list1-第28章

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amounted　to　the　value　of　more　than　sixty　million　dollars。　As　in　the



days　of　the　War　of　Independence；　and　as　a　necessary　consequence　of



the　increase　in　manufacturing　power；　there　occurred　a　rapid　rise　in



all　prices；　not　only　of　produce　and　in　wages；　but　also　of　landed



property；　and　hence　universal　prosperity　amongst　landowners；



labourers；　and　all　engaged　in　internal　trade。



　　　　After　the　peace　of　Ghent；　Congress；　warned　by　the　experience　of



1786；　decreed　that　for　the　first　year　the　previous　duties　should　be



doubled；　and　during　this　period　the　country　continued　to　prosper。



Coerced；　however；　by　powerful　private　interests　which　were　opposed



to　those　of　the　manufacturers；　and　persuaded　by　the　arguments　of



theorists；　it　resolved　in　the　year　1816　to　make　a　considerable



reduction　in　the　import　duties；　whereupon　the　same　effects　of



external　competition　reappeared　which　had　been　experienced　from



1786　to　1789；　viz。　ruin　of　manufactories；　unsaleability　of　produce；



fall　in　the　value　of　property　and　general　calamity　among



landowners。　After　the　country　had　for　a　second　time　enjoyed　in　war



time　the　blessings　of　peace；　it　suffered；　for　a　second　time；



greater　evils　through　peace　than　the　most　devastating　war　could



have　brought　upon　it。　It　was　only　in　the　year　1824；　after　the



effects　of　the　English　corn　laws　had　been　made　manifest　to　the　full



extent　of　their　unwise　tendency　thus　compelling　the　agricultural



interest　of　the　central；　northern；　and　western　states　to　make



common　cause　with　the　manufacturing　interest；　that　a　somewhat



higher　tariff　was　passed　in　Congress；　which；　however；　as　Mr



Huskisson　immediately　brought　forward　counteracting　measures　with



the　view　of　paralysing　the　effects　of　this　tariff　on　English



competition；　soon　proved　insufficient；　and　had　to　be　supplemented



by　the　tariff　of　1828；　carried　through　Congress　after　a　violent



struggle。



　　　　Recently　published　official　statistics（1*）　of　Massachusetts



give　a　tolerable　idea　of　the　start　taken　by　the　manufactures　of　the



United　States；　especially　in　the　central　and　northern　states　of　the



Union；　in　consequence　of　the　protective　system；　and　in　spite　of　the



subsequent　modification　of　the　tariff　of　1828。　In　the　year　1837；



there　were　in　this　State　（Massachusetts）　282　cotton　mills　and



565；031　spindles　in　operation；　employing　4；997　male　and　14；757



female　hands；　37；275；917　pounds　of　cotton　were　worked　up；　and



126；000；000　yards　of　textile　fabrics　manufactured；　of　the　value　of



13；056；659　dollars；　produced　by　a　capital　of　14；369；719　dollars。



　　　　In　the　woollen　manufacture　there　were　192　mills；　501　machines；



and　3；612　male　and　3；485　female　operatives　employed；　who　worked　up



10；858；988　pounds　of　wool；　and　produced　11；313；426　yards　of　cloth；



of　the　value　of　10；399；807　dollars　on　a　working　capital　of



5；770；750　dollars。



　　　　16；689；877　pairs　of　shoes　and　boots　were　manufactured　（large



quantities　of　shoes　being　exported　to　the　western　states）；　to　the



value　of　14；642；520　dollars。



　　　　The　other　branches　of　manufacture　stood　in　relative　proportion



to　the　above。



　　　　The　combined　value　of　the　manufactures　of　the　State　（deducting



shipbuilding）　amounted　to　over　86　million　dollars；　with　a　working



capital　of　about　60　million　dollars。



　　　　The　number　of　operatives　（men）　was　117；352；　and　the　total



number　of　inhabitants　of　the　State　（in　1837）　was　701；331。



　　　　Misery；　brutality；　and　crime　are　unknown　among　the



manufacturing　population　here。　On　the　contrary；　among　the　numerous



male　and　female　factory　workers　the　strictest　morality；



cleanliness；　and　neatness　in　dress；　exist；　libraries　are



established　to　furnish　them　with　useful　and　instructive　books；　the



work　is　not　exhausting；　the　food　nourishing　and　good。　Most　of　the



women　save　a　dowry　for　themselves。（2*）



　　　　This　last　is　evidently　the　effect　of　the　cheap　prices　of　the



common　necessaries　of　life；　light　taxation；　and　an　equitable



customs　tariff。　Let　England　repeal　the　restrictions　on　the　import



of　agricultural　produce；　decrease　the　existing　taxes　on　consumption



by　one…half　or　two…thirds；　cover　the　loss　by　an　income　tax；　and　her



factory　workers　will　be　put　into　the　same　position。



　　　　No　nation　has　been　so　misconstrued　and　so　misjudged　as　respects



its　future　destiny　and　its　national　economy　as　the　United　States　of



North　America；　by　theorists　as　well　as　by　practical　men。　Adam　Smith



and　J。　B。　Say　had　laid　it　down　that　the　United　States　were；　'like



Poland；'　destined　for　agriculture。　This　comparison　was　not　very



flattering　for　the　union　of　some　dozen　of　new；　aspiring；　youthful



republics；　and　the　prospect　thus　held　out　to　them　for　the　future



not　very　encouraging。　The　above…mentioned　theorists　had



demonstrated　that　Nature　herself　had　singled　out　the　people　of　the



United　States　exclusively　for　agriculture；　so　long　as　the　richest



arable　land　was　to　be　had　in　their　country　for　a　mere　trifle。　Great



was　the　commendation　which　had　been　bestowed　upon　them　for　so



willingly　acquiescing　in　Nature's　ordinances；　and　thus　supplying



theorists　with　a　beautiful　example　of　the　splendid　working　of　the



principle　of　free　trade。　The　school；　however；　soon　had　to



experience　the　mortification　of　losing　this　cogent　proof　of　the



correctness　and　applicability　of　their　theories　in　practice；　and



had　to　endure　the　spectacle　of　the　United　States　seeking　their



nation's　welfare　in　a　direction　exactly　opposed　to　that　of　absolute



freedom　of　trade。



　　　　As　this　youthful　nation　had　previously　been　the　very　apple　of



the　eye　of　the　schoolmen；　so　she　now　became　the　object　of　the



heaviest　condemnation　on　the　part　of　the　theorists　of　every　nation



in　Europe。　It　was　said　to　be　a　proof　of　the　slight　progress　of　the



New　World　in　political　knowledge；　that　while　the　European　nations



were　striving　with　the　most　honest　zeal　to　render　universal　free



trade　possible；　while　England　and　France　especially　were　actually



engaged　in　endeavouring　to　make　important　advances　towards　this



great　philanthropic　object；　the　United　States　of　North　America　were



seeking　to　promote　their　national　prosperity　by　a　return　to　that



long…exploded　mercantile　system　which　had　been　clearly　refuted　by



theory。　A　country　like　the　United　States；　in　which　such　measureless



tracts　of　fruitful　land　still　remained　uncultivated　and　where　wages



ruled　so　high；　could　not　utilise　its　material　wealth　and　increase



of　population　to　better　purpose　than　in　agriculture；　and　when　this



should　have　reached　complete　development；　then　manufactures　would



arise　in　the　natural　course　of　events　without　artificial　forcing。



But　by　an　artificial　development　of　manufactures　the　United　States



would　injure　not　only　the　countries　which　had　long　before　enjoyed



civilisation；　but　themselves　most　of　all。



　　　　With　the　Americans；　however；　sound　common　sense；　and　the



instinct　of　what　was　necessary　for　the　nation；　were　more　potent



than　a　belief　in　theoretical　propositions。　The　arguments　of　the



theorists　were　thoroughly　investigated；　and　strong　doubts



entertained　of　the　infallibility　of　a　doctrine　which　its　own



disciples　were　not　willing　to　put　in　practice。



　　　　To　the　argument　concerning　the　still　uncultivated　tracts　of



fruitful　land；　it　was　answered　that　tracts　of　such　land　in　the



populous；　well…cultivated　states　of　the　Union　which　were　ripe　for



manufacturing　industry；　were　as　rare　as　in　Great　Britain；　that　the



surplus　population　of　those　states　would　have　to　migrate　at　great



expense　to　the　west；　in　order　to　bring　tracts　of　land　of　that



description　into　cultivation；　thus　not　only