Jenks's Portland gazette., 1802-03-01
VOLUME ~.


The Gmple aatement or thefe prov 'Gons goes
far to confirm the charaar wbieh We have Civ
en- 10 the propoftion. But diGird examination
Of the realons BY which it is fuppored viii,
when taken in connection with thole proviGons,
place beyond doubt, its abfnrd and pernicious
tendency.
The hra inducement offered for relinquifh.
ing the internal revenue, IS re4j5naJk ground
Of c0gfdeaee that it may fAfely be diff fpenf.d
with
When it Is confdercd that We are in the very
crifs Of an imRortant change Of fituation, paf.
ing from fate in which neutrality had pro.
cured to our commerce, aud to the revenues
depending on il, great artificial incre4le-
with good reaion 70 lock for dim1ution, aud
without fatisfa6tcry data to enable D. to fix the
extent Of this diminution can any thing Be
more raih, more empirical, than voluntarily to
abandon valuable and growing branch Of in
come Of which we are already 10 poG. fIion
| Gao It be faid that merely I" a rsa6aabk ground
of confidence" is fJficisnt warrant for Il i'm
psrrant furrender Surely we ought TO have
been told that there was at leaa moral GER
tainty OF the fad. But even tbs would NOT
have been deemed enough by prudent aater.
man. Nothing leIs than exberimental certainty
ought 20 have 5een relied upon.-There was
no Preture OF cIrcumit2nces making il proper
9PreciPitare the meafure. - IL would h We been
ridiculous TO pretend that the burden is 10 hea.
Wy as 70 demand immediate relief, and without
this incentiveto rehnquithment expelie ience Oh 2hr
undoubtedly ID have been raken as the only 6t
and fure guide.
Not only is il problenatcsl what the prefent
duties on impnRs will, for fucceediny wears.
produce but i IS 10 degree queaionabls,
wh-ther it may not Be found neceG4 ~ 20 reduce
the rates. That they ave now high when CON.
pared with the commercial capital of our conn
Try as not I, BE denied, and whether they rlsv
not be found TOO high for beneficial conrfa IF
our trade, is yet to be decide BY experiment.
The latter augmen atoms OF the rates Of duly,
were made at times and under circumRances in
the Ituaions Of this and Of other countries,
which io.oid Us 10 regard Paa experience as con,
cluive on the point
Should it be f4id IL anfyver, h At the revenues
can hereafter be renewed, if on trial il fhAll Dc
found they have been prenatnrely abandoned,
the decillve reply IS, that .his is 10 invert the
natural order ot reafoning. We're it now the
quettion, whether pch revenues lhould be Gre
ated in anticipation Of a poGible deficiency, the
corred anl@er would BE-, let experiment frR
aniwer the necelity as they already exit. on
queRon TO aboIilh them, the aufwer eqaallY
ought to be, let experience hrf ihew them to be
unnecefary.
But how can they be unne,efary Let Us
grant that the ning Gources viii Be equal
to the PurPofes enumerated IN the MeGAge,
does it follow thar it will not It'll be vie to
retain the internal revenue Is Il not defr4ble
that government fhould have Il ID IL power 10
dilcharge The debt faaer than may have been
mplaIed Is not this felic ty IN our Gtu.
alton which ought 10 Be ~aproveI "A pre-.
cious item in the public f1rtune which ouqhr
not rahly TO b. fquandered But il il not even
true that The laws have excluGgely contempla-
ted dehnltive period for the ult mate redeap.
ten of the enirs debt. They have oalv made
detsrmlnate provihon for its extinguilhnent,
at all events, within given term of wears
but, anxious to ihorten the perioa, they, il the
claufe which has been quoted refpeang tka
iurpluhes of revenue have made an auxiliary
Provilion for the PurPofe Of aaridg ng that term.
The MehAge, while it goes to impair the eHica-
cy OF the principal proY,Gon, proPoies formally
TO renounce the auxiliary, aud thus to difap-
point the provident care Of the laws to acce Ter.
ate the dilcharge of the debt.
How reconcilable is this with the wan,on
and uninR clamours heretofore vented againR
thoie who proj-aed and eaablilhed our pTefenr
fyRem Of public credit charging them with a
criminal detign to perPetuate the debt m Ter
the pretext that Pabhe dsEt 7Dac public 5ieC7ne
1t is net forgotten that in Jhsl. clamoSrs Mr..
Jefferfon literally participated Now,i fe-ms.
the lone is entirely changed. The pla admin.
iaration who had 70 loag been caunniated By
the mPnta,ion of the perncious dsGgn, are Of
a udden diicovered to have done too much Tor
the fpeedy difcharge Of The debt. and its dora.
ton 10 DC prolonged BY throwing away part
of he fund defined for It's redemption Won.
derful union Of conliaency and wif1lm
Before we yield our appreciation to the pro-
poi4l we ought to have guaraut- Z for rhs
Continuance Of our peace, long enough to give
elF-tt 70 the leiurelv oPsr4d n of thar relidue
ofthe faad which il Z. irre ,ded = ret4ia ellie
war, which never ia'is brins with iraa accus
mutation oi debt, may intervene, and we may
shen rapidly haaen q that period WHEN tbe ex.