Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1824-02-24
RICHMOND VIRGINIA. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY "a, 1924

from which the gentleman comes who made the
| motion now under consideration, must look to
the West India market to dispose of the lumber
which shall float down their northern and Wes-
tern Canals. Deprive them of this market, and
their timber must be burned on the spot where
it grew, or their forests remain uncleared.
II has been insisted, Mr.. T. said, that the ar
gument whichhe had urged against the proposed
increase of duty on distilled spirits applied equal
ly to every part of the present bill, and would
prove that no augmentation of the present du-
ties on imports ought to take place. This argu-
rnent, he SAID, he must be permitted to pronounce
unsound, notwithstanding the high source from
which it proceeded. The trade to the West In
dies is of peculiar description. 1t consists of
bulky articles, and employs greater quantity
OF tonnage, and larger number of men, in pro-
portion to the capital employed, than any other
portion of the trade in which the merchants of
the United States are engaged. Our true poll
cy is to give protection to the domestic manufac-
ture of those foreign fabrics, the importation of
which affords employment to the smallest portion
of our navigation, and which cannot be paid for
in the domestic produce Of the country. If it
| be necessary to abandon any part of your COM
| merce for protection of domestic industry, first
abandon that which drains the country of spe-
cic but last of all that which returns specie for
the surplus of your bulky domestic produce.
The honorable chairman of the committee
who reported this bill has urged that the objec-
| tionraised against the proposed increase of duty
applies with equal force to the increased duty on
grass bonnets. Perhaps no instance will better
elucdate the propriety of the policy for which he
| contended than the one mentioned by that gen
tleman. The bolnets referred to, on the impor-
tation of which an additional duty is imposed, are
brought chiefly from Italy, and fabricated of a
light material. The domestic produce export
ed to Italy and Malta amounts to only $780,
and that consists of articles which cannot be OBJ
tanned as well elsewhere, and for which specie
will be paid If we consent to diminish the a.
mount of our imports from that country, now
exceeding 6 $50 200, by the domestic manufac-
ture of article of dress, the cost of which, in
the year 1922, in that country, was $3.50, 1928.
Now, sir, SAID Mr.. It. is il now apparent that
the trade which I advocate and wish to sustain,
bears no analogy to that mentioned by the gen.
tlemanfrom Pennsylvania While the former is
beneficial to both the agricultural and CONNER
cial interests of the country, those important in
terests are not materially advanced by the lat
ter.
| But it has been said, by the honorable Speak
er, that, if the merchant refuses to receive, for
his cargo, distilled spirits, he will be paid in
something better. This is an entire mistake
Will the sagacious American merchant, of
choice, take an article IN payment on which he
must sustain certain loss? But the merchants
tell you that the amount of duty, cost and regu-
lar charges, on spirits imported, considerably
exceeds the price of this article, in our market.
The fact is not as the honorable Speaker sup
poses. The article in question is not taken, ex-
cept when nothing better can be obtained. Ii
the avails of the outward cargo could be received
in any other article, the American merchants
certainly are not so shOrt-sighted as to prefer
taking that which subjects them to certain loss.
But, sir, so far from giving something better
than distilled spirits, for our domestic produce,
| the inhabitants of those islands will seek the
| supplies elsewhere which they have been accus-
toned to receive from the United States. Black
| cattle abound in South America, and from that
country may be drawn supplies for the West
Indies. The timber of Canada will find its way
to that market for which the proposed measure
goes to exclude us, and the distilled spirits, which
will be received in return, may be transported
TO Canada, where its introduction into the Uni
ted States, without the payment Of duty, is easy,
and attended with little hazard. The transact
ons of the late war are not forgotten. 1t is well
understood that, towards the close of the late
war, foreign distilled spirits were abundant on
that frontier. This may again occur, if, by
augmenting the duty, you present an induce
men sufficiently strong toprostrate the integrity
of those engaged in this trade. 1t cannot be
concealed that excessive duties lead to snug
Cling and this will not only diminish the revenue,
but impair, seriously impair, the morality of the
country. Information received from an honora-
bic member of this Committee, supports the OPT
MON that the payment of the present duty is eva
ded by the introduction of foreign distilled spi-
rits, through the channel which has been menti-
oned. If brandy is constantly smuggled into
England, and in large quantities, from France,
is it not extremely probable that the same
course will be adopted, in country afording al
together greater facilities for the violation of the
| revenue laws.
The gentleman from Pennsylvania, fMr.
Stewart has defended, said Mr.. T. this additi-
onal duty, not so much or the ground that it is
intended as an encouragement to the manufac-
turo of domestic spirits, as for the promotion of
agriculture. The grain-growing portion of our
country, the gentleman told us, needed this pro-
lection. Sir what Is the protection your laws
now afford to the manufacturer of whiskey?
The average amount ofduty on foreign distilled
spirits, may be stated at ~ cents per gallon.
The average cost, in the West Indies, will pro-
baby not exceed 90 cents per gallon. You
have, then, duty on foreign spirits of more
than 200 per cent, Ought not the gentleman
TO be satisfied with this protection of his whis-
key Will he, indeed, insist on adding SO per
cent. to the present duty on imported spirits,
while on whiskey no duty is imposed' But this
additional duty is not necessary TO protect the
grain of the West. The existing laws have gra-
dually diminished the importations offoreign spi-
rits. Notwithstanding the population of this
country has nearly doubled, within the last TWEEN
ty years, the quantity of spirits imported has di-
minished more than 100000 gallons. The
diminution of the importations being in an in
| verse proportion to the augmentation of our po-
pulation, it is easy to see that the manufacturer