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

To the Honorable the Senate. and the Honorable
the House of Representatives Of the United
States Of America, in Congress. assembled.
The Memorial of The Delegates from the
commercial and agricultural sections OF the
State OF Maine, met in Convention al Portland
IN behalf Of the great interests Of this portion
Of the Union, beg leave, respectfully. 10 make
known to your Honorable Body. their views
and sentiments in relation to the propositions
made at the last session of Congress. and
which, il is understood, will be rene we'd At
the approaching session, in relation TO he ma
tional revenue. MaiLe Is more deeply inter
esied in proportion to lis population, in the
commercial prosperity OF the Union than anv
other OF the States.--lts tonnage has been
proporlionaliy greater. and its facilities for
navigation, its rivers. bays and harhours, its
opportunities for carving on The fisheries. it,
immense forests OF exportabIe lumber and
ship timber are mequalIed. vast portion
Of the population are devoted and habtnaled
10 Commerce, 10 navigation and the fisheries.
Maine is, at The same time. calculated to be
come an agricultural State, and will be the
frs, grazing country in America Under
| these circumstances, your memorialists can hut
| feel the deepest soci'ude for the prosperity
OF The commerce of the counry.--They be
| liese at the same time that The vital Interests
of the Union depend upon it
The federal government was ushered into
| existence with almost single eye 10 it.. The
revenue is, and nust be essentially coosected
with tit has. heretofofe. been believed
that experience afforded the best school In
politics II has been pre-eminently so--csn il he
said TO have failed US in regard to the COM
merce of The United States
II we turn our eye to the period anterior 10
The commencement of the Federal Govera.
men', and compare the situation OF this cognirv
with that Of any period since, the conlras, is
immense. BY what other means than inposi,
growing out OF judicious regulation OF com
merce, could We have collected, in The short
space OF thirty years, three hundred and fiftv
millions OF venue. with but little, or indeed,
comparatively, with no distress TO the people,
and IN manner scarcely felt or perceived
bv them. What distress, perplexiiy and sex
alton would have attended me collection Of
such SUN by direct taxation , We have
had some little experience of The effects OF this
mode OF raising 4 revenue. II is what the
people IN free government will not endure,
ii not unavoidable Your nemorialis con
ceise that The present = ~ the time for q
great and embarrassing change in relation tn
e.-Fhose CONNECTED with i have,
tor years, been struggling against series %
uoioward events, such as IL could hardly he
believed could he wi,hsio0i. The restrlc-
tive syslf Tell upon them With srea force
The war succeeded. and very nearly accom-
plished that portion OF their ruin which
had not before been Elected A, the conclu
son OF peace, crippled as they were, then
only alternative was to attempt 10 REGAIN
their hold upon commerce in competition with
stale Of things as novel as was embarrass
ing. They found all the world. also, d
peace and ready and determined, in com
mefciaI warfare, 10 dispute every inch ol
ground In this contest the commercial men
OF this country have been ever since engaged
II Is Impossible that the wisdom of Congress
should not have dIseefned the arduousnss, ol
this struggle. And II will not escape o,seTva
ton. a, The same time, that. in the FIVE year
N which it has progressed. more than one
hundred millions OF dollars of revenue have
tc'b b'iFtb toHp 1bIlitlflAN dipDt - aouI
memorialis,s are fully aware that the corninu-
nifty generally has ielt the effects OF he lis.
Iregy grId C7H0sTTaSsTGenf 10 which the mescan-
tile class have been subjected. Whsteyey
affects commerce viii affect the community
Bot the disease is necessarily the INST acute
and rag'n. IN the part where il first common
ces. Other parts of the system will, how
ever, Ultimately feel ii in q greaief or les. lie
gree --Commerce il lbe great pillar in he
Temple OF national prosperity That being
demolished the supers,ruclure will follow.
Even the present rate of duties upon IN,
por,aiion IS embarrassing 10 commerce, and
injurious 10 the revenue. 1t was he result
OF Stale oI things which had bees induced
by the restrictive system and the war. Du-
ring that period manufactures had experienced
a premature and unnatural growth. al the
conclusion of the war The government were
compelled 10 protect them by the imposition
OF duties, well known al the time, 10 be IN
FURIOUS 10 the revenue, and adding TO the al
ready appalling prospects OF The merchant.
The duties ~ many instances were so great
a. 10 amount 10 an exclusion OF the article.
This was the case particularly With coarse
| India Coitons, an aricls OF which The poorer
| classes made great use and The imposition is,
| IN effect, Tax upon them tor ihe benefit of