list1-第20章

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the　time　of　our　grandchildren　exalt　itself　to　the　rank　of　the　first



naval　and　commercial　power　in　the　world。　The　history　of　the　trade



and　industry　of　North　America　is　more　instructive　for　our　subject



than　any　other　can　be；　Because　here　the　course　of　development



proceeds　rapidly；　the　periods　of　free　trade　and　protection　follow



closely　on　each　other；　their　consequences　stand　out　clearly　and



sharply　defined；　and　the　whole　machinery　of　national　industry　and



State　administration　moves　exposed　before　the　eyes　of　the



spectator。



　　　　The　North　American　colonies　were　kept；　in　respect　of　trade　and



industry；　in　such　complete　thraldom　by　the　mother　country；　that　no



sort　of　manufacture　was　permitted　to　them　beyond　domestic



manufacture　and　the　ordinary　handicrafts。　So　late　as　the　year　1750



a　hat　manufactory　in　the　State　of　Massachusetts　created　so　great



sensation　and　jealousy　in　Parliament；　that　it　declared　all　kinds　of



manufactories　to　be　'common　nuisances；'　not　excepting　iron　works；



notwithstanding　that　the　country　possessed　in　the　greatest



abundance　all　the　requisite　materials　for　the　manufacture　of　iron。



Even　more　recently；　namely；　in　1770；　the　great　Chatham；　made　uneasy



by　the　first　manufacturing　attempts　of　the　New　Englanders；　declared



that　the　colonies　should　not　be　permitted　to　manufacture　so　much　as



a　horseshoe　nail。



　　　　To　Adam　Smith　belongs　the　merit　of　having　first　pointed　out　the



injustice　of　this　policy。



　　　　The　monopoly　of　all　manufacturing　industry　by　the　mother



country　was　one　of　the　chief　causes　of　the　American　Revolution；　the



tea　duty　merely　afforded　an　opportunity　for　its　outbreak。



　　　　Freed　from　restrictions；　in　possession　of　all　material　and



intellectual　resources　for　manufacturing　work；　and　separated　from



that　nation　from　which　they　had　previously　been　supplied　with



manufactured　goods；　and　to　which　they　had　been　selling　their



produce；　and　thus　thrown　with　all　their　wants　upon　their　own



resources：　manufactures　of　every　kind　in　the　North　American　free



states　received　a　mighty　stimulus　during　the　war　of　revolution；



which　in　its　turn　had　the　effect　of　benefiting　agriculture　to　such



an　extent　that；　notwithstanding　the　burdens　and　the　devastation



consequent　upon　the　then　recent　war；　the　value　of　land　and　the　rate



of　wages　in　these　states　everywhere　rose　immensely　but　as；　after



the　peace　of　Paris；　the　faulty　constitution　of　the　free　states　made



the　introduction　of　a　united　commercial　system　impossible；　and



consequently　English　manufactured　goods　again　obtained　free



admission；　competition　with　which　the　newly　established　American



manufactories　had　not　strength　enough　to　bear；　the　prosperity　which



had　arisen　during　the　war　vanished　much　more　quickly　than　it　had



grown　up。　An　orator　in　Congress　said　afterwards　of　this　crisis：　'We



did　buy；　according　to　the　advice　of　modem　theorists；　where　we　could



buy　cheapest；　and　our　markets　were　flooded　with　foreign　goods；



English　goods　sold　cheaper　in　our　seaport　towns　than　in　Liverpool



or　London。　Our　manufacturers　were　being　ruined；　our　merchants；　even



those　who　thought　to　enrich　themselves　by　importation；　became



bankrupt；　and　all　these　causes　together　were　so　detrimental　to



agriculture；　that　landed　property　became　very　generally　worthless；



and　consequently　bankruptcy　became　general　even　among　our



landowners。'



　　　　This　condition　of　things　was　by　no　means　temporary；　it　lasted



from　the　peace　of　Paris　until　the　establishment　of　the　federal



constitution；　and　contributed　more　than　any　other　circumstance　to



bring　about　a　more　intimate　union　between　the　free　states　and　to



impel　them　to　give　to　Congress　full　powers　for　the　maintenance　of



a　united　commercial　policy。　Congress　was　inundated　with　petitions



from　all　the　states　　New　York　and　South　Carolina　not　excepted　



in　favour　of　protective　measures　for　internal　industry；　and



Washington；　on　the　day　of　his　inauguration；　wore　a　suit　of



home…manufactured　cloth；　'in　order；'　said　a　contemporary　New　York



journal；　'in　the　simple　and　impressive　manner　so　peculiar　to　this



great　man；　to　give　to　all　his　successors　in　office　and　to　all



future　legislators　a　memorable　lesson　upon　the　way　in　which　the



welfare　of　this　country　is　to　be　promoted。'　Although　the　first



American　tariff　（1789）　levied　only　light　duties　on　the　importation



of　the　most　important　manufactured　articles；　it　yet　worked　so



beneficially　from　the　very　first　years　of　its　introduction　that



Washington　in　his　'Message'　in　1791　was　able　to　congratulate　the



nation　on　the　flourishing　condition　of　its　manufactures；



agriculture；　and　trade。



　　　　The　inadequacy　of　this　protection　was；　however；　soon　apparent；



for　the　effect　of　the　slight　import　duties　was　easily　overcome　by



English　manufacturers；　who　had　the　advantage　of　improved　methods　of



production。　Congress　did　certainly　raise　the　duty　on　the　most



important　manufactured　articles　to　fifteen　per　cent；　but　this　was



not　till　the　year　1804；　when　it　was　compelled；　owing　to　deficient



customs　receipts；　to　raise　more　revenue；　and　long　after　the　inland



manufacturers　had　exhausted　every　argument　in　favour　of　having　more



protection；　while　the　interests　opposed　to　them　were　equally



strenuous　upon　the　advantages　of　free　trade　and　the　injurious



effects　of　high　import　duties。



　　　　In　striking　contrast　with　the　slight　progress　which　had；　on　the



whole；　been　made　by　the　manufacturers　of　the　country；　stood　the



improved　condition　of　its　navigation；　which　since　the　year　1789；



upon　the　motion　of　James　Madison；　had　received　effectual



protection。　From　a　tonnage　of　200；000　in　1789　their　mercantile



marine　had　increased　in　1801　to　more　than　1；000；000　tons。　Under　the



protection　of　the　tariff　of　1804；　the　manufacturing　interest　of　the



United　States　could　just　barely　maintain　itself　against　the　English



manufactories；　which　were　continually　being　improved；　and　had



attained　a　colossal　magnitude；　and　it　would　doubtless　have　had　to



succumb　entirely　to　English　competition；　had　it　not　been　for　the



help　of　the　embargo　and　declaration　of　war　of　1812。　In　consequence



of　these　events；　just　as　at　the　time　of　the　War　of　Independence；



the　American　manufactories　received　such　an　extraordinary　impetus



that　they　not　only　sufficed　for　the　home　demand；　but　soon　began　to



export　as　well。　According　to　a　report　of　the　Committee　on　Trade　and



Manufactures　to　Congress　in　1815；　100；000　hands　were　employed　in



the　woollen　and　cotton　manufactures　alone；　whose　yearly　production



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