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¬prevail over the opinions of enlightened statesmen. — If yon had understood our lan- guage, it would have amused you to have been present at their debate. — The greater number said that they would not depart from an ancient policy of free importation, under which the country had so long flourished, and I have no doubt they believed they were pursuing its best interests ; but they probably never looked into an account — they knew nothing of the immense and alarming increase of the importations com- plained of, nor their former proportions at dif- ferent periods to the home growth, nor the effect of this increase upon the staple of the country, nor did they consider whether our own bleturs might not be brought by proper encou- ragements to a higher, perhaps to a perfec- tion equal with those of any other country, so as in time to supply most of our manufactures at as cheap a rate, preserving within ourselves the immense sums annually drained from us by purchasing abroad what we might produce at home. When this improvident conclusion of ¬the ¬
