4310. LABOR, Manufactures, Commerce and.—
Too little reliance is to be had on a
steady and certain course of commerce with the
countries of Europe to permit us to depend
more on that than we cannot avoid. Our
best interest would be to employ our principal
labor in agriculture, because to the profits of
labor, which is dear, this adds the profits of
our lands, which are cheap. But the risk of
hanging our prosperity on the fluctuating
counsels and caprices of others renders it
wise in us to turn seriously to manufactures,
and if Europe will not let us carry our provisions
to their manufactures, we must endeavor
to bring their manufactures to our
provisions.—
To David Humphreys.
Ford ed., v, 344.
(Pa.,
June. 1791)
See Commerce and Manufactures.
