The advocate., 1897-11-03
Henry Clay on Protection and Manufactures,

henry Ulay Oh rIOLeCIlOn anu MauuIao1uioS
Editor Advocate In reading the life
Of Mr.. Clay, who is generally deemed
the father of "a protective tariff in this
country was struck with surprise at his
position in the Congress Of 18O9-1O on
this subject and It's cognate points OF
consequences and results The biogra-
pher George d. Prentice) says "that up
to this time impost duties can scarcely
be said to have been laid for any other
purpose than thatSOf revenue" And
Senator from Massachusetts, (Mr. Web
ster, l presume,) made strong OppOsl-
tiOn to the proposal to foster manufac-
lures and with others drew dark and
revolving picture of the squalidness and
wretchedness Of the inhabitants Of Man
chester and other manufacturing towns
Of Great Britain, and argued that the
introduction of the system into this
country would be accompanied with like
results. In reply to this, Mr.. Clay
pointed out what ought to be the policy
of the United States in this respect.
Great Britain, he said, had been the
manufacturer for a large portion Of the
world If we were to follow her eX-
ample our manufacturing districts
would, in process Of time, exhibit the
same aspects as hers. But II we were
to limit our efforts to our own wants,
the evil depicted would be found wholly
chimerical. Agriculture he acknOwl-
edged to be the first and greatest source
of national wealth and happiness, and
he desired that the exports Of the cOun-
try should continue to be the production
Of tillage and not Of manufactures. He
did not wish the plOwshare and the
sickle to be converted into the spindle
and the shuttle, but only that we should
furnish ourselves with clothing from our
own hands and no longer be dependent
ON a country now an envious rival and
which might soon be an enemy. "a
judiciOus farmer" said he, makes what
ever Is requisite for his family; and our
manufactures should bear the same pro-
portion and stand in the same relation
to the community that domestic manu-
featuring bears to the family"
And have we lived to realize all these
worst fears and representations? Four
or five years since Mr.. Butterworth, a
distinguished member of Congress from
Cincinnati and a prominent member OF
MCKlnley's present administration, de-
termined to make personal examina-
ton of our manufacturing system In
connection with its labor and employees
and spent a season in so doing. The re-
suit Of his investigation was shocking
report of the condition of many Of the
employed and their degradation. have
not his report at hand, but among other
things. 1 remember that he found many
cases where the employees were scarcely
| treated as human-neither recognized
nor known by name, but called off by
numbers like brute animals. So that II
would seem that under our bOasted
manufacturing system the worst appre-
tensions Of the past and which all joined
in deprecating have been fully realized
and the squalor and degradation Of the
Old World are being shared by the new
at the end of the very first century of Its
existence And thus has the work oi
the fathers in erecting every man into
a sovereign been sadly nulllfied by 9
system that now claims the special favor
and regard of the government for it'
maintenance and support.
OLD OSAWATOMIE.