364 [Assemble 



liberty of buying whei'e they like, and what they like, at the cheapest 

 price. But what is the cheap article 1 an article is not cheap be- 

 cause it can be bought with a small sum of money, but it is cheap 

 when the purchase of it costs the buyer but little sacrifice — when 

 he feels it less. Thus with the case of iron and cotton in view — is 

 printed cotton cheap at five cents a yard to the unemployed iron 

 worker 1 would not double the price' be cheaper to himi, the purchase 

 less easily felt, if he were in full work and good wages?' 



The cry of free trade began in England, in the manufacturing dis- 

 tricts, in order to support their factories in full work, and because they 

 can produce at less expense, they therefore inferred, that it would be 

 for the benefit of the whole world if they were left to supply all the 

 civilized market with manufactured goods. Put into plain language, 

 the free trade cry may be expressed, as we might suppose an English 

 manufacturer to soliloquize, thus: 



" We, English manufacturers, grew up since the middle of the 

 eighteenth century ; we have sunk an enormous capital, incur great 

 yearly expense, and en'ploy a Izige member of people ; we' art; cca- 

 staull) prcducicgj aad we hire long smxe gintted oai ctm bouit 

 market. European wars have been of great service to us, as it pre- 

 vented states being manufacturers, and made them buyers from us ; 

 those who would not buy from us we fought, and those who would, 

 we gave them money to keep at peace. From Europe we have passed 

 into Asia, and have built up a large empire in ludia, have sold to the 

 petty princes their own Cashmeres, and to the Ryots their own cottons, 

 they paying us for manufacture ; not content with this, we have fought 

 with the Chinaman, to make him take our goods. We have planted 

 colonies in Australia, Borneo, Cape of Good Hope, and Canada, in 

 order to create markets. We have kept the dissolving Republics of 

 South America together, that they might buy from us. We have 

 glutted every market ; we have over-produced, and are producing still, 

 and unless we find a more extended market, we, and with us, the 

 English nation, must go down. We address you, good easy people 

 of the United States, we hear that you are talking about protective 

 duties and home manufactures ; that you have learned that fifty per 

 cent, is the profit on cotton nianufacturey while it is only nine per cent. 



