STAPLES OF AND FOR AMERICA. 23 



and that grand hope has been dissipated. But it may be 

 well asked, why produce at all any quantity that must be 

 kept behind doors from the purchaser ? Let any arti- 

 ficial means be resorted to, and it would have the effect 

 of driving purchasers from America, and enlist their best 

 exertions to promote the growth of cotton in other places. 

 Any such artificial means would be suicidal to the best 

 interest of these States ; and they who would attempt 

 such would be the best friends to Brazils, East India, 

 and Egypt. Raise the price of cotton from 8 to 12J cents 

 per lb., and a premium is held out of 4 2 cents per Ib. to 

 all other countries, for every pound they may produce. 

 There is no breaking through nature's laws ; they are 

 like water, depressed in one part they rise up in another. 

 It is extraordinary that instead of these crude and 

 dangerous schemes there are none to turn their attention 

 to some practical means of opening legitimate fields for 

 the employment of the industry of the people. Why 

 will no one ask what are the articles we import, and 

 make an endeavor to render their country independent of 

 foreign aid 1 But alas ! there are few, if any ; and for 

 one inquirer there ever will be a hundred thousand 

 schemers. The one say, if we produce everything for 

 ourselves there will be no commerce ! And such a one 

 would advocate the extraordinary roundabout way, that 

 it is better to produce a superfluity of one material, and 

 be obliged to carry it from the place of its growth to 

 the most distant ports of the world ; and then to import, 

 from the most distant ports, tea, coffee, sugar, &c. ; and 

 thus surcharge these agricultural staples with a whole 

 posse of ship builders, sawyers, carpenters, painters, 

 seamen, agents, and retailers, all of whom could earn a 



