Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-04-08

Gnd The uaty % imposed on manufactured
iron, proposed in their provisional tarr i,
will destroy our iron manufacturers 20,
while their Northern adyersarics have au cy-
tcnsirc home market 70 fall back upon, our
manufacturers ere dependent entirely on the
Southern market. Their only course left will
be to emigratc or to break up their establish.
ments and turn their capital to some o,hc:
branch Of industry. Tie magnitude of this
interest may be conceived when inform he
Convention that the production Of one es.ab
lshmcnt alone had risen TO 100000 per
month before the present troubles began. Its
owners fear that they may be compelled TO tci.
low their CUSTOMERS in the South, should this
State adhere to the North.
have thus reviewed, most tediously fear,
the course Of trade in the priEci pal articles
Of our industrial products, and, as | humbly
conceive, have proved thlt the market for them
is at the South or abroad that the competition
is at tine North, that prices are better under
the Southern than under the Northern revenue
system and tnat what we require is moderate
protection against tie North, and not exces.
sive protection against foreign and none asains.
Northern competition.
stated, however, that | should not enter
into the controversy between frce.trade and
protection, ana shall now proceed to mako
good my word, by considering some objections
which may possibly be urged BY The friends
Of both systems.
shall probably be told by the frcctrsder
that Virginia is an importer OF manufactured
goods, and, therefore, requires free.tradc with
the section which can best supply her acfci.
ency, and that to separate her from the North
will render this supply precarious and costly.
IhIs Is true. but it is only one half the
truth. In order that wc may import, we must
export, and it ia no advantage to have cheap
goods offered TO US unless We have the meaus
to pay for them. While, therefore, by sepsra.
tion from the North, We impair our import
trade; by separating from the South we impair
our export trade, and Gs are forced TO sacriiccc
one or the ether, it is surely better to retain
that which fills our pockets and protects our
manufactures, imam that which impover:sh.
es Us and depvesses our industry. If We
sell our exports well, and find obstacles to
importation, We shall DO in the best posi-.
bic condition to develop our manufactures
to furnish a home market, md ultimately
to give US tho advantages OF free Trade,
by placing the agriculturaist, tho miner and
the manufacturer beside each other with no
hostile tariff to inlerrup their eXchanges.-
| must also remind the free trader, that while
our importations from the North may be i'm.
paired, those from abroad will be facilitated
And, as the foreigner consumes our exports,
he will be enabled TO pay better prices fer thcm
than he has done under the protective system
heretofore III force against him.
This consideration, however, brings Inc near
or to the other horn of the dilemma upon
which the Protectionist expects Inc to be trans.
fixed
lie will say that, by reducing the duties on
foreign imports, We shall expose our manufac-
turers to the destructive competition of foreign
capital and pauper labor, and thereby rrostrate
them in their infancy. lie lorgets that, while
we lower the duties on foreign imports. we iul.
pose duties on Northern production, and gaiH,
insthis way, vastly more protection than We
lose by the reduction Of tho duty or foreirn
manufactures. Protect us from tho M n
and ne have nothing 10 fear from abroad.
Foreign competition may be hultful 10 tho
North, where they have been stimulated
by their unwiso protective policy to unGo.-
take the manufacture Of costly fabrics for
which they are not prepared. But, to us.
who wish only to make articles of prime Ne
ccssity, generally cheap and bulky. and vino
should not attempt to force our msTu'acturss
forward faster than they are ready TO CO, 70.
reign competition has few tcrrors.
The freight, insurance and exchange upon
cheap and bulky fabrics imported from abroad
are in themselves nc. inconsiderable protection;
= protection Of not less than 10 per cent, while
against the Importation of such articles frcm
the North, We fud but little protection in !h6sc
charges. BY means of the telegraph AL!
steamboat. orders are executed at the North a.,
the demands of the market require, and no 80.
accumulation of stock is necessary. While,
in the foreign trade, from the slow com'unni.
cation between us and the importer. the market
must be anticipated and large stocks of goods
collected in bonded warehouses to meet the do.
Inands Of wholesale dealers. This involves,
not only loss of interest but necessarily
fines the larger portion Of the foreign trade to
such goods as will bear accumulation.
Many Of our articles Of prime necessity, tho
very goods that we can and should mhnuiac-
turc ourselves, cannot be accumulated in bond.
ed warehouses. For instance, if large stock
Of ready. made clothing were collected and reid
for future demand, it might become worthless
from a change Of fashion.
In the manufacture Of these things the Nc! q
compctcs successfully with us, while the lo-
reigner never can command our market.
An intelligent friend, who has had much cx-
perience in framing the revenue system OF this
city, informs ME thar, having occasion to esli.
; mate the amount of manufactured goods sold
, in Richmond, he found it TO be in the ngsrc-
gate about twenty five millions Of dollars; that
one-haf Of these goods were imported from the
. North, and that the imports were chiefly such
, things as in his youth had been the product oi
household and ncighborhood manufacture in
, Virginia Every member on this floor recol.
lects this state OF things, when the spinning.
! L. i ,,,l
the estimate was that n sheep would cluthe
each member Of the family.
This extensive branch Of industry has been
transferred to the North, where accumulated
, capital, machinery and skill enable them to
make and bring into our market most Of the
. articles formerly made at home The extent Of
, the transfer OF our domestic manufactures msy
, be estimated without difficulty.
In 1868 the ready made clothing sold in
E Richmond amounted to Sl,22 600; Of which
S762, 900 was imported from the North-more
than two.thirds of the whole amount. The
f amount Of shoes sold was 81, l5l, $780, Of which
! ss9S, 350-nearly four.6lihs-was imported
from the North The sales Of hats amounted
to s3l5, 1000, OF which $3.50, ,000-about i3ur.
, tifths-was imported from the North.
Thus in these necessary manu(actu o., for.
mery made at home, and which, With very
; slight protection, could be again made at hom:,
l wc lind Northern competition nearly cx!erul
: mating our domestic production, while fTom tEc
foreigner We should have nothing TO fear.
+ 1t was estimated by Convention held in
, Boston in 1924, that seventy-6Te per cent OF
the entire manufacturing product Of the corn-
try was domestic. the present time domes-
! tic manufactures at the South have almost
ceased, and are replaced by Northern goods.
We may thus form some idea Of tie weight Of
Northern competition, and the immense transfer
Of industrial pursuit from South to North
, which il has effected in the last thirty or forty
years. We can have nothing like this to fear
from abroad, for these domestic products will
I not bear long TRANSFORMATION or large accuEn: