The daily gazette., 1878-04-24
WHAT THE PEOPLE SAY.
Letter from Samuel Townsend
For the Gazette.

tnc odZtitc'
MIR. EDITOR You say the tariff of
1916, made the country prosperous, before
the acquisition of Mexican territory; you
are mistaken. The Mexican war was
the cause first in the impetus given to all
manufacturing business, including ship
building business, in carrying on said
Mexican war, for as soon as Commodore
Stockton trod foot in California with his
sailors, marines and the soldiers, Cali
fornia from that date was United States
property. The Mexican war and the ac-
quisition of California and settlement of
the same, gave such stimulus to ship
building, that it brought out the finest
class of large fast sailing clipper ships,
the world ever saw; and it was this that
caused our merchant marine to outrank
England in the tonnage, and the United
States stood ahead of the world, as a
single nation, in tonnage. We had no
Pacific railroad the II and no Panama
railroad for several years, and the only
route to our new possessions was round
Cape Horn, and early after we took
California,gold was discoveredin Suffers
mill race, but before that and during
Fremont's travels, before the war it
was known that gold and silver existed
in large quantities in California, and this
was one of the great incentives for the
getting up of the Mexican war. That
miserable sickly tariff bill of 1876, caused
no prosperity, it was other great events
that caused prosperity.The Mexican war
and its following circumstances made
General Taylor, President in 1913. Now
this great confederacy of States have
many local interests, and these interests
are eternally changing. The Southern
producers of raw materials, and there
fore their interest is to encourage every
thing they want to buy to be furnished
at the very lowest figure. Delaware for
many years was linked by the same in
terest, that is, whilst we were an eXclu-
sive grain growing State but, as | stated
in my last communication, owing to the
| rivalry in the great railroads made in the
later years, they bring the grain of the
| West, at so low rate, that it has all but
destroyed the Delaware farmer as grain
ralserS, therefore of necessity thousands
have been driven into fruit raising,
| therefore our urinterests have changed in u
great degree from the south to the north;
as they the north, are our sole customers
for that new branch of Delaware indus
try, fruit growing; and, therefore, any
thing that tends to prosperity III the
north, tends to our prosperity, and we
should, like all other human beings of
| common sense, support them that sup
port us. / do not blame the South. 1t is
their interest to have a low tariff, and
lay all the taxes they can direct, and in
come tax on the north, and it is equally
the interest of the north, and their sworn
honest duty to their constituents to not
allow the South to fasten her policy on
the government, and say it indepen-
dantly, if the Democratic party espouses
the Southern policy she is beat beyond
resurrection. Northern and Middle
State Democratic constituencies have
become too intelligent to allow theirC on
gressmen to sell them without their con-
sent to any interest or programme.
| SAMU Ell TOWNSEND.
| Townsend, April %, 1873.