Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-04-15

people, coming directly into competition with
us, and able To raise supplies sufficient for
themselves. They must ut once, adopt ii aro-
tcctive policy, and cut US of from the Northern
market for all these articles in order to protect
large interests in their own community. :Sn
that by going with the Southern Cunfrdcracy,
VS. lntcrpose 4 tariff between us and our North
ern customers. BY staying rs We are, We main
tain Tree trade with our customers North ard
South. | don't know what is the state
Ut trade between Eastern Virginia and
the Cotton States; but | know that Lie
great trade OF our Taliey and Of trans Allegheny
IS with the North in regard to all these articles
OF prime supplies. | know that our grazieEs
and feeders send their chtt:o to Maryland ard
Pennsylvania, from whence they are carried on
To the New York market. do not knuw the
other places they may supply after They get
there; but | know that this Is the route which
most, if not all, Of the products Of the yal!ey
and Of Western Virginia take.
Then, sir, We are asked To cut Ourselves of
from our best customers and interpose a pro.
tectlYe tariff between us and them by going with
the Cotton States. TiIis, il seems 20 me. would
occasion peculiar disadvantage lii respect 10
almost every article raised in Virginia. ! run
hot sufficiently acquainted with the tobacco
trade to say how That great staple cf Virginia
would be affected by d matter Of this sprf.
II was said the other day, by the gentleman
from Richmond city, (Sir. RAXDoLru) tina, the
tariff of the Southern Conieieracy admitted
lrsf tobacco free OF duty, and imposed ts en.y
per cent duty upon manufactured tobacco. |
dun't know how that Tact isl doubt not he
regards it as authentic-but this I will say, that
The constitution of the Conf dera;e States ex-
press'y prohibits the laying Of a duty for pro.
lection and requires all duties 20 be- laid for
revenue. II this new Conleieracy has started
out thus early with laying 4 mos; striking tarid
lor the protection Of the tobacco manufacturer 8
they give thereby but e poor earnest Of that
exact adherence to strict constitutional cou-
struction which we are told is So high u re-
commenda.ion in favor Of our ioining them.
Ia regard to manufactures, [ have no sta.
tisticS, no acquaintance with the subject Fuf-
ficlsnt to enable me tu discuss it in its details.
But there is one general view which | shall
present. to the Committee in this Convention.
Why, sir, the people Of this Country have
been for years fencing high against The ruinous
competition Of European manufacturers Er-
cry time the tariff was brought down; ruin
overlook our manufacturers and We saw utter
destruction attending every step in The line OF
free trade. BIt now, sir. we are told that
there Is nothing to apprehend from foreign
rnanHfhcturers-that the ruinous competition
Comes from the Yankees. | thought it was
All admitted fact that if the United States were
now 10 embark in free trade, the Yankee wnnld
soou be compelled, by the competition Of Ell.
ropean manufacturers, TO give up their bust
pa-r Tb.ra ia onp,a I:rt,tita nc fc hnu. l,iIb
the duty ought to be-. | thought it vas uni
versally conceded that q duty Of Is or 80 or
40 per Cent. upon the leading articles Of the
manufactures Of the United States, was essen.
tial to the protection Of those engaged in man
u(aclurinG against the ruincus competition OF
the pauper labor Of Europe. lfthat be true
if it be true that the Yankees cannot stand
against the foreigner, and that we cannot stand
against the Yankees, what chance will
there be for us at the South, il We shut
out the North and let in the foreigner. II
Virginia has not been able to compete with the
North under an equal, high, protective 50 per
cent. tariff, how do on expect our innnutac-
turrrs TO thrive upon a duty OF only 10 per
cent. against Europe2 Il seems TO HE that it
is IN attempt to combine protection with free
trade. They cannot be combined. You cam
not protect against the North while YOU have
free trade with Europe, because the very fail.
ure to protect against Europe, vii! Reader FL!
your protection against the North utterly futile
and worthless.
Sir, it will not do To attempt either. Sup.
pose we join the South; then we come under
the influence Of this new competition. We
get rid, it is true, of the Yankee competition
"a mere drop in the buckct-und We receive
the whole oceen Of European competition a5w-
ing in upon Us. But it is said that when We
60 into this new Confedprucy, we Till have
the power to control matters; that Virginia
will BIZ the great directing sp'lit, and that we
can introduce a protective system, unAer which
We are to become the Yankees Of the Sou'h.-
Sir, | do not CONCUR at al IN this idea. have
no sympathy for the indrscriminate denuncia.
ton that is t,eaped uron our Yankee brethren;
none, whatever. look upor them IS a noble
race CT uuen, with all their faults and !oiblrs.
| ~: MOI one Of those who want 10 cut them
of from this Union. | an not one Of those
who want 10 get rid Of the Yankee States, or
Of even the least une Of them. | want to huld
them all as valuable, extremely valuable mem.
bors OF this glorious Confederacy Of ours, by
their energy, and their intelligence in a, the
departments Of industry and art, oil science ami
literature, doing honor TO our name, wherever
it is pronounced. don't want TO get rid Of
them; bu, | don't want 10 introduce the Yankee
system Of industry into Virginia. | prefer
our system Of industry. | prefer our agricul
tural pursuits-our cattle feeding and our
stock raising. ldon't want our people 10 be d
manufacturing people. | don't want TO b:
uverrun here with these immense corpora
tons, which my friend from Richmond city,
(Mr. RASDoLPH,) referred to as being u curse
to the country and an injury to our trade. !
don't want our people to be the Yankees of
the South. But suppose we were disposed to
be the Yankees Of the South, Do we expect
South Carolina, who quit US before because Of
a protective tariff, to establish q protective Ia
riff for Us {! Do We expect that S,nth Carolina
will change her views Oil the subject of tariffs
with the same facility that 1t is supposed Yir-
ginia will change hers? I humbly Apprchend
that South Carolina, having found secession n
remedy for high tar'fs, will resort to it again
the very moment that it is necessary for her
economy. Would it not be the widest and
most unreasonable course for Virginia to fol.
low after such n State as that ? She would
lead US, step by step, like an ignS tatuis while
Ill StdI Gil " sUuE Sl0UiC UIU SlSulC VIZ vi
government, into the quicksands and quag.
mires of secession, disunion and anarchy.
Sir, I used to be o believer in the doctrine
that is agitated here by the gentleman from
the city Of Richmond. | understood that every.
thing depended upon protection. ! used 10
have an idea that government yeas q great pro.
tecting machine, that was t. in operation
and grease the wheels Of all is ustry. That
was my idea Of government Imaiiy years ago;
but / had soon occasion to change them very
materially. have come to believe that while
the true prov nee Of go:ernmr;! is protection,
it is protection OF right, protection OF the rights
Of the individual agains' crcroachulents from
all quarters, aud as far as is consistent! with
the protection Of all to secure 10 tho individual
The right to seek his fortune in tho way that
mis- individual interest and hi. Intelligence may
suggest to him. That is tf.r '"hool Of philoso-
ply to which | profess to belong. recpg-
nize the imposition Of q protective Tariff rs a
p.cessity prowino out OF The fact that there