Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1828-12-16


country to exact revenue on merchandise in
transmit; no commercial country that he knew Of
had ever adopted measure 90 injurious 20 its own
navigaton.-The sole object coutemplsisd by the
original act Of l7o9-ths first act levyinE duties on
importation-was to indemnify the Government
for all charges incidental to wsrehousing merchan-
disc which might be exported with tho benefit Of
drawback. Ii was never intended to impose the
smallest fraction OF tax on such merchandise Tor
purposes Of revenue. The act of 1888 authorised
a deduction OF enc per cent. from tho moaerute du-
Ieso; thatday, when the ad valorem rates were ge-
Morally at S and Z i-2 per cent. The charge was
equal TO about i've cents on every hundred dol
lars, and was exclusively designed to cover all in
eioentaI expenses. Under the stamp act. stamp
duty was imposed on dsbsnture certificates. and to
cover this expense an additional deduction was
made 10 1900.
From omission, or from some other cause. when
the stamp duties wero repealed, the deduction from
the drawback was not restored 70 its original rate
I'VE IL u since very considerably increased the
inPosts 10 30, 10. 50 per cent and upwards, until
the amount now d educted for the mere expenses
OF warehousing, 10 sixteen times tho rate originally
contemplated. while the expenses have in the
meantime actually dimnshed. There was no
cause now existing for retaining any portion Of the
duty for the purposes mentioned ia the original
act. Every expense that could possibly be charge
able on eschaRdise deposited in public stores
and every Custom House fee must be paid before
Il can be taken out Of the possession Of the officers
OF tho Customs. The property, while under the
care OF Government, WA Al the risk Of the owner;
the Government was In no manner responsible for
'n safety. We were already. by existing laws,
amply udemnified Cor every expense inciden tai to
merchandise designed for expectation, and tho dc
ducton from the debcnture could not be defended
on that ground. He not aware that any other
commercial nation had made any such deduction,
unless Il was in lieu Of ali incidental charges for
storage, &C. The sole object of the bill, said MIR.
Z. is to place our foreign trade on the wise aud
liberal footing OH which other natisns had placed
theirs But even il We pass this bill, our naviga-
ting interest will not enjoy advantages equal to
| those granted by other nations to this branch of
| trade. In Great Britain merchandise may, upon
application 10 the Commissioners Of the Treasury
| remain in entrepot indefinitely for years, without
even an entry being made, Of the payment Of any
duty.
According to our laws the duty must be paid at
the expiration Of certain terms. The navigating
interest Of this country solicited no favors-they
asked merely to have restrictions taken off which
actually operated as an encouragement to the ma
vigation OF Great Britain and France, at the ex-
pence Of our own commerce. To tax the carrying
trade was substantially nothing less than evying a
toll on merchandise for the privilege OF crossing
the Atlantic Ocean. But there was another and a
| stronger objection. II the z J-2 per cent deduc-
ton from the duty should be continued, its effect
would be 10 impose discriminating duty on our
own navigation in favor Of the navigating interests
oil France and Great B. ;ain, our competitors for
the profits Of the carrying trade. Such a measure
would be detrimental not only to the navigating,
but TO every interest in the country IL would be
utterly inconsistent with every rule of sound poll
cy, and with the practice of all nations sharing In
the carrying trade OF the world The bill would
be essentially serviceable to foreign commerce.
and would enable us TO contend with other ma
| tions in branch Of navigation which had been
| uniformity favorite in ali commercial countries
Mr.. Barney observed that the honorable gentle
| man from Kentucky appeared to have taken up an
impression OH this subject, which was directly the
oil, Il
| tieman seemed to suppose that large proportion
OF the amout OF goods imported for draw back is on
foreign account The reverse is the truth. By far
the larger portion OF our whole imports are for the
consumption OF the country, and those intended
Tor re expectation imported almost entirely by
our own merchants.-When foreign merchants
ship those goods, which the usual subject of
our drawback system, they ship them direct to the
ports where they intend finally to send them,
without entering our ports at all But when our
own merchants import tor drawback, it is usually
with view to re-export the cargoes to the West
Indies ana South America. The bill operates on
American merchants almost exclusively and its
OBJECT Is TO benefit them, and not foreigners. Ii
Makes IN fact, the ports OF the u States free ports
and its operation will be to enable the foreign mer
chont 10 find here all those msce llaneous kinds of
merchandise, which are requisite to make I'D an
assorted cargo The retaining of the two and half
per cent OF duties operates AZ injury TO the car
ry;ng trade-a trade which no wise nation will fax
fof revenue. Great Britain has in her colonial do
minons, near our own frontier, free ports, which
she has opened for the very purpose OF riyainc us
IN this trade; and the result of this wise measure
on their part, Is, that British merchants are enabled
to save almost the whole of the freight. Under
such state OF things, our obvious policy is to free
our trade from every shacke. Our trade to South
America Is increasing every hour, and has alre adv
so lar advanced as to constitute one. third of our
whole exports.-Under this state of things, we
ought to encourage il by every means in cur pow.
err Mr.. b. concluded by again insisting that
the operation oil the bill would terminate on A.
merican, aud not on foreign mercantile interests
Mr.. Buchanan said, it was his intention to vote
in favor OF The bill, and he wished. in few words
70 state MS reasons II 10 true, as the gentleman
from Kentucky, [Mr. WickIifel has stated, tina,
the passage of this bill will diminish our annual
revenue from $l50,000 TO l60, 900. The question.
then, is, will the object sought to be accomplish
ed more than indemnify the country for this los,
oil revenue! He thought it would. The bill rests
upon very simple principle. Great Britain is
struggling TO obtain the carrying trade of thu.
world. She has established free ports throupbout
her extensive dominions. in which her merchants
may deposit foreign merchandise without the paw
ment OF sny transit duty The wise principle up
on which she acts, is, 10 burden her foreign trade
as little as possible. II passes free through her
doninlons to foreign countries. The question then
IL. Shall the American merchant be placed up-
on the same footing! Great Britain is our great
rival for the carrying trade; and ought we not to
enable our merchants 10 struggle against this pow
erful competition with the same advantages which
her merchants possess Our laws impose tran
SIT duty OF 2per cent, upon the existing rate
OF duty, on all foreign merchandise imported into
the United States, to be transported to foreign
countries This operates as discrimin atng du.
ty in favor OF the English and against the Aineri.
can merchant All other circumstances being g.
quail, II would, in effect, be premium to that A.
mount, to enable the foreign merchant 10 UNDER
sell our merehantin foreign markets. The sim