Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1882-02-25

England compares with tne Angus
tan age, or from Queen Anne down
throughout the Georgian era and the
policy maintained by Chatham" &C.,
who is quoted by the senator as say
ing:
"If America makes stocking or q
horse-naii. l would advise that she
be made 10 feel the whole weight of
England"
The senator has made every iuan in
America feel the whole weight of
or y hurseshoe-nail withtNt paying
tribute to his protected pets. John
F.ske, in The "Ninei eenth Century,"
shows So 'esrly the policy Of the
senator as illustrated by the treat
meat of the American c1lonies dur
ing his "Augustau age." which he
MAINTAINS in this country. aud hopes
EHgl snd will be compelled TO restore,
That l will read soiEe extracts from
ii. He says:
''On these principles the American
colonies must bny more from Eng-
land than they sell 10 it, SO that after
| squaring up The accounts tho cash
hai.nce may always be received by
England. 10 attain this object more
colnple' eiv, and to prevent any other
| country from sharing in these bene-
iits, The colonies were required to con-
iiue their trade entirely to Euglauu.
M American COLONY could send Its
tobacco, or its cotton, or its iron to
France or 10 Holland, or to any other
country than Emgland: nor could 1t
buy yard of French silk or o pound Of
Chinese tea except from English mer-
chants. Thus the English merchants
secured for themselves u adouDle mOn-
op0iy-a monopoly of purchases and
monopoly Of sales. BY further pro-
vision, although American ships
might bring goods 10 England, ths
carrying trads between the different
colonies was strictly confiued TO BRIT.
ish ships. Nex,. in ordsr to protect
British manufactures, II was thought
necessary to prohibit the cOlouistD
from manufacturing. They might
grow wool. but Il must be cavried to
Eng land to be w"ven into cloth they
might smelt iron, but 1t must be car.
Vi, do England 10 bc made iuto plow.
shares. Finally, IN order to protect
British agricultural ihtereste, corn
laws were euacte.t, putting : prohib-
itory tariff on all kinds Of grain and
other farm produce shipped from the
COLONIES to ports III Great Britain.
Ragulati0ns Of sthis sort were Of
course very tyrannicsl ~ well esyery
absurd, but il was q long time Before
the cOlonists felt them to be 20. 1u
point of tact they were seldom sirict..
ly enforced; but one might shrpoSe
that quite apart from the question Of
strict enforcement, ,sthe colonlsta, who
were go sensitive about their liberties,
would have resented the Imposition
Of such commercial res. rictiens quite
as promptly aud energstically % they.
resented the Imposition 6fsa direct
tag. But tbere was really . marked
difference between the,two cases. Tho
dnllness of the human IMAGINATION 10
s2ch that ten dollars extorsed from I
nau through legislative ,ihterference
with the natural course ot trade, or
4 through debasement Of the circa-
iatihg medium. does not begin 10 af-
feet his mind so much 10 one dollar
extorted by direct Legislative de-
haild for it. 'phere 10 mo- suLject,
moreover on which correct land en-
iiyh,sned ideas are SO slow IN pene-
rating the Leases of the people %
roiitical economy. THIS Is partly be-
cause the phenomena OF production
aud trade, though familiar IN some
small degree TO every ono, are seldom
comprellended Oh a trulyigreat scIie.
aud when SO c0mprshe ended they are
fpund to, be really very complicated.
Aud 1t is partly because alinost every
iiiau has selfish interest In some
particular monopoly, the maintenancu
of which is not compatible with the
highest degree OF public prosperity, :
aud his interest in ihisi .pArilcular
monopoly will warp his judgment on
every economlcsl question that may
cone up. SO - sst'
Again he says.
"lf we contemplate the marvellous
patchwork Of tariff leyislstlou untler
whiciI Ainerican industries have suf..
tered since 1861, we uesd not wonder
that two hundred years ago the Britt,
Ish government should have thought
it rignt aud cxpsdient to impose the
navigation act upon its colonies, or
that the c,,lonis;s should have fAtled
to perceive anything wrong in prili.
cipie in the commercial restrictions
~ h.ch il cont iined. :"
That was the policy Of England
during The Augus,au Age Of which
she senator ia SO ehamored, aud Tho
P"A As'AsoShS oii suAOu tuC 0CVVkISu
era, which lie hopes to see restored,
WAS controlled quite as much BY the
| .ii-tocracy of EDglyni AMI the pro.
tected monopOiists there az the Amer.
| ,cau congress ever was by the cOmbi-
uati0us Of Manufacturers. railroud
nagnates, aud national bankers. Uu-
| ill after the reform bill was passed iu
| 1884 the people OF Emgiaud were pow.
eriess iir the hands Of their imastsrs.
A very able writer thus describes the
situation up to 1884. Tue house OF
commons did not At that time index
public opinion because Of radical de.
fects in it's constitution. The whole
population Of the kingdom Wa ~.
100000. but those " hO voted for ttfS(l.
bers OF the house were only 400. 600.
Inc Duke Of Norfolk was hlmsslf
! represented by IL members, Lord
Lonsdale by 9, Lord Dsrfington ~
z. the Duke OF Rutland, the MARQUIS
OF Buckingham, aud Lord Carring-
ton, each mad 6-43 members repre-.
senting s persons. The borough, Of
Old Sarumi had 2 2members,, who we're
elected by Que voter who kept ap .aie-
house, while the great cities OF Ediu-
burg, Glasgow aud Bath, with
united population of over lOO. 600
souls. had 6 members elected 81
constituency of los votsrs. The
borough Uf Bramber had, Q members.
representing . male populatioA Of 56
persons, while GAtton aud DunWtch
had members, elected by.6 voters
and by Z, and SO on. These b6r0ughs
were held rs a prOpsrty, Cation be-
lug valued at ths good round snm or
10000. or $500, 600, as mera invest.
.nent because 1t supplied seat In tho
house of commons. ssss 5sl5
Little wonder protection to privi-
| legged classes was maintained whom
1parliaments were so constituted.
Little wonder, the champions Of pro-
tec.ion, subsidy, aud exclusive PRIV
lleges here long for q return Of the
"Augustan age" Of England and
hold up the legislation OF her aristo- 5
cracy as worthy of all imitation. The
! rights aud interests of the masses or
the people of England were not
deemed worthy Of consideration.
They had no rights the privileged
I