Year: 1869

cussion Of national questions, The war
having passed, the main questions arising
therefrom, having been mostly settled, and
the next preside ntial campaign being still
remote, it is the appropriate time to con-
slider those questions which deeply concern
the nations welfare irrespective Of party
Issues. Every nation is liable to have war;
and the less well prepared it is for it, so
much more Is the keen and watchful diplo-
macy of other nations apt to enforce war
upon it. When war comes upon a country,
and it is barred from commerce with other
countries, when il is cut off either from re-
ceiving those necessaries of its life, which,
by natural or acquired advantages, they
could deliver to that country cheaper than
1t could produce for itself, or from trans
shipping to those countries the necessaries
of their life, which it could produce more
easily than they, IL becomes necessary for
that country to have aoithin itself the
where with Of its own existence. There is


no country which in this respect is inde
pendent Of its neighbors. Nature has
purposely with held from every country
some what of the necessaries Of It's life, and
has given to it, among those -necessaries,
some things in greater abundance than 1t
requires, but which some other country IS
in want Of 1t is evident then that the IN
ticipation of war, should have influence In
the formation Of the governmental policy
0f me- Iprrt M bau


ed vast sand varied conveniences of com
munlcation between all the countries of the
world. 1t would seem therefore like
hostility to nature to dam up the great
highways of commerce by the appliances
of legislation. Here are two extremes of
the question presented for our considera-
ton. Two strong voices proclalming
against each other on a grave matter of ma


tional policy The voice Of nature calls


loudly for an untrammelcd commerce, an
indiscrminate fraC trade while the voice
of prospective war, which might environ
this country against Commerce with the
rest of tie world, or a necessary part of it,
as reremptoriy demands the imposition
OF a tax or tariff upon certain imported
produce, for the encouragement of the home
manufacture of those naturally delinquent
articles, indispensable to the country's pres
ervation in the event Of war We must
listen to them both, it will not DO to ad-
here either to the one or to the other -
Here is Scylla and CharybIis which the
Il al ,f s,Crrqy1,ss9,tt


fully and skillfulEy steer between, or the


argosy of its most vital interests will 90
down. II there could be continuous peace,


any tax whatever on importations, if we


make no note Of the idea Of the balance
of trade, which we propose hereafter to
discuss, would be Injurious If my neigh


Dor can raise wheat or wool, aud be at the
.expense Of briugingit it 70 me, aud then sell


it cheaper than could produce it for
myself, it is Tor my advantage, on the


whole 10 buy Of him such produce. Not
to do so, would IN the most positive mans
ner, cou,rpyene plain unsophlsticated com
mon sense. 1t would be Al aromalous in The
annals Of every day traffic among the cti-
zens Of a community. So if foreign coun


tries can Manufacture aad transport to this
country certain produce cheaper than we
can produce it for ourselves, it would
increase our national wealth, prosperity
and happiness, to buy it Of them. That
this principal will apply to nations as w-ll
as to individuals has been rapidly gaining
ground in the faith Of mankind.


The time was not far back in the past,
when the internal rolicy Of England and
many other countries went SO far as 70 give
monopoly to some trades in particular


towns and communities, or in other words,


to create tariff in favor Of them. For
instance they enacted laws that certain


kinds Of produce should not be sold for
less than certain price. They went SO
far as to put it exclusively into the hands
of certain towns or parishes to fix the max
imum or minimum prices of certain articles
of produce, produced within these par>
ishes. They compelled people to serve an
enormous length Of time, as apprentices,
Win FGIy EIIail NdEtss bCibiG di4ONll-
them to exercise their trade as principals.
This, Of course, was nothing but an indirect
monopoly, or tariff in favor of those trades,
because it tended strongly to keep people
from exercising them. 1t barred the ush-
ering doors of business against the weak
hand Of youth, and gave proportional in
crease OF power to those already strong.
In these cases, like all others, nearly, money
was the mother Of laws, and the monopolles
were almost wholly in favor of the rich


The poor people were too ignorant to see
deeply enough to discover the sources of
their oppression. But the result Of exper,
ience was, experience which came too
slowly, that when a monopoly or tariff was
directly or indirectly given in favor Of any
trade, the effect was not only to cheat the
poorer cl asses of people of as much as
those people exercising the monopoly were