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For The Signal Of Liberty

For The Signal Of Liberty image
Parent Issue
Day
11
Month
July
Year
1846
Copyright
Public Domain
Letter to the Editor
OCR Text

.Brooklyn, June 'JO, 1816. Mr. Editor - r Áferccably to a request rcceived somo tima aioce, T havo xroneulted. to orne extonr, tlu ïrioait of the Liberty porty, on ihu eubjeci of a Convention for the discusdtun of. nnd agreemeni on, meosure of Wotional irtiércst, to lo advoca1d and supporteil by tlio Liberty pari}. As th. rosult, 80 far as I am Kifunr.ed, aliuoug!; 110 Mi jectioii made to lioldinj; a Convention' tor dié lussion, the opinión uf most, is, that utilosa by liiscussion, an unitormity öf views' nhd opinión? should be {iroduced, as to' H-li.-it measures would most cunduce to ihe public good; no particular salisfactory creed could bo adop'.cd. But 1 would proposo, tiiat if such a Convention bhouM bicallcd and holden for discussiou, that it be deíerred lili eoine time in August instoad of Jiily. I should for one like to atieiid it, and liafcn to ihu sentimtn"8 advanced. iíiill as I consider the advocacy and adoj t'on bf tho fundamental piinciple, whtcharfi the founÜation of hutiian riylitt. os i.iFrdiiig the besi ovidencc thnt ilicir votarit-e aiu lionest. disinicr estud.nnd truly pairiuiic - that so fa tas Iijhl the oí theory and exportence sliall enab!e ihein (o determine, such n.en will adopt ahd pursue thost measures coi.ducivo of the bighesl good of ihiwhole peoplf. I will euiport men óf tlic Liber y principie or "onüide.t," altliou,'h I differ froin sume eviowa eniertained evx-n by some prominent men, ispeoially on tho question whethcr ihc so ciliel írce Ira Je," or the "protective systein" (or poiicy) is best caleulatcd to promou the prosperwy of our country. I know ilint the pfaraéè -"rfee Trado" lias a chann ui its sJCnd, and in iis signilicaiion, vvilich is nlhjrmg, and should liave i;s nppropnaio apHcatiiAij but as our Kalion is, and is otlkr Nations are, I think il ensíly c'.emotiál rabie that for our Govcfflö":! Io bdopt tho free trüde poiicy, and to rtsort to direct taxatioa Cox ihe itipp'.nt uf Government.would be destructivo of the be&i imeresis of our country; not ihat circct taxation must nccessanly bc 80. but that tiie aun protection of American nJustry would be tlisastrous. As I caimoi cxpoci you to give sufijcient space in your col u;nns forall wh.di I would present, of a system pjmewhat maturcd and clcar in tiiy own miud. I would cravo the piivilege v( pret=cn;ing some material features for public consideration. I would first rcfer to an ortiole in a ate Signnl (now mislaid, editorial l ihink,) stating tliat il;e tnoaistrenuousoppüöi:ion to tlie Tariff (or pretectivcsystem) ia from those disiricts or parts o) cur country wliere there is the most manufacturing. (Igivetlic sentiment, nM the longuage.) Nuw this statement I respectfully but roundly deny, and bccausí soine mindá niav, by it, bc misled. I request ihat at least this denial be given in the Signal, and that I challengo ;ho proof of i 16 corree ucss. But to the mcritsof the suliject. T claim not encouragementor protcction (or ihe saic of the manufactunng or any other particular interest. !: is doubtless conceded by all intellignu men, that our country as a whole, must flourish or de clina a-i fiur ■grTcaltaral iterests progresa anJ )rnsper,or aic de.ress' d and disco nagcd. How, ;!:en, cari the prosperity and heallïi of the great Dgricultoral interest be prmanenily secured ? - Surely nút L-y iiuposing dutics dircctly on tm poned agricuhural produclions, fur wiih viry few excepiions, none wou'.d be imponed eyen if fre from duty. end because a vast proporüon of what weraise or mighl produce iseither loo perishable or to bulky to bo transponed, and because ihe foreign depiand, for siaple, or leas perishable arf.clesis too fluctuating for reliance, iherefore créate a home conauinpiton for both, so far a the supply of oar own wants from our own resources by aianufacturing and the mechanica art6 shculd rcqiire. Let the duties thercfore be imposcd on tbose and on. y tbose anieles which our country does, or mny produce or manufacture. The ponion consumed-at home would net a betier profit. and lessen ihe proportion for export. The surplus would, henee, command a higher price. If it be asked how the farmer would be benofitted by paying a higher price for home or dumesiic articies, in consequence of dutics whüc the faetones are progressing, and before they attain to permantney and creato a compeiition eo as to reduce pnces to a level.. what the foreign would cast, even free from duty, (for such luis been the rebult in Cotton,) I answer. The farmer wouidbe compcnsated in the same way and bjr a procees fcimilar to thnt in which the farmers i n Western N. Y. were benefif.ed by the Canal, by furnishing materials, raw orfrcsh provisión?, and labor onsumed whilo in procCB8 of creclion and perfccting, and ibe higher priccs they would obtain íor all materiuU for manufaciuring. Tnkc the wool of Michigan íor on insiancc. Who wil pretend that if Faetones were ut operation u Michigan - capable ol cor.suming its wool aiu eupplying it with woolen cloth, that the wou would nut command a bigher pricc, or el6c the cloihs be affjrded lower than they will be afte. thc wool has p36sed through many hands, biei transponed hundreda if not thousanda of miles thesameproviaiona consumed as would be here by the operatives, (a part of which, staple arti cíes are transponed from Michigan) and tía cloth returned subject to ecvcral pruírs or com]nÍ8sion8 to tho consumers. The case is soincwliat Jikc the man who has 1000 sbeep lo bt shorn, who drives them 100 to 200 miles to an expericnced shenrer.. instead of having his son or his neighbor learn to shear, or of hiriug the workinan to live and board with him wbile doing the work,or li'e the farmer wlio declines a iittle ísacrifice in manuring and raisiug the fertility of hissoíl n'hicíi wuuld pny him fourfold in future ycurs.But the opposition comes from professiona men, ciiy merchanls, mecha nies and other conaujners who are not agncuiiurulists - Luyere bu not seliöra af agricultural produciions (except n dealere) and why are those claasee opposod ?- Plainly because tliey do not dentify their ijter este with the interest uf the great body of th peop!e, They are neiiher growing nor manj iacturing any thing, and care not liow Jow is ibe price ot' the ono nor tho other. What woult be the odvamage if all the woolen c!oth worn in ourCiiie and country werefurnished by il, and how injurious fduties on woolens especially werc removed, and foreign goode shouldsupply astead of tíonicfcüc, I must wave fur a future enquiry. THOS. COTTON. Note. Tu eentimeni aliribüiid 10 the Signal did not appeir n the editorial aniden. We are not d.spused personally to diccuss the subject ot rrjroction ar all - because the argument onitli Jus is endles8: because it is ofno interest to one nf our readers: and because, were we a . ! ó8 Daniel Websicr, therc would be nu . ohverüö elke ópncmcüUl of