The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-05-19

SO NHCA NAAAAA 80
with al valorem duties arc the mott diff
cult to fmuggle. The invoices are mad,
out in the country from which they ar,
imported. Theie mutt be authenticated
and pretended at the cuitom-houfe, anc
iworn TO. If the collector has any rcafor
TO fufpect that there are goods Oh board O
Il Yeilel, not In the entry, he is to make
thorough examination Of the vefel. If hS
fees Il bale in which he fufpe6ts there are
goods not fated in the invoice, it is in his
power to have 1t examined. believe there
is but little finuggling at this time /; but
that the articles on which there is NOT
iinuggling are, rum and coffee. If the gen
tleman allows that the duty OF articles
charged specifically is not 70 high as to en-
courage %fmuggling TO any great or DANCE
rous extent, he will allow the fame in the
cafe OF articles charged ad valorem. The
great articles from which revenue is OBJ
tanned, are
Spirits, which pay an average duty Of
% 2-io cents, and which produce 1885,
400 dollars, and colt the importer from 2J
to so cents per gallon. Spirits which pay
a5 cents Il gallon do not coft the importer
more than 50 cents, and confequently pay
aduty Of 80 per cent. or the price Of the
article. Spirits OF the third proof pay rs
cents, and do not coft more than SO cents
a gallon, which is equal 10 a duty OF so
per cent. SO with fpirits of higher proof.
From this article is derived more Chan a
flth Of our revenue, and yet Inever heard
the amount ofthe duty complained 0fun-
til 4 few days hncc a petition was p~refent-
ed from the merchants of Connecticut
1t is certain that CongrefS have never con-
iidered it.Ec high as tc encourage imug-
Cling.
Ofimported Sugars 39,443,SI4 los. are
confirmed within the United Statcc, which
pay, on an average, a duty of two and q
half cents per pound. The price q brown
iugar to the importer is about Ave or fix
dollars the hundred. -The duty is there
fore between forty-hve and fifty per cent.
Is this duty conidersd 70 high as TO en-
courage fmuggling ? IF not, fhall gentle
men complain when we are about to lay
an additional duty Of two and a half per
cent. upon articles 10Y chargeable with
duties Of from l2 and a halfto 90 per cent.
Or SAT- there is confirmed 3,o4l,SOo
bulhels in the United States. 1T pays a
duty of 90 cents 4 bulhei. In many in
frances this is equal to the frt colt and
amounts therefore to- loo 81 cent.
The confumpticn OF Hine5 amount 20
l,ol2,274 gallons, and the average duty is
SO cents. The duty on Madeira wine is
50 cents, and it COTS. the importer one dol
lar and twenty-five cents. The duty
therefore amounts to near fifty per cent.
If the colt be taken at one dollar and fifty
cents the duty will be thirty-three and a
third per cent. And YET it is not COM
planned that it encourages ~fmuggling.
Sherry and st. Lucar pay 30 cents per
gallon, and the original colt is not more
than Sc cents. This duty is above fifty
per cent. The duty bears the iarnc pro-
portion in the cafe ofLilbon.
Taking the average duty on wines We
find 1t is from IS to so per cent and yer
gentlemen fay if the duty o articles charg-
able ad -valorem be RATED from 10 10 &C
Is per cent, it will encourage f~nuggling
Teas produce $4,000 dollars. Bohea
Tea pays a duty of at leaf o. per cent.
and Souchong, Ey1on ami other teas pay
in the fame proportion.
Thus it appears that articles or great
confImption, and many of them of almo1
indifpenfble neCe1ity, pay 4 duty OF from
fifty to n hundred per cent. and yet gen.
tlemen are unwilling TO lay an additional!
duty oftwo and a half per cent. CA arti-
cies now paying duties Of twelve and =
half and fifteen pey cent. As to thofe
charged with twenty per cent. they are not
worth conideling, rs The whole duties on
them only amount 10 a7,9S6 dolls. and as
they are in themle!ges umimporant.
] have heard au ,dcl thrown ont, that
infead of laying a duty on articles now
charged with nd valoren duties, It would
be more adYifeable TO lay a duty upon all
imported goods. j think ] have iheyvn
that this would ie uniuft, and that the ~
ticles winch 1t prefent pay freciic duties
are charged relatively efficiently high. /
believe If sne emergencies Of the country
required il we might, without difur5fre
the proper proportion, lay an additional
duty Of froaa ten TO fifteen per cent, on
goods charged al valorem, and v1thou,
the i~ncreafe being felt by the country, O.
its producing imugg)ing. At o~refent it II
only contemplated to raife them two and
a half per cent.
Irepeat IT, that I corGIcr It INC duty
OF the Legislature woen they authorize ex
traordlnary expenditures to- provide 70 faI
IS II is III TIER power, extraordinary mcansi
Tor oslieve. we have no light 70 Eurthcr
poiteritY with taxes which we dare net
onriciyes meet. The protection now ak
cd for u trade is for our w benefit
we ought rcs, therefore, to .hrink from
the burthen il necefarily creates. This j.
the realou why ! advocate this additional
| duty Of two and a half per cent. and he
| caule I believe trade viii bear it, and be
| caufe 90 not thinkit will be felt by a maj
In the country. What will be the efec
l Of the additional dntV The grcaier par