The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-04-09
Secession Brings Protection to the Virginia
MANUFACTURED.

NAAuuIdCt0Fers
The most impotent of all the argument.
against secession, is that which pretends thai
the manufacturing interests of Virginia will
suffer under the liberal, free trade principle.
of the Southern Confederacy. It is not pre-
tended that these principles will be enforced
to the absolute release of all impost duties
upon foreign merchandise. A Federal reyenu,
will be as necessary to the Government a,
Montgomery, as it has been to that at Wash.
ington. tariff for revenue will be an es.
sential institution of the new Government
and its tariff policy will only differ from tina,
of The old Union in being devised exclusively
Tor revenue, and not at all for protection.
A tariff for revenue will scarcely be- lowe,
than an average Of fifteen per cent Doubtless
ten per cent. would produce all the revenue
demanded for the ordinary requirements OF
the Government; but there are contingencies
for war, armament, fortificat ions, and public
debt that will probably bring up the rate of
impost to an average of fifteen per cent. Not
that the revenue principle will req uire hori-
zontal duty upon all imports, of fifteen per
cent; for a tariff, levied for revenue. must
needs differ In its rates with the various goods
on which 1t is levied and probably this dis
elimination would produce rate of impost
on articles in which Virginia is interested of
twenty or twenty-five, or even thirty per
cent.
Under the revenue policy of the Southern
Confederacy, Virginia would certainly find
An advantage over the foreign manufacturer
of from Is to 80 per cent. But who in that
case would be embraced under the designa ton
OF foreigner, and have TO bear the burden of
this impost dutyf Why, it would not merely
be the Englishman, the Frenchman. and the
German, but 1t would be the Yankee also, the
man who has heretofore sold his goods in yir
ginia, and to her Southern customers, dutv
1rss. The Quantity Of merchandise. Of foreign
manufacture, consumed per annum by the
South. has been about $40 900. 600 while thu
quantity OF Northern merchandise which .hs
has consumed has been 1900 900 ooO-th rec
times - much. Under the old Union the
Virginia manufacturer WAS protected To thu
extent OF about thirty Ave per cent. on
ons dollar against the foreigner and
subjected to free composition with the Yankee
on three dollars In every four of importa tions.
Under the Southern Confederscy he would be-
protected not only against the foreigner, but.
what 10 vastly more important to him, against
the Northsrner also, 70 the extent of from Is
TO 70 Per cent. IL there anybody SO stolid a.
not TO see that, on the question Of pro tee ton.
and Of prosperity TO her manufacturers. the
Interests Of Virginia are largely In favor of So
cessionf Il 10 tho misfortune OF men engaged
IN uphoIding wrong canse. always to bring
forward arguments Tor their course, which. II
rightly applied, bsnt ont their own brains
This argument Of submitting to tho North,
for the sake Of securing protection TO Virginia
manufacturers. II precisely acase Of this sort
II IL club furnished BY tho sHbinissionists for
thslr own bzaining. We must remain, for
sooth, IN frss trade with the North, who sell
~ and our Southern customers $500 900 900 OF
thsir WARES duty free, in order that our Vir-