The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-01-29
.The win of the People


Afssr oil, it seems probable that TIT
means BY which the people Of the Nor''
will be brought 70 their senses 70 tn'n'
highly desirable for them) will be financ'a
collapse and general ruin noe an agrees
BILE prospect certainly, because II I'M
North he ruined, the South will not escape
In fact, they begin to find out that the VII
of the people, majestic as It is, cannot re
peal the laws of nature. This NATURAL!
surprises them; for immediately a.e.
their triumphant and glorious suppress,os
of the great rebellion" their ies' ,sst !
was evidently under the deius'o' dscreo
majority Of il could do everyth'ns' 49, 80.
.s,u~ :, r.xersc everything, at nome
go .h.osd Upon this assumption their
-. -. a,unded: foreign nations were
. No taught that this great, free America
IA 40 without them, and control for her.
.elf and By herself the commerce and in.
d,s,rv Of q whole hemisphere. On this
came assumption the reciprocity treaty
With the British Provinces was peremptorily
annulled the MoRRILLs and PoTTERs, and
other eloquent (but ignorant) 6nanciers
predicting with brazcn confidence that the
Canadians would sue on their knees for
annexation within twelve months, so at.
e;c,ed would they be at the decline Of the
nr;oes of their commodities In the United
states Lofty pretensions, conveyed in
imposing and triumphant language, are
very pleasing to great nation; but no
I'D eagle can drive machinery nor
frsich ships. The twelve months have
a,.nsed. or nearly; and not only are
,bs Canadians not petitioning, but if
,bs-e were annexationists in Canada
twelve months ago, it may be affirmed
that there are none now. 1t appears
from the returns of trade and commerce
IN Canada that under the moderate and
well.discriminated protective tariff which
is now in force, the people of that country
obtained last year for all their products
higher prices than ever before, and q much
larrer revenue. Their manufactures OF
WOODEN and cotton goods have q season OF
prosperity heretofore unexampled for, in
fact, the Canadians, not being grand and
irresistible frst-rate Power, and having no
spread eagle to speak of, set about their
commercial arrangements modestly, de-
Hberately, not as if they were going to ride
rough. shod over the laws Of nature, but
rather in tame obedience to those laws.
The consequences Of this great difference
have begun to startle some thoughtful
people at the North. Canadian ship
builders can now turn out ship CON-
pletely rugged at one-half the amount
per ton which the same ship costs in this
country, because their tariff law judi
ciously admits free Of duty all materials
needful to the complete outfit of ship
and as they themselves have superabun-
dance of timber, and are not devoured by
taxes, it has happened that while ship
building in the United States is rapid!
decaying, that has become one of the mos
lucrative pursuits in the Provinces
The report of Mr.. WELLS states tina
only one ship is building in New York
and only one or two in Boston. From
the census published in 1861 it ap
pears that American shipping was theI
decreasing annually at the rate of twenty
five per cent. and the New York World
declares that, $50 far as employed il
"toreign trade, it is now rapidly disappear
"ing from the ocean," The Tribune, OF
the same subject, says: GIVE must ever
"buy our iron ships in Europe, because nj
American can afford to make them
But, says the World: This is not fail
representation of the case. 1t is mode
"rately true that mo American can afford
"to make iron ships in the United States
"but instead of being compelled to buy
"our iron ships in Europe our laws do
"not even permit us to buy them there. We
care rapidly approaching the time when
"we shall have none of them, or any other
"ships except for those inland or coasting
"purposes for which we do not allow any
" foreign-built ship to be used at all"
But even in the coasting trade an I'M.
lucky parallel presents itself; for 1t ap.
pears that the American ship trade De-
tween Chicago and Montreal costs per Ton
about double as much as the Canadian shil
trade in other words, all our coastlng yes
sells cost double as much as they ought.
THIS state of things cannot fail to have
soon very evil effect upon the genera
trade and wealth of the country. Yet tn
effect of our present system OF duties upo'
shipping is only one Of the many cases 0
gross miscalculation only it happens t
allow Of being estimated and measured b.
Immediate comparison with other nations
and thus stands out more clearly.
There is another example. Two rail
roads run to the West, one on the mort
side of the Canadian Lakes, one on TIT
southern. The Canadian tariff admit
free of duty, from all parts of the worl
where they can be produced, all material
for railroads, engines, and rolling stock
while those American manufactures ar,
protected" The consequence is tina
the Canadian line completes successful.
with the American, and keeps down it
freights and charges. When every Gin
terest" now lobbying in Congress shall
have been protected by our majestic Con
gress, then the mass of the people will b
left very unprotected indeed. The burdel
of indirect taxes, added to the alread,
crushing direct ones, will be impossible +