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



might　also　indulge　the　hope　of　getting　possession　in　time　of　the



principal　defensive　strategical　positions　on　the　Atlantic　coast　and



at　the　mouths　of　the　rivers。　The　means　to　this　end　would　not　be



difficult　to　imagine；　it　would　only　be　necessary　to　hinder　the



development　of　manufacturing　power　in　the　Atlantic　states　and　to



insure　the　acceptance　of　the　principle　of　absolute　freedom　of



foreign　trade　in　America。　If　the　Atlantic　states　do　not　become



manufacturers；　they　will　not　only　be　unable　to　keep　up　their



present　degree　of　civilisation；　but　they　must　sink；　and　sink　in



every　respect。　Without　manufactures　how　are　the　towns　along　the



Atlantic　coast　to　prosper？　Not　by　the　forwarding　of　inland　produce



to　Europe　and　of　English　manufactured　goods　to　the　interior；　for　a



very　few　thousand　people　would　be　sufficient　to　transact　this



business。　How　are　the　fisheries　to　prosper？　The　majority　of　the



population　who　have　moved　inland　prefer　fresh　meat　and　fresh…water



fish　to　salted；　they　require　no　train　oil；　or　at　least　but　a　small



quantity。　How　is　the　coasting　trade　along　the　Atlantic　sea…board　to



thrive？　As　the　largest　portion　of　the　coast　states　are　peopled　by



cultivators　of　land　who　produce　for　themselves　all　the　provisions；



building　materials；　fuel；　&c。　which　they　require；　there　is　nothing



along　the　coast　to　sustain　a　transport　trade。　How　are　foreign　trade



and　shipping　to　distant　places　to　increase？　The　country　has　nothing



to　offer　but　what　less　cultivated　nations　possess　in



superabundance；　and　those　manufacturing　nations　to　which　it　sends



its　produce　encourage　their　own　shipping。　How　can　a　naval　power



arise　when　fisheries；　the　coasting　trade；　ocean　navigation；　and



foreign　trade　decay？　How　are　the　Atlantic　states　to　protect　them



selves　against　foreign　attacks　without　a　naval　power？　How　is



agriculture　even　to　thrive　in　these　states；　when　by　means　of



canals；　railways；　&c。　the　produce　of　the　much　more　fertile　and



cheaper　tracts　of　land　in　the　west　which　require　no　manure；　can　be



carried　to　the　east　much　more　cheaply　than　it　could　be　there



produced　upon　soil　exhausted　long　ago？　How　under　such　circumstances



can　civilisation　thrive　and　population　increase　in　the　eastern



states；　when　it　is　clear　that　under　free　trade　with　England　all



increase　of　population　and　of　agricultural　capital　must　flow　to　the



west？　The　present　state　of　Virginia　gives　but　a　faint　idea　of　the



condition　into　which　the　Atlantic　states　would　be　thrown　by　the



absence　of　manufactures　in　the　east；　for　Virginia；　like　all　the



southern　states　on　the　Atlantic　coast；　at　present　takes　a



profitable　share　in　providing　the　Atlantic　states　with　agricultural



produce。



　　　　All　these　things　bear　quite　a　different　complexion；　owing　to



the　existence　of　a　flourishing　manufacturing　power　in　the　Atlantic



states。　Now　population；　capital；　technical　skill　and　intellectual



power；　flow　into　them　from　all　European　countries；　now　the　demand



for　the　manufactured　products　of　the　Atlantic　states　increases



simultaneously　with　their　consumption　of　the　raw　materials　supplied



by　the　west。　Now　the　population　of　these　states；　their　wealth；　and



the　number　and　extent　of　their　towns　increase　in　equal　proportion



with　the　cultivation　of　the　western　virgin　lands；　now；　on　account



of　the　larger　population；　and　the　consequently　increased　demand　for



meat；　butter；　cheese；　milk；　garden　produce；　oleaginous　seeds；



fruit；　&c。；　their　own　agriculture　is　increasing；　now　the　sea



fisheries　are　flourishing　in　consequence　of　the　larger　demand　for



salted　fish　and　train　oil；　now　quantities　of　provisions；　building



materials；　coal；　&c。　are　being　conveyed　along　the　coast　to　furnish



the　wants　of　the　manufacturing　population；　now　the　manufacturing



population　produce　a　large　quantity　of　commodities　for　export　to



all　the　nations　of　the　earth；　from　whence　result　profitable　return



freights；　now　the　nation's　naval　power　increases　by　means　of　the



coasting　trade；　the　fisheries；　and　navigation　to　distant　lands；　and



with　it　the　guarantee　of　national　independence　and　influence　over



other　nations；　particularly　over　those　of　South　America；　now



science　and　art；　civilisation　and　literature；　are　improving　in　the



eastern　states；　whence　they　are　being　diffused　amongst　the　western



states。



　　　　These　were　the　circumstances　which　induced　the　United　States　to



lay　restrictions　upon　the　importation　of　foreign　manufactured



goods；　and　to　protect　their　native　manufactures。　With　what　amount



of　success　this　has　been　done；　we　have　shown　in　the　preceding



pages。　That　without　such　a　policy　a　manufacturing　power　could　never



have　been　maintained　successfully　in　the　Atlantic　states；　we　may



learn　from　their　own　experience　and　from　the　industrial　history　of



other　nations。



　　　　The　frequently　recurring　commercial　crises　in　America　have　been



very　often　attributed　to　these　restrictions　on　importation　of



foreign　goods；　but　without　reasonable　grounds。　The　earlier　as　well



as　the　later　experience　of　North　America　shows；　on　the　contrary；



that　such　crises　have　never　been　more　frequent　and　destructive　than



when　commercial　intercourse　with　England　was　least　subject　to



restrictions。　Commercial　crises　amongst　agricultural　nations；　who



procure　their　supplies　of　manufactured　goods　from　foreign　markets；



arise　from　the　disproportion　between　imports　and　exports。



Manufacturing　nations　richer　in　capital　than　agricultural　states；



and　ever　anxious　to　increase　the　quantity　of　their　exports；　deliver



their　goods　on　credit　and　encourage　consumption。　In　fact；　they　make



advances　upon　the　coming　harvest。　But　if　the　harvest　turn　out　so



poor　that　its　value　falls　greatly　below　that　of　the　goods



previously　consumed；　or　if　the　harvest　prove　so　rich　that　the



supply　of　produce　meets　with　no　adequate　demand　and　falls　in　price；



while　at　the　same　time　the　markets　still　continue　to　be　overstocked



with　foreign　goods　　then　a　commercial　crisis　will　occur　by　reason



of　the　disproportion　existing　between　the　means　of　payment　and　the



quantity　of　goods　previously　consumed；　as　also　by　reason　of　the



disproportion　between　supply　and　demand　in　the　markets　for　produce



and　manufactured　goods。　The　operations　of　foreign　and　native　banks



may　increase　and　promote　such　a　crisis；　but　they　cannot　create　it。



In　a　future　chapter　we　shall　endeavour　more　closely　to　elucidatc



this　subject。







NOTES：







1。　Statistical　Table　of　Massachusetts　for　the　Year　ending　April　1；



1837；　by　J。　P。　Bigelow；　Secretary　of　the　Commonwealth　（Boston；



1838）。　No　American　state　but　Massachusetts　possesses　similar



statistical　abstracts。　We　owe　those　here　referred　to；　to　Governor



Everett；　distinguished　alike　as　a　scholar；　an　author；　and　a



statesman。







2。　The　American　papers　of　July　1839　report　that　in　the



manufacturing　town　of　Lowell　alone　there　are　over　a　hundred



workwomen　who　have　each　over　a　thousand　dollars　deposited　to　their



credit　in　the　savings　bank。











Chapter　10







The　Teachings　of　History







　　　　Everywhere　and　at　all　times　has　the　well…being　of　the　nation



been　in　equal　proportion　to　the　intelligence；　morality；　and



industry　of　its　citizens；　according　to　these；　wealth　has　accrued　or



been　diminished；　but　industry　and　thrift；　invention　and　enterprise；



on　the　part　of　individuals；　have　never　as　yet　accomplished　aught　of



importance　where　they　were　not　sustained　by　municipal　liberty；　by



suitable　public　institutions　and　laws；　by　the　State　administration



and　foreign　policy；　but　above　all　by　the　unity　and　power；　of　the



nation。



　　　　History　everywhere　shows　us　a　powerful　process　of　reciprocal



action　between　the　social　and　the　individual　powers　and　conditions。



In　the　Italian　and　the　Hanseatic　cities；　in　Holland　and　England；　in



France　and　America；　we　find　the　powers　of　production；　and



consequently　the　wealth　of　individuals；　growing　in　proportion　to



the　liberties　enjoyed；　to　the　degree　of　perfection　of　political　and



social　institutions；　while　these；　on　the　other　hand；　derive



material　and　stimulus　for　their　further　improvement　from　the



increase　of　the　material　wealth　and　of　the　productive　power　of



individuals。



　　　　The　real　rise　of　the　industry　and　power　of　England　dates　only



from　the　days　of　the　actual　foundation　of　England's　national



freedom；　while　the　industry　and　power　of　Venice；　of　the　Hanse



Towns；　of　the　Spanish　and　Portuguese；　decayed　concurrently　with



their　loss　of　freedom。　However　industrious；　thrifty；　inventive；　and



intelligent；　individual　citizens　might　be；　they　could　not　make　up



for　the　lack　of　free　institutions。　History　also　teaches　that



individuals　derive　the　greater　part　of　their　productive　powers　from



the　social　institutions　and　conditions　under　which　they　are　placed。



　　　　The　influence　of　liberty；　intelligence；　and　enlightenment　over



the　power；　and　therefore　over　the　productive　capacity　and　wealth　of



a　nation；　is　exemplified　in　no　respect　so　clearly　as　in　navigation。



Of　all　industrial　pursuits；　navigation　most　demands　energy；



personal　courage；　enterprise；　and　endurance；　qualifications　that



can　only　flourish　in　an　atmosphere　of　freedom。　In　no　other　calling



do　ignorance；　superstition；　and　prejudice；　indolence；　cowardice；



effeminacy；　and　weakness　produce　such　disastrous　consequences；



nowhere　else　is　a　sense　of　self…reliance　so　indispensable。　H