Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1809-02-16

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gave rise to considerable debate but was
Withdrawn BY MIR. Minor, who moved
thar the committee should rise, with a
view to recommit the bill. Motion nega-
lived. ~
In the course of the debate, Hess. Mil
nor, Lloyd, Tallmadge, Sloan and Quincy
opposed the principle of the bill on the
ground that the house had nos before them
any specific information On which to act !;
that the duties on i.nporsgd gooda were al
ready very high; that an Increase Of them
would encourage evasions of the revenue
laws, by throwing out great temptations to
smugglcrs that the bill imposed additional
duties indiscriminately on all articles i'm
ported, whilst the house, however it might
tax some articles, should avoid burthenine
those articles used almost exclusively by tlts:
poorer classes of the people that the tax if
raised as proposed, would operate as a COM
plete prohibition OF the importation of some
articles; that an additional duty would In
crease the value of goods now in the hands
Of monopolizers, aud excite discomfort in
a part Of the community and finally, thar
il the measure was proper in itself, it was
at this time premature, the house not having
decided what course Of policy it would pur-
sue.
Messrs. W. Aston, Fisk, Smile, Tay-
Tor, Eppes, and Rhea It. supported the
bill. They remarked that those who were
opposed to supporting the government
would undoubtedly vote against any propo-
sition for raising revenue /; that besides pro-
ducipg revenue, the bill would encourage
our own manufactures, and thus render 70
more independent of foreign nations that
this measure had been proposed at the last
session though not acted on, and was there
fore not sudden proposition; that if the
proportion proposed were 100 large the
committee might refuse it and agree to
smaller; that it would be impossible at this
late period Of the session to form new tariff
of duties discriminating between the in
crease Of duty on different articles import
ed; that even supposing there were dit.
ference of opinion as to the mode of laying
the duty, the time for the spring imporsa-
tons was nearly arrived, and by delaying
the passage of the bill beyond the present
session the benefits of itwould be lost /; that
bill for opposing discriminating duties
would be wholly different from this, and
could not be got through the house dariog
the present session.
Messrs. Lyon, Bacon, Cook and Bur-
well were in favor Of the object of the bill,
but wished it to be so amended as to discri-
inmate between the articles on which the
duty was to be laid, excepting from it those
of the first necessity.
Mr.. u. z. VILLAINS wished to impose
the additional duty exclusively on goods
imported from England and France and
thus make the increase of duty measure
to operate on foreign nations as well as to
produce revenue TO the q. States.
The bill having been gone through and
motion having been made that the commit
tee report tie b.l-
MIR. d. Il. Williams moved to amend the
billby inserting alter the words goods
wares and merchandise in the beginning
of the bill the words I" the produce or ma
nufacture of Great Britain and France, and
the colonies of either" Mr.. w. said it
would be perceived that this motion propo-
sed wholly to change the aspect of the bill
and as it was late in the day, he moved that
the committee rise, to give time for refec-
ton on it.
The committee then rose, reported pro-
gress, and obtained leave to sit again. ---
Adjourned.