The Connecticut courant, and the weekly intelligencer — Hartford [Conn.], 1782-12-10 00:00:00, page 1

For the CONNECTICUT COURANT.
THE public papers tell us, the Assembly of
the state of Rhode-lfland have unanimouJly
negatived the Impost Act, granting a duty of five
per cent on all goods imported into these states,
agreeable to a requisition of Congress; which
has been acceeded toT am told,'by all the other
states in the Confederation: If so, this judicious
resolve of ourfyler state, has saved, (at least for
the present) all bur states, from what I look upon
to be a very inequitable tax, which must be paid
to the merchant, with his usual advance upon
it, how small a part soever of that duty reaches
our continental treasury:
I have for my own part as high an opinion of
the integrity of merchants, as any set of men
whatever; but I am too well acquainted with
their manoeuvres, and the temper and dispositi
on of mankind in general, ever once to imagine
thay would be more conscientious to pay a duty of
five per cent to Congress, than they have hereto^
fore been to the crown of Great Britain.
But could that duty be collected to a copper,
there are several just and weighty objections
against it.
Firfl, It imposes the fame duty upon most of
the necessaries and conveniences of life, that it
doth on luxuries or needlefsfuperfluities, which I
Should think no one can vindicate.
Secondly, It exempts the rich farmers and land
holders, who have the materials for manufa&ur
ing their own eloathing, in a great measure from
the duties of impost, and faftens it down on those
where the burdens of government in fact never
ought to be fixed, viz. on our midling farmers,
mechanics, day-labourers, and induftious poor,
who are often blefled with a numerous posterity,
but have not within themselves the materials to
manufacture woolen cloth, to cloath themselves
and families, and are under absolute necessity to
purchase foreign manufactures.
Thirdly, This duty I conceive in fa& is railed,
contrary to the eighth article of our confedera
tion, which is in the words following:—
," All charges of war and all other expences, that
<' shall be incurred for the common defence or gene
" ral welfare, and allowed by the United States
" in Congress assembled, shall be defrayed out of
" a common treasury, which shall be fupplyed
" by the several states, in proportion to the value
" of all land within each state, granted to or
" surveyed for any person, as, such lands and
" the buildings and improvements thereon
« shall be estimated according to such mode,
" as the United States in Congress assembled,
" shall from time to time direct and appoint;
" the taxes for payingthatproportion shall be laid
'' and leviedbythe authority and direction of the
'' legiflaturesof the several ftates,withinthe time
" agreed upon by the United States in Congress
" assembled."
The obvious sense and meaning I take to be
this: That each state shall supply their propor
tion of money for the common treasury, which
proportion shall be fettled by the value of the land
and improvement thereon in each state.—And
that the legislature of each state, has liberty to
raise their proportion, in that way and manner
they think fit and proper.—None I presume will
dispute the reasonableness of the one or the equi
ty of the other; and we may very justly infer,
either that the monies raised by the impe/l aft are
not to be appropriated to the charges of the war,
or to other expences incurred for the common de
fence or general welfare, or that they are not
r^n^ ^OW^CM^oWit^
WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER.
HARTFORD: Printed by HUDSON and GOODWIN, near the Great Bridge?
TUESDAY, December 10, 1782.
raised agreeable to the eighth article of the con
federation, and fhift our proportion from the va
lue of our land to the amount of our commerce.—-
Did this duty affect none but those who have
been inriched by illicit trade, or by handling pub
lic money for which they have as yet never been
brought to account, I Should not trouble myfelf
about it, but it will principally and most deeply
affe&: the small farmers and da, labourers, who
have large families, and our mechanics, who by a
late law are roundly assessed, and will sensibly feel
the weight, if not fink under the burthen of this
new mode of taxation, which if any are of, I give
joy of it, for I can assure them it will touch me
but very gently, and will afford, I trust, but a
small proportion to defray the real expences of
government, if it will support the several ranks
and orders ofmen who will be appointed to col
lect it. . , „
This duty I am sensible is appropriated, by our
honorable assembly, to defray the debt incurred
by the war; but as by the eighth article of the
confederation, the charges of the war, &c. is to
be proportioned by the value of our land and not
by our commerce.—The value ofthe lands in the
state of Rhode-IJland, is not, perhaps, more than
half equal to the lands in the State of Connecticut,
while their commodious harbours, and other ad
vantages, most probably, render her commerce
double to the commerce of this state, cannot
fee that Congress are holden, either by the articles
of confederation, or, in equity, to appropriate the
monies raised by duties, to defray the expences
incurred by the war, as that state will be greatly
over rated thereby, and, perhaps, not a more
equitable proportion between the other states
included in the confederation,for which reasons,
1 conceive, they are at liberty to appropriate the
revenue arising from those duties, to any other
purposes they think proper, which may, perhaps,
be designed as a fund to difeharge the annual re
venues of fuchplacemen an&penfoners-, as they may
think proper to establish—an authenticated lilt
of v/hofe names, with the pensions assigned
them, no doubt, would be very acceptable to the
several legislatures who grant, and the people
whofaz, them.—All emoluments of placemen and
penfoners in Great-Britain are made public, from
the Lord High Chancellor of England down to
the ratt-catcherof his Majfly's houfbold; the advo
cates for this duty fay, that the payment will
be more out of fight, and occasion less murmers
among the people—and for that very reason I am
against it—for if we cannot be made acquainted
with the appropriation of monies, the payment
of which we are all sensible; it is not probable
we ever shall know the appropriation of those
that are raised impeceeptabiy from the bulk of
mankind.-—The bulk of mankind however igno
rant they may be supposed to be, must know, that
the duties imposed on trade, mult be paid by
the consumer, that the merchant pays no more of
them, than what arises on the articles he makes
life of himfelf, and that in the end the confuiner
pays the duty, with the profit of 25 per cent, to
the merchant who advances it to the state.
Mankind often aft upon extreams—fometimes
trade muff be encouraged by bounties given by
government-—at others, eloged by laws and em
barrassed by duties ; I have often heard, trade is
a coy and delicate dame, and muff be carefully
handled—-the proper articles of commerce are
the produce and manufacture of a state, it wants
no other encouragement than to free it from em
barrassments—whenever trade is clogedand sup-
pressed, the value of our lands and the produce of
our farms must fink with it, if the landed interest
cannot fee the truth of this, let them try the ex
periment, and fee from what quarter our money
is to come, to difeharge our enormous debt, So
lomon who sent as far as Ophir for gold, a voyage
of three years, said, The king was served by the
field, and it will be found, our landed interest:
must pay our debt; suppress trade, we lessen the
value of our farms and their produce, and if any
can tell me how we shall get money to pay out
taxes, and difeharge our public debt without- com
merce, or how the merchant pays any thing to
the state, when he adds 25 per cent, profit upon,
the very duties imposed by government, and I
will publicly acknowledge, That a wiser than
Solomon is here. —l might add, the colle&ion of
duties, will soon fubjeU our citizens, to have
their houses ransacked by search warrants, &c.
for my own part, I have no fondnefs for wearing
such badges of Briti/b tyranny, nor to have the
blood fucked from our veins, by such court fa^
veurites as placemen and pentioners..
AGRICOLA. ,
LONDO N, Augull 12.
By an engineer, who came home in the vessel
which brought the last dispatches from Gibral
tar, we are informed that, notwithstanding the
formidable armaments of France and Spain, and
their extrayagant hopes of a certain capture of
that garrison, a reinforcement of 2000 men will
render it as unassailable as the fkip c were to the
Titans of old. This advice has been since that,
laid before council, when it was unanimously
agreed to fend the demanded fuccours, under
the greatest possible fleet we could equip. The
firft Lord of the Admiralty has promised 40 fhipg
of the line, 37 of which are now ready, and the
three others are preparing with the utmost expe
dition.
It is with the greatest pleasure we hear from
the fame channel, that nothing can exceed the
bravery and alacrity of the Governor and his gar
rison. They look to nothing but death or glory,
sharing every danger with a patience and magna
nimity which seem to grow with the difficulties
they have to encounter; the officers and men
live on the fame provisions, endure the fame
fardfhips, and pertake of the fame relaxations
from fatigue, which at some times is so excessive,
that it is looked upon more fatal than the enemy's
bombardments. Thus united we have every
thing to hope, which courage, abilities, and pa
triotism can bestow.
A letter from a young gentleman of Dublin,
now at Cadiz, to his father, advises, that a work
is erecting by the besiegers of Gibraltar, whose
stupendous magnitude will astonish the world.—
It is of that kind, which in the science of Tac
ticks is described under the term of Cavalier, of
a perpendicular height of upwards of one hun
dred feet, near the marsh, and is in the form of
a Qrong tower or citadel, the batteries of which
will overlook all the works of the fortrefs of Gi
braltar on that fide, so as to make the batteries,
efpeciall, those of the lower works, quite untena
ble, and at the fame time, by the means of mons
trous Culverines, now casting for the purpose,
so enfilade the fortrefs and town on the water
fide, as to prevent in a great measure, if not to
tally, any vessels lying at the moles, and th#
landing offtores and provisions.
(No. 933.1