THE NECESSITY FOR PROTECTION. land, by reasor of the far greater extent of and this enormous disparity will cease.the devious, varied, and for months of each In support of the views here adduced, we year interrupted transportation to England. may add that even the Free Trade authoriAllowing that the average price of Wheat in ties of England do not counsel an abandonEngland would be a dollar and a quarter, its ment of Protection in any case analogous to (average price throughout the West could ours. Adam Sinith, the great oracle of that not certainly exceed fifty cents, and would faith, expressly approves and justifies the (often fall below twenty-five. Admitting, British Navigation Aot, which is not merely therefore, that the money cost of producing exclusively Protective, but aggressively so; the Cloth on their own soil would for a time and even Mr. J. Deacon Hume, whose evibe twenty-five per cent. more, the simple dence before the late Free Trade Committee question to be decided by the farmers of the of Parliament, is so widely quoted and so West is, whether they will pay five dollars sweeping against the British Protective sysa yard for Cloth in Wheat at a dollar a bush-tem, in that same evidence insists that the el, or buy it at four dollars a yard and pay in Free Labor of Jamaica should not be left to Wheat at thirty cents a bushel? The answer a naked competition with the annually re(could not long detain any one who had mas-cruited Slave Labor of Cuba-'I conceive," tered the simple rules of arithmetic. Bays he, that this question is taken entirely Or, we may state the question in another out of the category of Free Trade.' We need (form: Which is cheaper, to send Flour from not indulge in any comment. Peoria and Chicago to Leeds and Sheffield We have refrained from pressing the arfor Cloth, paying four barrels out of six for gument that the multiplying and varying of transportation, or to invite the cloth-makers the pursuits of industry in our own Country to our own soil, and here pay them four bar- must inevitably afford fitting and congenial rels instead of two for the Cloth, and yet save employment to a far greater variety of taltwo of the six to the farmer who raised the ents, capacities and inclinations, than would Grain and buys the Cloth? It is most mani- otherwise be absorbed in them, and thus (fest that the policy which keeps the cloth- vastly increase the product, wealth and hapMakers on one continent and the grain-piness of the People and that those fabrics Sgrowers in the heart of another, is one of fla- of which the domestic production has been Sgrant improvidence and waste-a wanton fostered by adequate Protective duties have throwing away of the enormous cost of re- always been afforded at cheaper and cheapciprocal transportation-reducing greatly the er rates, until they vastly undersold the foressential reward of labor on either hand, and eign competitor. Neither have we taken thus depressing the condition of the laborer. occasion to show, as we might easily have How shall this conclusion be avoided? done, that many articles which can be proWe, therefore, do not advocate the Pro-duced here as cheaply, even by the dollar tective policy as advantageous to our own standard, as elsewhere, still need a moderate people merely, but to all who in the sweat of duty on imports to protect them against the their face eat bread-who by honest industry fluctuation of European markets, a glut in the (add to the sum of human products and com- foreign production, or the desperate efforts of forts. So far as may be necessary to the a foreign rivalry, which understands that by home production of all articles essential to breaking down our Home Manufacture it subsistence and well-being, and to which may secure to itself a monopoly of our production there exists no natural obstacle of market for years, and thus reward itself for climate or soil, we hold the Protective policy an outlay of thousands by a profit of hundreds to be the true and obvious policy of all na- of thousands. Neither have we dwelt on tions, with regard as well to the general as the importance of preserving the Industry to their individual good. We hold such and Currency of our Country from a degradProtection to be dictated by a wise Econo-ing and ruinous dependence on the fluctus(my as well as a true Independence. What tions of the Stock Exchange of London, the ever articles are 'far-fetched' are proverbial- machinations of a few commercial capitalists y dear-bought;' inevitable necessity dic- in the dark purlieus of the Bourse of Paris or tates this, and commercial rapacity aggravates the Bank of England. But without extendSit, Very many articles are now daily charged ing farther our illustrations, we would reto the consumer at least six times the price spectfully submit that the Principles of Prothat was paid to the producer. But this can tection appear to us those of true Political only take place to any extent where the pro- Economy, far-seeing Wisdom, and practical ducer and consumer are widely separated Statesmanship; their spirit and tendency (from each other-usually by oceans or conti- consistent with universal benevolence and (nents. Let us encourage and diversify good will; and their observance and enforceHome Production until every thing to which ment in our legislation and policy essential Sour position is genial shall be produced on to National Independence and general wellour own wide-spread territory and fertile soil, being. ESTIMATES OF CROPS IN THE SEVERAL STATES FOR 1844. Vermont 10,990 4,383,000 Missouri.. >Michigan Florida New-York Penn.. Maryland 776,000 3,266,000 1,440,000 6,158,000 New-Jersey. 875,000 4,271,000 6,966,000 2,067,000 Tennessee. 6,950,000 Ohio Indiana.. Illinois... 6,540 12,135,000) 1,190,000 22,200,000 2,048,000 3,974,000 11,901,000 47,500,000 1,371,000 57,555,000| 5,200 486,000 582,000 28,000) 7.660 291,000) 7,170 9,000 270 1,310 160,000,000) 250,000 4,250 542,000 ... 4,237,000 4,013,000 4,300,000 5,359 000 1,000 728,000 10,000 1,000,000 Iowa 595,000 568,000 1,690,000 Dist. Columb 1,250 Total 95,607,000 172,247,000 421,953,000 99,493,000 151,705,000 872,107,000 396,790 201,107,000 |