Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1828-12-25

Wssi Indies, she deliberated, with > rrr,o,.
controlled only by The irefic scy a t.n' r,'s
measures, on the experiment of flrtiar a r,ri
procity by p'oh'huory regulations II he, own
See Journal Of House e Delegates In l-Qs
The ehect OF her separate attempts = rai-.
revenue by duIie, on imports. 500, aro,,,a5;s
representations from her me'c.4n'. IA; r..
commerce Of the Stat. was bar. re, ~ ,haaS
into her channels, especially Of MARYLAND
where imports were less burdened Ihan in W.
GINA. See Do. for 1886.
Such tendency Of separate re ru!a,io,s 1904.
indeed too manii St 10 escsp' anticipation. 4.
mong the projects prompted by he wan, Of e,
Federal authority over commerce, was tha, If
concert first proposed on The par, Of MARY.
land for uniformity Of regulations between
the two States, and Commissioners were an
pointed for that purpose. II was soon orrc,y.
ed, however, that the concurrence Of PrppsvI.
vania was as necessary TO Maryland as # Ma
ryand to Virginia, and the concurrence of
Pennsylvania was accordingly invited Nm,
Pennsylvania could no more concur wilton,
New York than Maryland wi,hoa, Penn,yh,.
MIA, nor New York wtrcu, the concurr.scs
o. Boston, SC.
These projects were superseded for the mo.
ment by that OF the Convcntrou ., AnnaDolisi i,
1886, and forever by the Convention at Phl,.
delphia in l7S7, and The Cons tuition which
was the lruit Of II.
There is passage in Mr.. Necker's work on
the finances Of France which sffords a signal l..
lus,raion Of the difficulty Of collecting, in con.
tiguous communities, indirect ,axes. when no,
the same 10 all, BY the violent means r.sor,td
TO against smuggling from one to anothe, #
them Previous 10 the late Revolutionary war
in that country, the taxes were Of very differ.
ept rates in the differen, Provinces; particular,
Iy the tax on salt, which was high in the int.
rior provinces and low in The maritime, and The
tax on tobacco, which was very high in gene,
raj, whilst in some of The provinces the use Of
tho article was altogether free The con~
,Iuence was, that the standing army Of patrols
against smuggling had swoln 10 the num"er,f
twenty-thrre tbousand the annual arrest Of
men, women, and children, engaged in SNUG.
Cling, TO FIVE Thousand five bundled and fny
and the number annually arrested on account Of
salt and tobacco alone, TO seventeen or eighteen
hundred, more than three hundred Of whom
were consigned to the terrible punishment, Of
the gallies.
May it not be regarded as among the pro,i,
Dental blessings of these States, that their geo.
graphical relations, multiplied as they viii be
by artificial channels Of intercourse, give such
additional force 10 the many obligations to he,
rish that union which alone secures heir pt ace,
their safety, aud their prosperity! Apar from
the more obvious and awful consequ,n IS Of
their entire separation into iudepenfen soyer.
eighties, il is worthy Of special copsideratian,
that, divided from each other as they mu,, be
by narrow waters and territorial lines merry,
the facility Of surreptiti,us introdoctons en-.
traband articles, would defeat every emp. at
revenue in The easy & indirrc, modes of mpost
& excise; so that while ,heir expenditure would
be necessarily and vastly increased w their new
situation, they would, in providing fer them, be
limited to direct taxes Oh land or other PRO.
perty, 10 arbitrary assessments on invisible
funds, and 10 the odious tax on persons.
Yon will observe that have confined myself
in what has been said, TO The cors,ituionalily
and xpe diency of the power IN Congress 10
encourage domestic products by regulations Of
commerce. In the exercise Of the power, they
are responsible to their constituents whose
right and duty it is, in that as in all other cas-
es, 10 bring their measures 10 the test OF justice
and Of the general good.
With grea: esteem, and cordial regard,
JAMES MADISON
Jos. c. CABELL, Esq.
The other Of the Letters shall be published