Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1827-03-30


Again
"The encouragement of Manufactures is OF TOO
much importance not 10 ensure co ,,
of their efforts in every way that shall appear
eligible. "-1Message Of 1896.
MIR. Jefferson's views correspondent exactly
with those Of General Washington. La his
Message of 1902, he distinctly recommends the
protection Of manufactures TO Congress.
"To cultivate peace, maintain commerce and
NAVIGATION. 10 foster our fisheries, and PRO-
TECT MANUFACTURERS adapted to our
circumstances &c, are the landmarks by which
| 10 guide ourselves in all our relations"
And are these overwhelming testimonies TO
| he Sc, aside by the new-iangled construction OF
Mr. Hamilton, Mr.. Tattnall, Mr.. Cuthbert, Mr.
Archer, &c. &c.? Forbid it reason and COM
mon sense. We might, if such construction
were attempted to be forced upon US, say with
MIR. Taunall, when he so violently opposed
the attempt to rescue from ruin our manufac-
lures, on which the Middle States SO mainly
depend-
"Shall we submit to such treatment?-No,
sir, we cannot sc. sc. &c.
But this is language we scorn 10 use.
Surprising with Mr.. Hamilton, however lilo
| gically, that protecting duties are "6ountiss, -
have we no precedent to plead for them? Has
| our Government refrained from "bounties," as
"the accursed thing" that "vioiates the Constitu-
tom" What will Mr.. Hamilton say, when he
reads The following section Of law, passed Ju-
ly 90, 1918: 1.
son all 5ickled fish Of the fisheries Of the u.
States, exported lherefrom, subsequent to the
last day Of December, 1914, there shall be al.
lowed and paid, bounty yes, MIR. Hamilton,
bounty oftwsnty cents per barrel"
1t will be said, this is but drawback of the
extrayaganl and enormous duty on salt This
is no answer 1t lis, TO all inten!s and purposes,
a bounty. But lay no sort of stress on this
fact The argument is too strong to need it.
But has the Government laid no duties on
importation for The protection Of agriculture!
| The high duties on cotton and hemp, in 1889
were laid expressly to enc ourage the growth Of
those articles in the South, the staples ofwhich
were then most lamentably deprecated, as wit.
ness the Jeremiad Of Edanus Burke, the
10Th of April, in tina, year.
"The staple products Of South Carolina and
Georgia were hardly worth cultivation, on &C
count Of their tall in price. The lands were
certainly well adapted TO the gro,cth fhemp, and
| he had no doubt but its culture would be prac-
! tised with attention. Cotton was likewise in
contemplation among them; and IF good seed
| could be procured, HE HOPED MIGHT SUCCEED.
| But the low strong rice lands would produce
hemp in abundance-many thousand tons even
this year, fit were not too late in the season."
-LIoyd's Debates of Congress, Vol. T. 70.
Mr.. Tucker, another Of the Representatives
from South Carolina, joined in the doleful cho-
rus with Mr.. Burke
"The situation of South Carolina was melan-
choly. While the inhabitants were deeply in
debt, the produce of The Slate ,oas daily falling in
price Rice and indigo were become SO low as
TO be considered by many, not objects worthy Of
cultivation. "-ldsm, p. SO.
The duties imposed at that time on those
bulky raw materials, cotton and hemp, were $50
per cent higher than those on the finest cotton
or hempen goods. ;
Cotton sells now 10 the South for seven, eight,
nine, and ten cents per pound. The duty, which
is actually prohibitory, is three cents, equal TO
IS per cent
The cheese imported in 1925, averaged about
sixteen cents (29,o67 lbs. cost S4,e63). The
duty is nine cents, equal 10 81 per cent. But
cheese in Holland is only six seven, eight, or
nine cents per pound, and, therefore, SO far as
regards that quality, the duty is from 100 to
f50 per cent trust no man Of honor will de-
ny that this is protecting duty. 1t is in
great degree prohibito-y.
The enormous duties on snuff and tobacco,
from 70 to go per cent. imposed in 1889, were
intended to be, and actually were, prohibitory.
The object was to secure the tobacco planter
the consumption Of the country, and this was
effeclually accomplished.
The exorbi,ant duty, three cents per pound,
equal to IS 100 per cent. on brown sugar,
necessary Of life, used chiefly by the poor, is
for the protection Of the wealthy planters in
Louisiana, who always vote en- masse against
the protection of manufactures, by duties Of IS,
80, or SO per cent The duties on sugar ope-
rate ruipously on the merchants engaged in the
West India trade, in which that article forms
a,chief item of remittance, and is always, oil at
least almost always, losing concern The at
,empts to reduce the duty to two and half
cents per pound were rejected by the Southern
votes, which are rarely divided.
A member of Congress voting againsta small
reduction Of the duty of Is 100 per cent in
his own favor, on bulky article, subject to hea.
Wy freight, and next hour voting against duty
Of so or 40 per cent in favor Of his fellow cit-
zens, on light article, such as cottons, exhi-
bits moral phenomenon, not calculated to e1-
- H.