Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1866-02-07
FREE TRADE
LETTER FROM PETER COOPER.

1t is with more than ordinary regret
that am compelled to differ in opinion
with friends whom | respect, i'll relation
to their favoritc theory of an unqualified
free trade with foreign countries. agree
with all who contend for an unqualified
domestic free trade IN every article that
is the product of American soil or of
American labor.
For all these | would secure every fa-
cility of convenient and rapid exchange
throughout the length and breadth Of
our country.
agree with my friends that free trade
is beautiful in theory. and would be in
practice between men and nations where
all things are equal, and where all would
actually weigh and measure all the pro.
ducts of labor by one uniform standard
of measure. Such measure of value
should be as unyielding 10 its nature as
gold and silver.
1t should be measure that has an
inherent value 10 itself. the labor actual
ly expended in producing it equal in
amount to the labor that has been cxpen-
ded on the article for which gold and
silver. or its equivalent. is to lie given in
exchange When the Government has
secured for our country such measure of
value. and has paid the National debt,
and when it has caused gold and silver
dollar to he held in rediness to redeem
every paper dollar that Is allowed to cir
culate as mcncy when the time has ar,
rived we may with less danger venture
to introduce u system of free trade with
foreign nations Every attempt that has
been made toward system Of free trade
with foreign nations in connection with
our use of an ever expanding and contrac.
ting system Of incorporated bank paper
money. must as it has done, Prove u de.
fusion aud snare. 1t must in the fu.
ture. as it has done in the past, bring in
its train panic. pressure aud ruin to the
to the untold thousands made bankrupt
by the change of valne in all kinds of
property caused by the many alterations
of tariffs that have been msde. Such
ruin must inevitably follow apolicy that
would leave our own people unemployed
while we arc buying foreign injuries to
be paid for by exporting the raw materials
of our own country. aud then bringing
upon our country all the waste of tim"
interest aud labor that must be lost he
tween the producer and the consumer
Such trade will do for us what Mr. |
Wei ster sid paper money would do for Il
nation: 1T will ferlillze the rich mans
field by the sweat of the poor mous brow.
Those who desire protection for Amer
lean labor ask the Government to adopt
the policy urgently recommended by Gen.
Jackson as the only true policy that can
secure for the agricultural interests of the
country steady and reliable home. mar
kct, and TINS save the farming interests
of tn, country from an entire dependence
on the uncertain and fluc.unting markets
of foreign nations. who will only buy of us
when their crops fail, and leave us with
our crops to rot IN our barns when they
can do without them.
We should not forget that one of the
great causes that led to the American Rev.
oution was the determination on the part
of great Britain to force its manufactured |
articles on its colonies to be paid for by !
sending raw materials to England. and in |
this way to keep them entirely dependent
and poor by preventing the colonies from
manufacturing for themselves This is
still the policy of the Britilh Government.
by which it has drawn to its little island |
the wealth of every country that has al.
lowed itself to become the subject of its
policy and power 1t is trying still to
persuade the people of this country to
run their plows in competition with nigh
ty machines in England, where sim
gle engine is doing the work of thou
sand men. To SEC the policy of yield
ing to British policy we have only
to look at the effect produced on our
country during the war with Great Brit !
ian.
At that time. when our foreign trade
was cut off, labor was in demand and |
money abundant; furnaces and mills
were built, and all actively employed /;
wages were high and our national debt
small. -Four years later came the Brit
ish free-trade system
AT once all was changed--the mills
and fnrnaces were stopped, labor went
begging, and our poor.houses we're filled
The price of land declined, money be.
came scarce. and interest high. The lich
who held motages became richer, aud
the poor ana those who were Id debt do5:
were ruined
In view of this wide spread and gene
raj complaint, Gen jackson expressed his
deep concern for the welfare of the nation
when he asked. Where. where has the
American farmer market for his surplus
produce y
tie Was compelled to answer by saying,
"tbat, except for cotton. the American
farmer has neither foreign or home
market"