Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1820-08-29

increased at the expense of ours. Reg
ulations which are TO produce this effect
cannot be called hostile or unfriendly
they result from the desire which all
governments ought to feel of protecting
there own interest: it is equally vain for
us to expect our commerce to be what
ii has been as that the nations of Europe
will give ours preference TO their own
| (these are maXims reserved for our a
doption.) How to shape our course oil
| legislation on this subject, is matter OF
extreme difficulty. Committees of this
house have different plans system OF
commercial warfare is recommended, in
the hope that France will relax in hers.
We have thought it safest to make an
appeal, not to her fears but to her inter-
est-to give her peace offering by pre-
fering hers to the fabrics of India, rather
than to provoke by excluding her ships
from our ports. AS it affects merely
the manufactures of the country, the lat
ter would be the course to be pursued !;
for if, in the prosecution of this war of
legislation, she could exclude our cotton,
the rasers oft will Join US in creating a
market at home. In thus recommend
ing the measure which is opposed to the
interest of those for whose exclusive ben
eft the committee are said to be acting,
we hope to avoid the imputation of hos
tility to commerce. The navigation acts
on your table are bold measures, de-
signed to compel the two most powerful
nations OF Europe to give up their favor
lite sytems of commercial and colonial
policy, not the expedients of yesterday
or the moment, but settled, matured,
which have entered into all their favorite
plans of commercial and naval great
ness. In such contest there is much
risked If these measures produce the
desired effect, shall not be among the
last to rejoice: but if they fail--if, in
stead of saving they destroy your COM
merce, of producing relaxation, they
only add rigor to the regulations they
are intended to counteract, it shall not
be charged on the committee of manu-
ldCtulCo liial IL wac q pau Vi thNii ol o.
tenn. Had these navigation acts emana-
ted from us, l we'll know the clamor
which would have been excited; as they
have came from the commercial COM
mittee, they will be hailed by the mer-
camille interest as the means of restoring
commerce, and l hope they may prove
so; but having different opinion, fear
full that this measure would rccoil upon
US, destroying what it was intended to
save, we have inserted this feature in
the bill. A duty OF IS per cent. is pro-
posed on linen and minimus of25 cents.
The rate proposed by the committee of
ways and means in l8l is, was Cot was
fixed at Is: This is one of the most i'm
portant items of domestic consumption
fax, the raw material, raised in all parts
of the country, is not an article of export
to any extent---linen is one of the most
favored manufactures of England, it pays
no excise for home consumption,- land
the government pays a custom house
bounty of 25 per cent. Con coarse fabrics
when exported. Woolens and plain
cottons receive none-the duty on them
therefore operates for the double pur-
pose of revenue and a preference of ours
over the imported article. But as to
linen, the present duty only operates as a
tax on our own consumption, being 10
per cent. less than the British export
Misunderstanding, contrary to all prin-
ciples of a wise policy, decided pre-
ference for the foreign manufacture. Ii
is impossible TO imagine any sound rea-
son for leaving this most importan: arti-
Gle so wholly unprotected. In the pre-
sent tariff, if the committee have erred,
it is in not proposing still higher rate
of duty-on coarse linen it only equals
the bounty; and then, SO far as respects
the competition with our fabrics, makes
it duty free--on the finer, it has some
small operation as a protecting duty.
This increase Of duty on linen has caused
much complaint. The house will now
Judge with what reason this bill is called
an extrayagant one. The other objec-
tons, when examined, will be found to
have no more foundation than this.
The, next clause proposes duty of
80 per cent. on silk from India, 30 from
other places-it now pays Is. No good
reason could be discovered for SO low a
rate---it is an article used mostly by the
rich !; there is less danger of smuggling
than on most others--it is imported only
in large and valuable ships; and, if from
India. is allowed to be landed only in
specified ports. r A very intelligent
merchant from Boston, recomm ended a
duty of SO per cent. ON all kinds, from
every country alike; there will proba-