sent high rate of protection? Certainly not the year 1830, had done what the combined fleets cotton manufacture; for the Senator from Ken- and armies of the world could not do; it had tucky (Mr. CLAY) who appears upon this floo scaled the rock of Gibraltar, penetrated to the as the leading champion of domestic manufac-heart of the British garrison, taken possession tures, and whose admissions of fact must be of his Britannic Majesty's soldiers, bound their conclusive against his arguments of theory! arms, legs, and bodies, and strutted in triumph this Senator tells you, and dwells upon the over the ramparts and batteries of that inattack. disclosure with triumphant exultation, that able fortress; and now, Sir, I will use no more American cottons are now exported to Asia, of the gentleman's admissions. I will draw upand sold at a profit in the cotton markets of on my own resources; and will show nearly the Canton and Calcutta! Surely, Sir, our tariff whole list of our domestic manufactures to be in laws of '24 and 28, are not in force in Bengal the same flourishing condition with cottons; and China. And I appeal to all mankind for actually going abroad to seek competition, the truth of the inference, that, if our cottonS WITHOUT PROTECTION, in every foreign clime, can go to these countries and be sold at a profit and contending victoriously with foreign manuWITHOUT ANY PROTECTION AT ALL, they can factures wherever they can encounter them. I stay at home, and be sold to our own citizens, read from the custom house returns of 1830WITHOUT LOSS, under a less protection than 50, the last that has been printed. Listen to it! and 250 per centum! One fact, Mr. President, DOMESTIC Manufactures, exported in 1830. is said to be worth a thousand theories; I will Soap and tallow candles add that it is worth a hundred thousand speech-Leather boots and shoes es; and this fact, that American cottons now Household furniture traverse the one half of the circumference of Coaches and carriages this globe-cross the equinoctial line-descend Hats to the antipodes-seek foreign cottons on the Saddlery double theatre of British and Asiatic competi- Wax tion, and come off victorious from the contest-Spirits from grain, beer, ale, &c. bitants of the Ganges and the Burrampooter to Copper and brass, (manufactured) Twist, yarn, and thread do. This is what the gentleman's admission prov. ed; but I do not come here to argue upon admissions, whether candid, or unguarded, of the adversary speakers. I bring my own facts and proofs; and, really, Sir, I have a mind to com- Earthen and stoneware plain that the gentleman's admission about cot-Glass $619,238 338,603 239,463 51,130 309,362 36,651 153,666 225,327 246,747 35,039 4,135 96,183 35,408 177,876 49,798 193,084 128,625 36,601 92,154 24,744 266,350 102,277 124,589 25,796 70,968 10,261 32,004 40,334 13,716 6,699 2,773 60,280 .13,707 3,968 6,654 tons have crippled the force of my argument- Artificial flowers that it has weakened its effect, by letting out Molasses half at a time, and destroyed its novelty, by an Trunks anticipated revelation. The truth is, I have Salt, (domestic) 22,978 this fact, (that we exported domestic cottons,) This is the list of domestic manufactures extreasured up in my magazine of argument; and ported to foreign countries. It comprehends intended to produce it, at the proper time, to the whole, or nearly the whole, of that long cashow that we exported this article, not to Can-talogue of items which the Senator from Kenton and Calcutta alone, but to all quarters of tucky (Mr. CLAY) read to us on the second day the globe; not a few cargoes only, by way of of his discourse; and shows the whole to be experiment, but in great quantities, as a regular going abroad, without a shodow of protection, trade to the amount of a million and a quarter to seek competition, in foreign markets, with of dollars annually; and that, of this amount, no the foreign goods of all the world. The list of less than forty thousand dollars worth in the articles I have read, contains near fifty varieties $22,378." of manufactures, (and I have omitted many mi-| The list also contains this item: nor articles,) amounting, in value, to near Six "SALT MILLIONS OF DOLLARS! And now, behold the Turning to the detailed statement, and we diversity of human reasoning! The Senator find that this salt of domestic manufacture goes from Kentucky exhibits a list of articles manu- to Canada, actually goes into his Britannic Ma factured in the United States, and argues that jesty's dominions, where British salt comes free the slightest diminution in the enormous protec-of duty, and where it has to contend with that tion they now enjoy, will overwhelm the whole salt, upon its own territory, and without a parin ruin, and cover the land with desolation. Iticle of protection! Now, why not contend exhibit the same list, and argue that these arti- with it also at home, upon our territories, upon cles can bear, without injury, a very considera- the same terms? It can certainly stand the ble diminution. He says, if there is the least competition better at home, than abroad: why, diminution, foreigners will come here and un- then, does it want protection at home?--Mr. dersell them; I say, no, because these articles President, another opportunity will present itnow go abroad, and undersell foreigners, in fo- self for going at large into the whole question reign markets, without a particle of protection. of the salt tax: but I cannot permit this oppor This is the difference in our REASONING, for our tunity--so forcibly presented by the actual view FACTS are the SAME; and which is right, I leave of American salt exported to the British domito the common sense of all mankind to say. nions-to pass by, without unfolding the pecuI do not propose to comment, item by item, liar operation of the tariff laws upon this article on all the articles contained in this list. I have of universal and prime necessity. I will make read it in detail, and leave the reflections, which a brief exposition of this cruel operation; and the reading suggests, to the understandings of first we will see the quantity and value of foothers. A few items only I will examine, for reign salt imported into the United States, as the purpose of exemplifying my own opinion of shown in the custom-house returns of 1830: the tariff, and of the kind of modification it ought to receive. In some instances, the maQUANTITY, value, and price, per bushel, (of 56 lbs.) of Salt imported iuto the United States, for the year 1830. nufacture is so generally diffused, and the price reduced so low by domestic competition, that the duty is a dead letter, giving no preference to the artizan, adding no increase of price to From the Swedish W., I. the purchaser; and in such cases, no practical man should trouble himself about the duty. In other instances, the domestic supply is far from being equal to the demand; large foreign supplies must be procured, and the duty on the foreign article is paid by the consumer; in such instances, there ought to be a reasonable reduction. In other instances, again, the duty enables a few to engross the domestic market, and to exact exortionate prices, where, in fact, no duty is necessary at all to give them a fair profit; and, in such cases, the duty should be abolished. In other instances, the foreign article has no rival, or substitute, manufactured in the United States; and, in such cases, the foreign article should be freed from duty. I do not now travel over the list to exemplify these positions; the time will come for that exempli fication when we arrive at the details of the bill. I will take two items only to illustrate some part of my meaning, namely, iron and salt. The list shows a large exportation, upwards of $300,000 worth, of domestic iron, and its manufactures. Turning to the detailed statement from which this summary list is compiled, and we find this entry under the head of nails: "To CUBA, 1,030,376 lbs.-value $61,216." Now, Sir, let any person who can work a sum in the golden rule of three, calculate the price of these nails per pound. He will find it to be less than six cents!-and whether these exported nails consisted of an assortment, which is most probable, or were all of the lowest price, which is impossible to believe, it will turn out that American nails are exported for less than they are sold at home! for it is incontestible that the people of the west pay more than six cents a pound for their nails. Danish W. Indies Dutch W. Indies England Scotland British W. Indies Other B.itish Co- * Hayti Other Spanish W. Fayal and other lands Sicily Italy and Malta Trieste, and other W.Indies gena❜lly Bushels. Value. Price pr bsh 6,278 24,233 $500 8 2,656| 11 95,483 7,306 7 3,083,347 469.711 15 1,575 293 18 56,798 11,556 201 37,360 4,146 11 705,526 65,618 9 In this list, Sir, behold the import price- or to buy it at once out of the hands of the im. the first cost-of all the variety of salt import-porter, and assume the duties to the Governed into the United States. See the pure, na-ment. And this is the practical operation of tural, crystalized sun-made salt, which comes the law. Having all the salt in their own hands, from Spain, Portugal, France, and the West the next thing is to fix the price, and that is Indies, costing seven, eight, or nine cents a done by adding the duty to the cost, and putbushel. See that which comes from the coasts ting as many hundred per cent. as they please and the islands of the Mediterranean, and the upon both, for their profit, and this brings the head of the Adriatic sea, and which is equally price to 40 or 50 cents. This is the process pure, strong, and good, costing no more than of the REGRATER in the seaport; the MONOPOthree, four, five and six cents a bushel.. Then LIZER in the interior keeps pace with his brolook at the price of this salt in the seaport ther; and between the two, the farmer pays towns, generally ranging between 40 and 50 four prices for his bushel of salt, and then gets cents a bushel: look at the price of the same a weighed bushel of 50 lbs., measuring little salt in the interior of the country, when sold more than half a bushel, instead of a measured to the farmer, and observe this price increased bushel, weighing from 76 to 84 lbs. Such is to about one dollar, and the bushel reduced to the operation of the tariff upon the price of 50 lbs.: observe these things, and tell me the salt! Abolish the duty, and introduce a free reason of this excessive, this monstrous, this trade, and what would be the consequence? astonishing disproportion between the import Why, Sir, the importer would never fall into and the retail price! Look at the respective the hands of the REGRATERS. He would land prices of the English fire made salt, and the his salt without a permit-without tax-without natural sun-made salt, which comes from twen-bond-and sell it in the river, or at the wharf, ty other countries, and tell me the reason why to any one that would buy it; or he would asthat which cost double, and is worth but half cend into the interior with it, bartering his salt as much as the other, sells for about the same with the farmers, against their provisions, and price in our market? Tell me why it is that that at first cost, without duty, or advance upall qualities are levelled, and all prices raised on cost and duty. The manufacturer would to the same standard, and profits of four or five have a fair price for the domestic article; for hundred per centum exacted on some descrip-freight would operate as a protection, and be tions of salt Sir, I will tell you the reasons of equal to a duty of near twenty cents, and give all these enormities, and I will prove it to you a better profit upon their capital than farmers besides. It is the tariff which does it! It is and planters are receiving. This would be the the tariff, which, giving birth to a race of state of our salt trade if the duty was abolished; REGRATERS in the seaports, and MONOPOLIZERS and every interest of the farmer requires the in the interior, throws all the foreign salt into abolition. the hands of one set, and all the domestic lat into the hands of the other; and enables the two classes to fix their own prices, and to exact what they please for every variety of the article, without regard to the difference in cost or quality. I pass on to another topic. The fine effects of the high tariff, upon the prosperity of the west, has been celebrated on this floor: with how much reason, let facts respond, and the people judge! I do not think we are indebted to the high tariff for our fertile lands and our The tariff does it, and this is the process: A navigable rivers, and I am certain we are invessel arrives from the dominions of a foreign debted to these blessings for the prosperity we power with salt. Before a permit can be ob- enjoy. In all that comes from the soil, the tained to land it on the soil of the United States, people of the west are rich. They have an the duty must be paid in ready money, or bond abundant supply of food for man and beast, and security given to pay it in nine months. If and a large surplus to send abroad. They have paid in ready money, the interest for nine the comfortable,living which industry creates for months is discounted; if credit is taken, the itself, in a rich soil; but beyond this they are principal and securities in the bond are all re- poor. They have none of the splendid works quired to be citizens of the United States. which imply the presence of the moneyed This is the law. Now for the practical opera- if they might judge from his former acts. Soon tion of the law. The importer who has brought after he came into power, the outfits of a large this salt to sell, and which he wishes to sell at batch of foreign ministers were paid from that four, five, six, seven, eight, or nine cents a fund, or from an accumulated surplus of that bushel, did not bring along with him spare fund, and which, gentleman would recollect, cash at the rate of ten cents a bushel, (which is had been called by Mr. Van Buren "a diplomathe present duty,) to pay the American Go-tic fund." Such had been the practice of the vernment before he can sell his salt to Ameripresent Executive. If it had pursued a differ-, can citizens. He, therefore, cannot pay the ent course with regard to the ministers sent last duty in ready money. Credit becomes his only year to England or Russia, he presumed it was resource; and, to get American securities to because that fund was exhausted. It should be his bond, the salt must be sold, or consigned remembered, however, that we had now made to American citizens. This throws the whole a grant of $30,000 to that fund. It was perhaps foreign salt trade into the hands of a few men, better known as the "fund for secret service who make it their business, and their profit, money." He would ask the honorable chaireither to go security and take the salt to sell, power! No Appian or Flaminian ways, no roads paved or McAdamized; no canals, ex- chants but money. 3. It goes to pay our heavy cept what are made upon the borrowed means; proportions of the millions which are expended no acquæduct; no bridges of stone across our in making roads and canals, erecting breakwaters, innumerable streams; no edifices dedicated to digging harbors, building sea walls, and stretcheternity; no schools for the fine arts; not a ing causeways to Smutty-Nose island, in the public library which an ordinary scholar would northeast. 4. It goes to pay for public lands; not apologize. And why one of those for which object about three millions of dollars things? Have the people of the west no taste were taken from us last year; and the American for public improvements, for the useful and system, as we have been lately told, means to the fine arts, and for literature? Certainly, keep up that enormous levy for two of her they have a very strong taste for them: but favorite objects. 5. Above all, it goes to supthey have no money! not enough for private ply that British institution,-that real head and and current uses, not enough to defray our horns of the American system,-miscalled bank current expenses, and buy necessaries! with- of the United States, with perennial supplies of out thinking of public improvements. We hard money; and to pay her the sixty days colhave no money! and that is a tale which has lection in advance of interest, bank interest, on been told too often here-chanted too doleful. TWENTY-SIX MILLIONS of bank debt; half of it ly in the book of lamentations which was comin domestic bills of exchange, a sort of fiscal posed for the death of the Maysville road,-to metemsychosis,-now a promissory note in the be denied or suppressed now. They have no interior, next a draught on the sea-board;-and adequate supply of money. And why? Have gathering usance at each transmigration, with they no exports? Nothing to send abroad? a rapidity of accumulation, which might excite Certainly they have no exports. Behold the the cupidity of old Shylock himself, and make marching myriads of living animals annually him lift his head from Pluto's dreary realms, to taking their departure from the heart of the admire and envy. In these five ways, the west, defiling through the gorges of the Cum-west is regularly stripped of its effective cash. berland, the Alleghany, and the Appalachian The American system carries it off. The long mountains, or traversing the plains of the south, arms of that system pick up her gold and silver, diverging as they march, and spreading them as an elephant's proboscis would lif: a pin.selves all over that vast segment of our terri- They pluck her clean; they pick her to the torial circle which lies between the debouches bone! and the only remedy is to amputate some of the Mississippi and the estuary of the Poto- of these arms, and shorten the others.-Reduce mac! Behold on the other hand the flying the duties from twenty-eight millions to about steam boats; and the fleets of floating arks, twelve; reduce the price of the public lands, loaded with the products of the forest, the and make donations to settlers, and to the farm, and the pasture; following the course of States for public purposes; give us a barter, our noble rivers, and bearing their freights to instead of a cash trade, for goods; let us have that great city which revives upon the banks of good woollens, at low price, for tobacco, inthe Mississippi, the name of the greatest of stead of inferior ones, at double price, for cash; the Emperors that ever reigned upon the banks stop our heavy contributions to Atlantic seaof the Tyber, and who eclipsed the glory of board improvement; get rid of the bank debt, his own heroic exploits by giving an order to and its desolating exactions for interest, and his legions never to levy a contribution of salt usury, and hard money. Do us these favors, or upon a Roman citizen! Behold this double rather this justice, and the west will soon fill up line of exports! and observe the refluent cur- with gold and silver. It will have money rents of gold and silver which result from them! enough, and good enough, for it will consist of Large are the supplies-millions are the amount the precious metals. Public objects, and pri-which is annually poured into the west from vate wants, will find their ample, and their these double exportations; enough to cover the adequate, supply. The returns from our exface of the earth with magnificent improve ports will make us as rich in money as we are ments, and to cram every industrious pocket in produce. with gold and silver. But where is this money? i hope, Mr. President, I have justified my for it is not in the country! Where does it assertion, that there is no danger of the least go? for go it does, and scarcely leaves a ves-harm, much less of total destruction, to our tage of its transit behind? Sir, it goes to the domestic industry, from the operation of redunortheast! to the seat of the American System. cing our revenues to the wants of the governThere it goes! and thus it goes! ment. The spectre of desolation, so frightfully 1. To pay our proportion of twenty-eight paraded before us, vanishes before a few plain millions of duties, and eight or ten millions of facts; before the single fact, that nearly the merchants' profit upon those duties, levied upon whole of these manufactures are going abroad, foreign articles under the operation of the high without protection, which are to die at home if tariff system. 2. To pay for all the domestic a hair of their protection is touched. The goods which we purchase, and for which the reason alleged against the reduction of reve. manufacturers will receive noibing from our mer-nue, ceases to exist. The argument is nullified by facts; and the question stands naked before Derived thus: New Orleans-Regent, duke us, for final decision. Will this Congress reof Orleans-Orleans, in France-Aurelianum, deem the pledge upon which the unlimited, n Gual-Aurelian, Emperor. Jaud irresponsible power of taxation, was ob tained from the States? Will it abolish the six-vance, as the maddest of all mad and wild conteen millions now raised on account of the pub- ceptions. Sir, I do not mention this subject to lic debt, and no longer wanted for that debt? go into this discussion now; an appropriate Will it keep the faith of the Congress of the time is coming for that purpose in the discussion confederation, and of the fathers of the con- of the Graduation Bill, which is next in order; stitution? Or, will it establish "the analogy, but I mention it to have an opportunity to nobetween the principle and the fact," between tice the stigma which has been cast upon the the principle of tyranny, contained in the pow. plans of myself and friends, and to pledge my. er to levy taxes without limitation of time, self to their vindication-to pledge myself to without stint of quantity, and without account-prove, at the proper time, that the plans which ability for its expenditure, and the fact of the have been denounced as "MAD" and "WILD,” actual exercise of that power? This is the naked are the plans of REASON and JUSTICE, approved question which stands before us! And I, Sir, by the wisdom of all ages, sanctioned by the who know, from the lessons of all history, practice of all nations, called for by the implo that no free Government ever broke into ring voice of the new States, and due to the fragments, or sunk into monarchy, until civil necessities of their actual condition. rulers had prepared it for destruction, and ex- I proceed, Mr. President, to the second asperated the people to madness, will take branch of my subject, namely, the principle on public faith and equal justice, and amicable which the reduction of revenue should be concession, for my guides on this occasion. I made. Sir, I advocate a system of DISCRIMINAT will vote for relief to the burthen-bearing por- ING DUTIES. I am for regulating foreign comtions of this confederacy, substantial, visible, merce according to the theory of the constitutangible relief, to the south, where I was born; tion, and according to the united intentions of to the west, where I live; I will vote for the all those who framed, and ratified that instrureduction of revenue, until sixteen millions of ment. I go back to the true intent of the contaxes are abolished. stitution, and ask for the execution of the clause I do not now go into the articles on which which authorizes Congress to regulate_foreign this reduction should fall; but there is one ar-commerce These are the words: "Congress ticle, most pre-eminently entitled to a place in shall have power to regulate commerce with foreign the list of reductions, which has, nevertheless, nations, among the several States, and with the been held up here for hard and permanent tax-Indian tribes." But here comes a difficulty. ation-which has been so ostentatiously claim- This word REGULATE, is a stumbling block to ed as a permanent source of revenue, that I Congress: Its meaning is the puzzle of the day. should be recreant to my principles, and my Some suppose it authorizes Congress to levy duty, and insensible to a public defiance, if I duties, for the support of the Government; as did not notice it. I allude to the public lands; if the power to levy duties was not expressly and to that new revelation of the beauties of given in another place! Some suppose it com the American System, which is to keep up tains a power to establish and protect manufac their price to an arbitrary height, and appro-tures. Sir, such interpretations are enough to priate their proceeds to sea board improve- make the ghosts of our ancestors shriek from ment, in the northeast (for to that complexion their graves! Look at the words! see the has our Internal Improvement system degene-wordREGULATE" applied to the commerce rated) and to the colonization of free negroes between the States, and with the Indians as well upon the coast of Africa. Sir, these lands, as to the commerce of foreign nations; and tell a large part of them,-were given by Virginia, me, if it is not bound to receive the same interNorth Carolina, and Georgia, for the payments pretation in each application? If you can raise of the public debt; the proceeds of all the revenue from foreign goods under that clause, lands,—those bought from France as well as you can also raise upon it, upon every article those received from the States, were pledged which passes from State to State. If you can to the payment of the public debt. The debt protect domestic manufactures against foreign is paid! and in the millienium of its extinction, manufactures, under that clause, you can also in the national jubilee of a great nation, freed protect the manufactures of the States against from national debt! the farmers of the west hop each other; and if any of the State manufactoed to come in for a share of the enjoyment!ries are in danger of being eclipsed by the suthey hoped far relaxation in the arbitrary price perior productions of the Indian tribes, we can of public lands. They hoped for reduction in grant protection against their competition also. the price of the soil, and for donations and set. The monstrosity of these interpretations would tlement rights. But it seems that the Ameri-be properly exposed by bringing in bills to recan System has cast her eye over the wide ex-gulate commerce between South Carolina and tent of our puble domain. She has surveyed Connecticut, and taxing the manufactures of the unsold acres! She has marked them for Connecticut two hundred per cent. to raise reher own! The devouring cry of the Trium-venue for the Government, and protect the mavirate soldiers on the banks of the Po, is nufactures of South Carolina! and to regulate to resound through the forest and the praries our trade with the Indians, by extending our of the west: Hæe mea sunt!-and the sugges-high tariff system to the baskets and wampums, tion of the Secretary of the Treasury, (MR. Mc- the buckskin leggins, beaded mocasins, and LANE,) TO DISPENSE WITH THE PUBLIC LANDS buffalo robes, of our red neighbors, to defend AS A SOURCE OF REVENUE," is stigmatized in ad- our infant manufactories of coarse woollens, |