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Doc. No. 75. 



tiired in the country. The home mamifacturerS; relying upon the cer- 

 tainty of sale, in consequence of the new taxes imposed upon foreign 

 articles of the same class as those manufactured by themselves, made an 

 attempt either to reduce their prices ox to improve the quality of their 

 goods; and the people, unable to exercise the privilege of choice between 

 the competitors, paid a much higher price than v/as either fair or equi- 

 table. The immediate effect of this system was to encourage indolence 

 among manufacturers; eventually, however, it led to the enactment of a 

 law, which caused the existing tariff gi'adually to disappear, and obhged 

 the manufacturer to assume an attitude more consistent with that respect 

 which is due to the spirit of competition. Privileged indolence was forced 

 to retire, and industry, left to its own intrinsic energies, has made a pro- 

 gress within the last three years which would never have been witnessed 

 under the old system. 



In England, as well as in the United States, ancient customs have been 

 superseded by an entirely new order of things, calculated to enlarge the 

 area of freedom, instead of contributing to its restriction; the false doc- 

 trine of prohibitory laws has been abandoned; and in order to foster agri- 

 culture and industry, a great principle has been adopted, the object of 

 which is to facilitate trade by means of local improvements, opening 

 canals wherever art finds it practicable, or otherwise by constructing rail- 

 roads, cutting through mountains if necessary, and filling up the deepest 

 cavities. Although I may have to deviate for a moment from the prin- 

 cipal object of this memorial, I cannot allow the oppoitimity to pass 

 without noticing how strange it appears that theie should be found in 

 Central America, at the epoch in which we live, rank politicians, who, 

 without taking the least cognizance of what passes in the enlightened 

 world, or noting the discoveries that have been made in the regions 

 of political economy in latter years, and imbued with stale notions of 

 policy which have been sufficiently falsified by experience, undertake 

 to condemn the government for not recommending the enactment of 

 restrictive laws for the purpose of encouraging the manufacture of very 

 imperfect and expensive goods. There have fallen into my hands a 

 number of papers upon this subject, which cannot be read without 

 a feeling of shame — as much on account of the ridiculous character 

 of their contents, as for the very vulgar and improper language in 

 "Vvhich they are written. To send such productions into the world, is to 

 place our country in a ridiculous position, and to confirm the injurious 

 opinions that have been formed by more civilized nations, concerning 

 our capacity for living and governing ourselves as freemen. 



Returning to my subject, I assert that the prosperity which Great Brit- 

 ain and the United States are enjoying at the present moment, affords a 

 practical demonstration that the only sure mode of securing the public 

 welfare within reach of every government, is to facilitate trade by means 

 of canals and railways. Apart from this, all speculations are mere waste 

 of time — it is to deceive the people with chimerical promises of prosperity; 

 it is to undermine their liberties under the hypocritical pretext of protec- 

 tion; it is, in one word, to tyraiinize over them while pretending to pro- 

 mote their interests. 



Since experience and repeated experiments have conclusively demon- 

 strated that facilities for developing trade constitute the only effective 

 means that a nation can employ with a view to fostering industry and 



