THEIR PROSPERITY NO CAUSE OF ALARM. 421 



cessful competition with British and German products, 

 even in their own protected markets. We have not, there 

 fore, cause for those gloomy apprehensions which alarmists 

 delight to hold up constantly before our eyes, as if the 

 honest and praiseworthy endeavours of our Transatlantic 

 brethren were incompatible almost with our manufacturing 

 existence. Let them advance, as we should wish they 

 might. While they go on, we are not standing still ; and 

 though they have undoubtedly many advantages over us, 

 yet I believe those we possess far outweigh theirs, and 

 that, when the law T s of international trade become pro 

 perly adjusted between the two countries, the manufac 

 turing products of the two will gradually so dovetail 

 themselves into each other that the greatest commercial 

 welfare of both communities will be promoted, while the 

 mills and workshops of both are, at the same time, 

 extended and increased. 



People profess to be alarmed at the increase of manu 

 factures in the United States, but in reality these manu 

 factures are not increasing so fast as their population ; 

 and, in truth, there are two circumstances which must 

 keep back the manufacturers from being able fairly to 

 enter into successful competition with us, except in 

 heavy goods, and in such as involve little labour. 

 These are the high price of labour, and the expensive 

 way in which manufacturing is at present generally 

 conducted. 



The male and female operatives at Lowell receive, in 

 addition to their board, an average daily and weekly 

 wage of 



Per Day. Per Week. 



Males, . . 80 cents, or 20s. 9d. 



Females, . . 33 ... 8s. 8d. 



These wages are nominally higher than with us, and 

 they must add a certain additional price to the cotton and 



