21 MAY 1864, Page 3

On the 2nd of May a ladies' association was formed

in Washington to promote total abstinence "from foreign articles of appareL" The object is to reduce the imports into the United States, and so turn the balance of trade in favour of the country as to prevent the export of gold or promote its import, and so diminish the difficulties of the Treasury. At first the resolution stood, "For three years, or the war, we pledge ourselves to purchase no foreign articles of apparel after 4th July next, when American articles can possibly be substituted." Mrs. Nichol, of Kansas, and Mrs. Elizabeth Cody Stanton, spoke against the last seven words as fatal to the principle of the resolution, and they were struck out. If the ladies mean really to economize in expenditure, and so reserve:more wealth either for productive purposes or for taxa- tion, the movement is doubtless patriotic ; but then it would have been wise to say what they meant. If the object simply is, —as it appears to be,—to promote the purchase of less durable American apparel or ornaments of worse workmanship, at greater cost, simply in order to'turn the balance of trade in their favour nothing can be sillier,—as its only tendency will be, even if suc- cessful, to divert American labour from the production of exports in which it has a natural advantage, to the production of other articles in which it has none. On the whole, therefore, the country will pay far more for its home-made apparel and orna- ments than if it bought them from the foreigner with exports in the production of which it has a natural advantage.