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women　save　a　dowry　for　themselves。（2*）



　　　　This　last　is　evidently　the　effect　of　the　cheap　prices　of　the



common　necessaries　of　life；　light　taxation；　and　an　equitable



customs　tariff。　Let　England　repeal　the　restrictions　on　the　import



of　agricultural　produce；　decrease　the　existing　taxes　on　consumption



by　one…half　or　two…thirds；　cover　the　loss　by　an　income　tax；　and　her



factory　workers　will　be　put　into　the　same　position。



　　　　No　nation　has　been　so　misconstrued　and　so　misjudged　as　respects



its　future　destiny　and　its　national　economy　as　the　United　States　of



North　America；　by　theorists　as　well　as　by　practical　men。　Adam　Smith



and　J。　B。　Say　had　laid　it　down　that　the　United　States　were；　'like



Poland；'　destined　for　agriculture。　This　comparison　was　not　very



flattering　for　the　union　of　some　dozen　of　new；　aspiring；　youthful



republics；　and　the　prospect　thus　held　out　to　them　for　the　future



not　very　encouraging。　The　above…mentioned　theorists　had



demonstrated　that　Nature　herself　had　singled　out　the　people　of　the



United　States　exclusively　for　agriculture；　so　long　as　the　richest



arable　land　was　to　be　had　in　their　country　for　a　mere　trifle。　Great



was　the　commendation　which　had　been　bestowed　upon　them　for　so



willingly　acquiescing　in　Nature's　ordinances；　and　thus　supplying



theorists　with　a　beautiful　example　of　the　splendid　working　of　the



principle　of　free　trade。　The　school；　however；　soon　had　to



experience　the　mortification　of　losing　this　cogent　proof　of　the



correctness　and　applicability　of　their　theories　in　practice；　and



had　to　endure　the　spectacle　of　the　United　States　seeking　their



nation's　welfare　in　a　direction　exactly　opposed　to　that　of　absolute



freedom　of　trade。



　　　　As　this　youthful　nation　had　previously　been　the　very　apple　of



the　eye　of　the　schoolmen；　so　she　now　became　the　object　of　the



heaviest　condemnation　on　the　part　of　the　theorists　of　every　nation



in　Europe。　It　was　said　to　be　a　proof　of　the　slight　progress　of　the



New　World　in　political　knowledge；　that　while　the　European　nations



were　striving　with　the　most　honest　zeal　to　render　universal　free



trade　possible；　while　England　and　France　especially　were　actually



engaged　in　endeavouring　to　make　important　advances　towards　this



great　philanthropic　object；　the　United　States　of　North　America　were



seeking　to　promote　their　national　prosperity　by　a　return　to　that



long…exploded　mercantile　system　which　had　been　clearly　refuted　by



theory。　A　country　like　the　United　States；　in　which　such　measureless



tracts　of　fruitful　land　still　remained　uncultivated　and　where　wages



ruled　so　high；　could　not　utilise　its　material　wealth　and　increase



of　population　to　better　purpose　than　in　agriculture；　and　when　this



should　have　reached　complete　development；　then　manufactures　would



arise　in　the　natural　course　of　events　without　artificial　forcing。



But　by　an　artificial　development　of　manufactures　the　United　States



would　injure　not　only　the　countries　which　had　long　before　enjoyed



civilisation；　but　themselves　most　of　all。



　　　　With　the　Americans；　however；　sound　common　sense；　and　the



instinct　of　what　was　necessary　for　the　nation；　were　more　potent



than　a　belief　in　theoretical　propositions。　The　arguments　of　the



theorists　were　thoroughly　investigated；　and　strong　doubts



entertained　of　the　infallibility　of　a　doctrine　which　its　own



disciples　were　not　willing　to　put　in　practice。



　　　　To　the　argument　concerning　the　still　uncultivated　tracts　of



fruitful　land；　it　was　answered　that　tracts　of　such　land　in　the



populous；　well…cultivated　states　of　the　Union　which　were　ripe　for



manufacturing　industry；　were　as　rare　as　in　Great　Britain；　that　the



surplus　population　of　those　states　would　have　to　migrate　at　great



expense　to　the　west；　in　order　to　bring　tracts　of　land　of　that



description　into　cultivation；　thus　not　only　annually　causing　the



eastern　states　large　losses　in　material　and　intellectual　resources；



but　also；　inasmuch　as　such　emigration　would　transform　customers



into　competitors；　the　value　of　landed　property　and　agricultural



produce　would　thereby　be　lessened。　It　could　not　be　to　the　advantage



of　the　Union　that　all　waste　land　belonging　to　it　should　be



cultivated　up　to　the　Pacific　Ocean　before　either　the　population；



the　civilisation；　or　the　military　power　of　the　old　states　had　been



fully　developed。　On　the　contrary；　the　cultivation　of　distant　virgin



lands　could　confer　no　benefit　on　the　eastern　states　unless　they



themselves　devoted　their　attention　to　manufacturing；　and　could



exchange　their　manufactures　against　the　produce　of　the　west。　People



went　still　further：　Was　not　England；　it　was　asked；　in　much　the　same



position？　Had　not　England　also　under　her　dominion　vast　tracts　of



fertile　land　still　uncultivated　in　Canada；　in　Australia；　and　in



other　quarters　of　the　world？　Was　it　not　almost　as　easy　for　England



to　transplant　her　surplus　population　to　those　countries　as　for　the



North　Americans　to　transplant　theirs　from　the　shores　of　the



Atlantic　to　the　banks　of　the　Missouri？　If　so；　what　occasion　had



England　not　only　continuously　to　protect　her　home　manufactures；　but



to　strive　to　extend　them　more　and　more？



　　　　The　argument　of　the　school；　that　with　a　high　rate　of　wages　in



agriculture；　manufactures　could　not　succeed　by　the　natural　course



of　things；　but　only　by　being　forced　like　hothouse　plants；　was　found



to　be　partially　well…founded；　that　is　to　say；　it　was　applicable



only　to　those　manufactured　goods　which；　being　small　in　bulk　and



weight　as　compared　to　their　value；　are　produced　principally　by　hand



labour；　but　was　not　applicable　to　goods　the　price　of　which　is　less



influenced　by　the　rate　of　wages；　and　as　to　which　the　disadvantage



of　higher　wages　can　be　neutralised　by　the　use　of　machinery；　by



water　power　as　yet　unused；　by　cheap　raw　materials　and　food；　by



abundance　of　cheap　fuel　and　building　materials；　by　light　taxation



and　increased　efficiency　of　labour。



　　　　Besides；　the　Americans　had　long　ago　learnt　from　experience　that



agriculture　cannot　rise　to　a　high　state　of　prosperity　unless　the



exchange　of　agricultural　produce　for　manufactures　is　guaranteed　for



all　future　time；　but　that；　when　the　agriculturist　lives　in　America



and　the　manufacturer　in　England；　that　exchange　is　not　unfrequently



interrupted　by　wars；　commercial　crises；　or　foreign　tariffs；　and



that　consequently；　if　the　national　well…being　is　to　rest　on　a



secure　foundation；　'the　manufacturer；'　to　use　Jefferson's　words；



'must　come　and　settle　down　in　close　proximity　to　the



agriculturist。'



　　　　At　length　the　Americans　came　to　realise　the　truth　that　it



behoves　a　great　nation　not　exclusively　to　set　its　heart　upon　the



enjoyment　of　proximate　material　advantages；　that　civilisation　and



power　　more　important　and　desirable　possessions　than　mere



material　wealth；　as　Adam　Smith　himself　allows　　can　only　be



secured　and　retained　by　the　creation　of　a　manufacturing　power　of



its　own；　that　a　country　which　feels　qualified　to　take　and　to



maintain　its　place　amongst　the　powerful　and　civilised　nations　of



the　earth　must　not　shrink　from　any　sacrifice　in　order　to　secure



such　possessions　for　itself；　and　that　at　that　time　the　Atlantic



states　were　clearly　the　region　marked　out　for　such　possessions。



　　　　It　was　on　the　shores　of　the　Atlantic　that　European　settlers　and



European　civilisation　first　set　a　firm　foot。　Here；　at　the　first；



were　populous；　wealthy；　and　civilised　states　created；　here　was　the



cradle　and　seat　of　their　sea　fisheries；　coasting　trade；　and　naval



power；　here　their　independence　was　won　and　their　union　founded。



Through　these　states　on　the　coast　the　foreign　trade　of　the　Union　is



carried　on；　through　them　it　is　connected　with　the　civilised　world；



through　them　it　acquires　the　surplus　population；　material；　capital；



and　mental　powers　of　Europe；　upon　the　civilisation；　power；　and



wealth　of　these　sea…board　states　depend　the　future　civilisation；



power；　wealth；　and　independence　of　the　whole　nation　and　its　future



influence　over　less　civilised　communities。　Suppose　that　the



population　of　these　Atlantic　states　decreased　instead　of　growing



larger；　that　their　fisheries；　coasting　trade；　shipping　engaged　in



foreign　trade　and　foreign　trade　itself；　and；　above　all；　their



general　prosperity；　were　to　fall　off　or　remain　stationary　instead



of　progressing；　then　we　should　see　the　resources　of　civilisation　of



the　whole　nation；　the　guarantees　for　its　independence　and　external



power；　diminish　too　in　the　same　degree。　It　is　even　conceivable



that；　were　the　whole　territory　of　the　United　States　laid　under



cultivation　from　sea　to　sea；　covered　with　agricultural　states；　and



densely　populated　in　the　interior；　the　nation　itself　might



nevertheless　be　left　in　a　low　grade　as　respects　civilisation；



independence；　foreign　power；　and　foreign　trade。　There　are　certainly



many　nationalities　who　are　in　such　a　position　and　whose　shipping



and　naval　power　are　nil；　though　possessing　a　numerous　inland



population！



　　　　If　a　power　existed　that　cherished　the　project　of　keeping　down



the　rise　of　the　American　people　and　bringing　them　under　subjection



to　itself　industrially；　commercially；　or　politically；　it　could　only



succeed　in　its　aim　by　trying　to　depopulate　the　Atlantic　states　of



the　Union　and　driving　all　increase　of　population；　capital；　and



intellectual　power　into　the　interior。　By　that　means　it　would　not



only　check　the　further　growth　of　the　nation's　naval　power；　but



might　also　indulge　the　hope　of　getting　poss