Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1820-12-09

II
more tor all which we must necessarily pur. !
chase OF il' N than we do at present, we must |
still submit To be denounced.
But lest the mere pecunisry loss in our pur-
Chase alone, which We should incur from the A.!
proposed addition TO the duties upon foreign
commodities, should he considered the priuci.
pal cause OF our soliciiuhe we bsg leave 10
snsg"st few other considerations OF far deem.
er interest, and of still more compre heGsiye
character, tia, appear 10 us to forbid the sdop.
tiop OF the proposed measure.
IL il be "a fixed principle that we arc TO rely
tor our revenue chiefly upon ii system OF duties
upon I'M; otts. eau any thing be more obviously
necessary and proper than that such system
should be both uniform and permanent Can
a single instance be cited from the annals OF
any nation upon earth. where an augmentation
OF uuties already high, has been found also to
augment the national incomes On the contra.
~, are there not many 10 be found, wherein a
diminn'lon OF duty has been immed iately
followed by aD increase Of revenuel We beg
leave to quote only few /; and we will take
them from the history Of that country whose
coinmei cial regulations aud restrictions some
OF our political economists have no earnestly
importuned you 10 initiate.
Previous to i74l the East India Compapy's
sales OF tea amounted to no more than about
QUO 900 pounds weisht annually, producing a
revenue Of abont fI4O.0OO. In the early part
OF i!@5, AN act was passed by wkicl, the tea
un'l.s were greatly reduced, AVID In 1885, the
sales Amounted 10 nearly tro millions of pounds
weight, aud the revenue to k22S 900. But this
unansweiab able demonstration Of the superior
advantages resulting 10 the revenue itself from
low dates, was unable to restrain the rapacity
OF the treasury. In l7iS the duties were again
| increased and huctuated between that epoch
| aud l7Si from 81 to ll9 per cent.--In the last
! mentioned year. however. the government
having IN vain tried every other means TO pre-
vent the smuggling and adulteration of tea
reduced the duty from ll9 to l23 per cent;
and the revenue, instead of falling off in the
proportion OF one to Ten, owing TO the increas.
Ell consumption, only deciiuedis the proper
ton of one 10 three. In 1887 the duty on wine
and spirits wax lowered 50 per cent, but the
revenue notwithstanding was considerably
augmented......Ths annual average pro.
auce OF the tex OH coffee, for tho three years
previous to 1905, amounted to f l66 !OO0 In
the course of that year the duty was reduc.
ed from two shiliinss TO seven uence the
hundred weight, and the average annual pro-
duce OF the reduced duty for the next three
years, instead of being diminished, rose 10
& l95. 900.
These few remarkable facts serve incoutes-
iibiy To prove, more than whole libraries of
| theoretical reasoning could do, that the finan.
| ctei, who calculates upon raising revenue by
uutics upon imports. must unav OF bly, be con-
| tent To make them moderate, or TO lose his
obJect.-They also force upon our minds this
| important qnestion-wieiher the deficit which
ocSHIred IN orr revenue last year. and the
still greater Que which threatens us tor tls
present year, are not both Attributable al
least IN part. to the very high rates of MANY
oil our existing dntiesf
If the design of the proposed tariff be to
force iuto beng certain manufactures which
had no previous existence here, or 10 foster. ar
the national expense, such as have been found
after SUFFICIENT trial incapable Of being other
wise supported, the hope OF revenue from this
source must be abandoned for il is a physical
impossib:lity that the 1--WE projects cav be con.
summafed together. Ii manufactures are 10
be forced. the treasury Golfers must remain
empty, Tor aay thing that the tariff can brima
m Hmm Nm nj A
imports is to augment tho revenue, the man
utacturing Interest must be content TO reIy
upon her own energies, without calling OH
government 20 make crutches tor her of both
agriculture aTd commerce, to support that
body WHICH, in the mania of speculation, has
been dieted and swelied into an unnatural
growth too unwieidy for her own natural
limbs to sustain.
Let us take another view Of the sub,ect.-
IL 1t has become settled point in our poicv.
that no jnsiifabie means are to be nerIe cted
TO render this nation great naval power, as
essential to the Union, Az protective of the
great ans only outlet for all the agricultural
products OF the immense regions of the west
~ is we'll worthy of enquiry whether IL possi-
bly, can be effected by multiplying discourage.
meHis to foreign commerce. eau our hardy,
ma.Danimous aud dauntiess seamen. whose
pursuits have heretofore exposed them TO the
peiils OF every ocean, TO Tie Vicissitudes of
every cline, aud Injured them to-, that con-
slant regimen and discipline so we'll calculate
lite, can such men. with any advantage to onr
rising navy, be converted into a set oil profii.
gale smuggiers, or OF sailors confined solely to
The coastibS trade YET, that such must be
Inc inevitable result OF their destroying, or
much I'm Their iDjuring our f0i eign Commerce
is contamination which appears to US as uu
aV0idab'e, as that death must follow the dcs.
trnciion Of all our vital functions. Commerce
Is TO ihe body polite what the circulation of
The blood is 10 the body natural To check
either materially is 10 produce disease; aud
10 ansmtnt snch check, in any great degree
i. TO destroy the heal,hfal existence of botb.-
Again, Is u possible that we shall add mncb eli.
tber Ia the moral or physical power of this ma.
ton by'intGTpOsing legislative aids 10 acceIe-
rate Tho natural increase of that class of citl,
zcns Who, from The very nature of most of
thelr occupations, must neceasaTiIy be brought
up III way which TO say the least of II, Is s,,rp
Iy not the most favorable either TO health. 70
morals, 10 bodily, or intellectual vigor7 Can
" he within the scope OF any rational antici-
pati0n,that our manufacturers, one and all can
ever De made successful competitors to those
OF Sheffield. Birmingham, and Manchester.
VINO, by means of The very system ofwhich
SOME OF Us are so exec edin2iy emnlons, are
forced 10 labour from fourteen TO seventeen
hours 10 the twcpiy.i0nr. and to live almost
exclusively on vegetable diet, in order TO earn
q miserable pitiaBce of wages scarcely suffici- |
ent to keep body aud souI tosether7 Can auy.
me most Sahgnibe protector, calculate on ro.
ahzinE any such successful rivalry, except at |
udUplueES. \
anh legislative oppression, such as the citizens |
oHthe United States will never willingly inci,r7
In whatever way we view this subject aud |
we nave endeavoTed TO bestow on il all the |
consideration which IT'S great importance so |
justly merits, we cannot avoid anticipating
from the success of The tariff project iireparablp
injury, not OILY to agriculture and commerce.
ont 10 many OF tho mechanics trades immedi-
aieIy cenutcfed with and depsndent upon these
Two grsat sources Of the wealth and physical
power OF ibis Eation. Agriculture, already be.
ieii OF all heJ ability 10 pny taxes, by a com.
pna'on OF circumstances, among which our
protecting duty system holds a prominent st,.