He made his principal objection
to the protection policy on the ground of favoritism to some interests at
the expense of others when all were entitled to equal consideration. Of
England he said, "Because a thing has been wrongly done, it does not follow
that it can be undone; and this is the reason, as I understand it, for
which exclusion, prohibition, and monopoly are suffered to remain in any
degree in the English system." After examining at length the different
varieties of protection, and displaying very thoroughly the state of
current English opinion, he defined the position which he, in common with
the Federalists of New England, then as always adhered to in the following
words:--
"Protection, when carried to the point which is now recommended,
that is, to entire prohibition, seems to me destructive of all
commercial intercourse between nations. We are urged to adopt the
system on general principles; ... I do not admit the general
principle; on the contrary, I think freedom of trade the general
principle, and restriction the exception.
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