The Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1818-1824, 1820-10-24

iiniar rate There are duties imposed on
1her articles. TO an exorbiant amount, which
have tended 10 depress commerce, the reyen
ne, aud the agriculture OF the country An
enormous duty has been imposed upon spirits
81 all kinds, and upon wines, under the idea
hat they were luxurious, and wilhs vain
hope, as is believed, OF discouraging intern
perance. Under the idea of their being lux
urious they should be taxed to the utmost they
would bear without discoarsglng importa
tinn BH. the idea of taxing and thereby
checking the disposition to iniempsrance will
always prove ialIacious, so long as we allow
ardent spirits to be manufactured among
ourselves without any check whatever AZ
The dHiies on the rum of the West Indies, the
Brandy OF France. and The Wines Of Portugal
aud Spain and the Islands appurienani. had
been predicated Upon The single principle
OF rasIDg a revenue, vas. commerce would
have been open TO the people of this country
which the exorbitant duty now imposed has,
IN manner. cut up by the roots.-Formerly
when The duties were less, the grain which is
now manufactured into whiskey, was export,
ed 10 those countries and for il the farmer
or IN the. accessories of iiie.--Now he con-
verfs II into wh'skey; too great portion of
which be himself IS tempted to consume. 10
the aes'ructios OF his health and The ruin OF
his morals And thus The benevolent intentions
al The Legislature lave been wholly frostra-
ted /; and a regulation which they intended
as a blessing has proved curss.--It has now
got To be fashionable IN some parts of the
Union TO say thai the production of whlskey
must be encouraged and for that purpose,
that all other ardent spirits mnsi be excluded
IN order that agriculture may be promoted
How mech better ii would be TO remove from
the farmer all temptation to The consumption
OF ardent spirii and to furnish him with
better. a. well as a more salutary vent for his
gain? Your memorslsts have not been led
TO these remarks by any thing like hostility to
the manufacturing interests. They are, on
the contrary. decidedly in favour of all reas-
enable encouragement 10 promote, uphold ADD
cherish every thing Of that kind. But your
merporia,sis b al never dreamed it would ever
be considered necessary or propey iha, all 9th
er interests should he made to Weld, as second
AIRY and tributary. 10 that alone. They are
sure this MAS no, the original design Of the
trainers OF the constitution In that instr,i-
rnsnt We find nothing about manufactures -
They, however, have pressed INTO their ser
vice an elaborate e..ay Of The celebrated
Alexander Hamilton on this subject. They
have adopted hls principles but disregard heir
application. He insisted on The encourage
ment OF manufactures so far as nigh, be con-
sislent with q due regard to commerce and
the collection Of revenue. The duties
now, are nearly treble what the, were when
he wrote and, on an average. higher by one
one hundred per cent; than be, lnlhe height OF
hls zeal for manufactures, ever recommended.
In the else Of IRON, the luiy on which was
moi bali whs, u now is, he recommended
dininuiioD, under an idea that II was, almost,
a raw material, necessary in every kind Of
mechanism: and the same with regard 10
Dolssses, which We could, ourselves, disii!l
4 the time he wrote, IT was necessary.fo urge,
with great ,ehenence, upon The attention OF
congress, ibis subject OF encouraging manutsc
lures, IN order 10 have /, attended 10 so far as
might be compatible with the other great
interests Of the community. But he could
not have ioreseen tins abuse and peryersion Of
III ftdse1iib. ny never Coult IN We fmagfD-
ed, that the lime would eonae when il would
be deemed good policy to make The people
pay from thirty to one hundred per cent more
for goods to the manufacturer than they nigh,
Otherwise be bought for Of the importing
Merchant
Your MEMBERSHIPS believe the duty now
imposed on foreign manufactures to be fully
adequate 10 any reasonable demand on the
parl Of the American manufacturer - All the
cotton and wooden manufactures which have
been proyideaiially established, and well man
aged, are periseAy satisfied with the present
rate OF dutles.--Frem these we hear no COM
plant and hey are considerably numerous
~ the northern and Eastern Staies.--B such
as were established without judgment, w,lhou,
capital, and wv lboui the aid Of any skill
whatever have ii course, mouIdered into
ruin Such II Cannot compod with the Wis
dontM policy OF goveFninen, 10 attempt to
revive and nnhed ---------
ioi,T snemorialists believe that the excite
setl m favour OF manufactures has had its
oIlsih raihe' in the improsidence and rash
eoferprize OF some of our fellow citizens, than
IN any well grounded cause f complaint. II
may be that between 1912 and 1875 a stale
OF things existed which induced individuals ~
great numbers, even 10 plunge inconsiderste-
u In q vfr ant md III sol