Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1824-03-04

oi 'he cuty upon Sait, thry may abolish tn,
drawback As to the discriminating duty, it il
already practically abolished.
But gentlemen may consider all our nayipa
tion laws as protecting To our commerce. I
they require only reciprocal Justice, the mea.
sure rs already more than full. The existing
rates M duty operate as incidental encourage
ment to our manufactures and are more thar
equal To any advantage commerce ever en-.
joyed.
But, continued Mr.. c., have now to con.
sider the most important objections to the a.
doption of the principles advocated by the
Chairman of the Committee on Manufac.
lures How will they operate upon our reve-
nue. system
There was time, sir, when we supposed
tnat IN imposing duties on imports, our main
ooJect was revenue-a time when our manu-.
facturers were satisfied with the incidental en-.
couraSement derived from our taxation. But
the war unsettled many Of our ancient and
sanitary Jules. We are no longer to guard our
Treasury. We established, in 1890, "A Com.
mIttee on Manufactures, which now calls upon
us 10 abandon the principle of all our former
re''sons of oar tariff, and To impose duties
Tor the purpose of prohibiting importations
ana extinSuishing revenue. Before we aban-
don our oid-tashioned revenue doctrine, let us
inquire what effect the measure proposed will
produce I'm our treasury
Inc object OF the committee, as stated nv
the chairman, is to prohibit manufactures inn
mtuiateIy, M isost cases ultimately, in others
IL matters not whether the measure operates
AZ once, or ten years hence. Whenever we
cease to import the articles designed to br re.
s'ricttd or prohibited, I'VE mast inevitably
cease 10 collect the revenue upon them. II
may be, sir, that the anlcipations of the com
hp cuI ,I,
ing these enormous duties, the urgent neces.
sites OF the country will still he supplied from
hnroad-but, IN that case, the measure is use
'ess--we augment our taxes without accom-.
pushing the object in view. In urging this
question, however, we must presume that the
purpose OF the committee will be accomplish
ed, and the articles prohibited According To
statement which have prepared, said Mr.
Z. from Treasury documents, it appears that
fhe manufactures designed Ia he protected by
prnlibifory duties, yielded. in The year ending
SUN sept. last, revenue of 81, 1877 ,e56; thai
other articles, partially manufactured, or form
ing raw materials for manufactures, Welded.
IN the same year, S9l3,969, and that the agri-
cultural articles yielded S27G.736-making,
altogether, S3,529, 96l Of revenue
1t is evident that, il the purposes of The
committee b. accomplished, IA very consider
able portion of this revenue must be rxtin-
Gn!sEed. In any event, our revenue system
VIII be seriously Injured by the measure.
Are we IN condition 10 tamper with orr
revenue! The present crisis is a peculiar one
~ the history ct our country. In our prospec-
I'VE specu'ntions, we cannot he too sensible
how much depends on the political events ri
lew months. whether we look al home or a
broad. On these hang the question of peace
or war-of diminished nr increased rxpendi
lure. BUT. whether we have peace or war, we
are not at liberty 10 tampcr with our revenue
Let us suppose that, notwithstanding the pre-
sent threatening Appearances of war, we ar.
destined to be saved from its heavy eXprndi-
lures and calamlies that we are 10 he go
verned by the wise councils of pacific adj
mInlstrail"n, consulting rather The happj- %
and best interests of our country, than the
qualification of warlike or projecting anbi
ton Let us suppose that we are to realize Is
years of peace, and (what would be a miracle
IN me history of govPrnment,l that we are TO
eXlInguIsh our public debt. Have gentlemen
considered that, in that case, il would become
our first duty To relieve the people from their
taxes If we believe that such will he TN, re-
sui, ought we moi cautiously To avoid any
augmentation ofour imposts ? trust that our
expenditure may not be permitted To keen
pace with our revenue, and that I'VE plHy, in a
~" years, pay of Il larg'' portion of our pub
lie debt, and diminish our taxes
But thrse are rather the spPcuIations nj
hope, than the result Of sober c:,icnlaiioo. and
should not he depended upon By statesmen.
We have striking instance of the error of
such specuaiio0s. In February, 1892. Mr..
Pit congratulated the nation on IFS general
prosptrity-the state of the finances-tbe
prosprci ut long peace-and calculated up-
on reduction Of the public Debt and pxpen-
U'tnre: Little did that statesman anticipatp.
that, in February 1898, the twrnty-ihret
years war weuld comnlpncr-a war ,yhirb
shook the foundation Of the Christian vy,rld
Little did he think, that in 80 wears the ex
penditure would be augmented from, IN IN IN
millions sterling and that the national debt
would be- trebl"d. All this, however. happrn-
ed. And, may IT not be f,irly attributed, IN
some measure, IN M unnecessary Interference
win the affairs NJ ether nations
trust, said MrC our history may not fur
n'sn 10 me next 30 years, a parallel case-but
when see gentlemen strPnuously advocating
measures cvirayagant and magnificent. and.
at the same lime, threatening To destroy orr
existing revenue system, am not without an
professions. Whence do wr expect to draw
orr lily millions for internal improvements ,
and our hundred millions for South American
subsidies?
But whether we embark in these schemes
OF n"', our revenue ought not fn he taiupprpd
WIN. II must he evident 10 ill. that. without
me acceleraiing touch uf uur Committee op
Hannidcturrs, the natural growth ur our do
mesirc industry muef annually diminish nnr
sources of revenue. Our existing rrvrrte viii
probably, Tar many years fo come. w., qu(Ii
cent to meet orr expenditures, and 80 enable
vs. gradually to extingmsh orr debt hnt, we
should rrc"'lrri that our expenditure. las il
happens 'n every country. advances with our
trv"nur. II was le-s than two milGnns thjriv
years ago. That ofthe present year viii ex-
coed ten inI'liuns--in both cases excluding the