Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1827-03-27

Se'e''Feu, ana all Blush vessels again excluded
from our ports.
present moment. The laws oil 1913 and 1920,
pros ioing British vessels from visiting our ports,
are no. NV In operation. They are eu-peudej by
the act OF 1928 While that continues in force,
those LAWS annulled or at least their operation
and force suspended. If Congress should now re-
peal the &C, OF 1876, those laws would revive. and
be permanently in force; if Congress should sus-
pend that act, those laws would revive, and be in
iorce, during such suspension; and when such
suspension should cease, then those laws would
themselves be again suspended.
bearing in niind this existing state of the laws
he wished The members Of the House now to sx-
anime the several provisions OF the bill from the
senate, then before them. !.
lis hrsi provision is, that all discriminating du-
ties on British vessels and their carsoes, coming
from their colonies, from and after the 3Ist Of
december nexi, shall cease, any thing in the oct
~ 1876 10 the contrary notwithstanding. These
'as' words had no legal meaning whatever. The
discriminating duties, he had already observed,
were not laid by The act Of 1923, but by previous
laws.
This relereure, therefore. to the law of 1898, il.
wholly misplaced. That act, as he had air eady
repeatedly stated, found the dlscrmina ting du ,ies
exising, and It not only did repeal them, but
ieit mem Sill existing, as any one will see who
VIII tirn to the third section of that act itself.
But this bill, now under consideration, said
Mr. w J does repeal the discriminating duties, by
Whatever act laid; the repeal TO take place the
SIst day of December next. This is the precise
effect, and the whole effect of the frs, section.
From that time there will exist, il this bill pass,
no discriminating duties, TIL Congress pass another
law. Now, be must say he thought from what
ne bad heard, that this point had been elsewhere
viewed In wrong light. Ii had been viewed as
u the discriminating duties bad been created, or
nnaQH q I'm l.. So o..
truth existed by virtue of the law OF Isle; and
the irst section of this bill repeas the law Of 1876
80 tar as II applies TO British vessels coming from
;he Colonies after The 3lsi of December; and il
.abrosates and annuIs all discriminating duties on
such vessels, Internationally, and permanently.
Whether this were I'M ended or not, Che hardly
supposed it could be intended) ye, in fact such was
the unqnestionabls effect of The fist section of
this bill.
The second section is in these words.
" .4aa be ii further enactsd. Tha, the aci
passed On the Isl oil March, 1923, entitled An
act to regulate the commerc ia intercourse hetw
the Unned Staies aud certain British port,;' tue
act passed The lih day OF MAY, 1890, entitled
sAn ACT supplementary TO an aei eoiitled al ac,
concerning navigation and the act entitled An
act concerning navigation passed on the 18Th
OF April, 1918, aba be, end are hereby suspended
until the 3lst day OF December nexI, except SO
much thereof as imposes discriminating du:ies on
The tonnage OF foreign vessels and their cargoes -
Now, the whole eject of this section is simply
this, VIZ: to take away, suspend, Inc pIesi-
dents power OF issuing the proclamation, prohib-
i1ng British vessels from coming into ports
until the 3lsi day OF December, AMI to continue
things as they now till that time Ii first sus-
Ponds the act of 1928 II il had stopped here
the acts oil 1918 and 1929 would have been reyiy-
ed and in fnrce during The susf eosion; but il pro-
ceeds to suspend those acts also; so that the trade
Will beiefi open to British vessels, and there will
be no power la the President 10 stop it,
hat then viii be oar situation when the Isl
OF January comes? Why, it will be this: the laws
OF 1878. and OF 1920 will no longer be suspended,
II IS true, by virtue of the bill before us but,
then, the act oil 1923 will be again in force, and
those former laws will be suspended 6y force Of
that iato--so that shall be precisely where we
are now; ercept that the discriminating duties
WH be then absolutely and altogether repealed
6y the operation Of the first section Of this biI.
The British will still be able TO come here, and
to come here without the payment of alien
duties; until and unless the President shall issue
his proclamation, or Congress pass some further
law; although shall then have been excluded
from the British ports for whole twelve month
AL this, Sir, (sad MIR. w. must be manifest 10
any one who will read the bill.
| To this course he MIR W. was decidedly
opposed. He thought the House could not be
Government had ever maintained, thai we would
| have no commerce with countries or places whet,
our own ships were not permitted to 20. To CIV.
up this principle, would be, in his judg lnent tc
abandon one OF The highest interests OF the coun
try; TO doubt about it, TO hesitate on that in
terest, While he would propose the most rea
sonable terms TO the Englisb Government, snt
while he would give the most ample time for {
deliberate consideration of those terms, he would
at the same time, express the settled resolution o
this Government, in lhs form OF law, that if rea
sonabie terms not scceded TO- the I'M ours,
mus, cease. On tLis point he would leave ou
great commercial rivals nothing 10 hope. Il wa.
the more necessary. he thought, TO incorporate this
prosis into the bill itself, since the English
Government, he must confess much 10 his surprise
negotiation The subject. II, them the matter i.
to be settled by legislation, The sooner il is sc
settled the better.
The lasl section Of this bill (ssd MIR. W pro-
vides or intends to provide, that, if, before the
3lst OF December, the English Government shall
open the trade 10 without discriminating duties on
their part, then the President may issue procla-
nation, and the trade is TO be opened equal
terms on part. This was all very we'll, 10
far; tut here the amendment proposed by the
| honorable member from Connecticut, was TO ap
| ply II to be added to the bill, and was in
these words:
And " no such proclamation shall be issued
on or before the said 3lst day OF December next,
then, tom and after that day, he aforesaid act ol
the 18th OF April, 1918, and the aforesaid act oil
the 10Th OF May, 1920, shall revive and be 10 full
force, and the aforesaid act of The LIST OF March
1923, also the first section OF this act, sbsl be
repealed aud snnulleJ."
II The f,fiect of Tho entr nf on1 of