
ably supported, the population Of Massachu-
sets cannot he maintained. Strike down their
! factories and you force their aboring class TO
! cmigratc or to 60 into the poor houses to suS.
! tain lite. They must work cotton, wool and
leather. or they must starvc. IF you will stop
! buying their fabrics OF cotton, wool and lea
/ thcr, they will be compelled to stop working
! cotton, wool and leather
; learn. frem reliable documents. that GG, 600
male laHprcrs arc employed in the factories of
Massachusetts,, and $1,000 female laborcrs-
The anbaai amount paid to these laborers is
$50. 700, 600. The annual value Of their fabrics
is Sljl, 900, 000-almost the whole of which
seeks its market within the United States. The
whole export Of manufactures of cotton, wool
and leather, from the port of Boston. for the
year 1858, was about $o,000,000. We may
then assume, that the manufacturers of New
England are wholly dependant on the home
market for the sale Of their wares. Without
going into minute enquiry, (for which do
not possess the materials can only refer to
the general fact. that the local demand for IA
brics in the Northern States is more or less sup.
piled by local factories. The Southern demand,
on the other hand. finding bur little home sup
ply. is mainly filled hy Northern or foreign
manufacturers. ! venture 10 say, sir that the
whole industrial system OF New England would
oe prostrated by closing the Southern markets
TO their manufactures.
By opening these markets to the mannfac-
turers of the North. wc have built up the power
which now assails US. The Southern consumer
has multiplied the population of New England.
enhanced its wealth, invigorated it's material
strength, and increased it's political power. If
you writhc from the sting of this serpent, you
must reflect that you nurSed it into life and
strength. Will a Virginia Legislature learn
anything from this statement OF the Boston
Board Of Trade:
AT the close OF tie last century, the value
Of real and personal estate in this city Bostonl
was only seven millions Of dollars it was but
forty-ive millions rs late as the purchase Of the
site of Lowell but it is now two hundred and
fifty-cight millions. Can any one doubt that
the profits and incidental advantages Of work
ing cotton, rQot and leather are among the
prominent causes Of this immense increase" ?"
The value Of real and personal property, thus
mainly built up in the city of Boston, by work
ing cotton wool and leather, is nearly equal to
onc.half of the assessed value Of all the real and
personal property Of this Commonwealth. The
s,,stenaDcc ofthatgrowth has been mainly drawn
from the profits Of the Southern markets.
But, sir this report goes into detailed account
Of these manufactures. The facts are so sug.
gestve that must venture to tax the kind at
tenton which am receiving from the House
By another extract or two:
The boot and shoe trade to-day constitutes
the largest manufacturing interest, not only OF
Massachusetts,, but OF the whole country.
Since 1857, the trade has rapidly increased in
Massachusetts, and at the present time amounts
to more than fifty millions Of dollars per an
num-"