Martinsburg gazette and public advertiser. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1826-1833, 1829-01-08
whole N o. 1910

pay, IN their consumption of particular
articles Imported. q tax for the com,oon
treasury, not common to all The States.
without having any manufacture or pro.
duct OF their own, to partake of the con.
templsted benefit
VI the imprsciicsbility Of separate re-
gulations Of trade, and the resulting ne.
eessity OF general regulations, no state
was more sensible than Virginia. She
was accordingly among the most earnest
Tor granting to Congress a power ade-
| quaie TO the object o. more occa sions
than one in the proceeding her Leg;s.
'alivs councils II was reeited that the
relative situation Of the States had been
found, on friat, to require xa,,ovmify ia
their commercial regulations a. the only
eHectual policy for obtaining in the ports
OF foreign nations a stipulation Of priyi-
ieges reciprocal to those enjoyed by tho
subjects oil such notions in the ports Of
the U. States, for preventing animosi-
ties which eanno, fail TO arise among the
several States from the interference OF
partial and separate regulations; and
Tor deriving from commerce such aida
to the public revenue as it ought to COM
| tribute. Sc"
During the delays and discourage
ments experienced in the attic mpts 10 in.
vest Congress with the necessary pow
ers, the State of Virginia made variouA
trials of what could be done by her indi.
| vidual laws. She ventured on duties
and imposts as a source Of revenue: Re.
solutions were passed at one time 70 en-.
courage and protect her own navieation
and ship building; and In consequence
of complaints and petitions from Nor
folk, Alexandria, and other places, a.
galnst the monopolising navigation laws
OF Great Britain, particularly In the
trade between the United States and The
BRITISH Vest lndiss; she deiiberated.
with purpose controlled only By thu
'netficacy of separate measures. on the
experiment OF forcing reciprocity by
prohibitsry regulations of her own, (see
Journal Of House Of Delegates In 1881
The effects Of her separate attempts
to raise revenue by duties on imports.
soon appeared in representations from
her merchants, that the commerce Of thu
State was banished By them into other
channels, especially Of Mary land. wbere
imports were less burdened than in viz
ginia. rsee Do for 1861
! Such tendency for separate regula.
lions was indeed too manifest to escape
antc'pation.---Among the projects
prompted BY the want OF Federal au.
| thority over commerce, was that Of =
concert first proposed on the mart of
Maryland for uniformity Of regulations
between the two States, and eomm;s.
sioners were appointed for that purpose.
II was soon perceived, however, that
the concurrence Of Pennsylvania was q.
necessary to Maryland as Of MARYLAND
to Virginia, and the concurrence Of
Pennsy wanna was accordingly invited
But Pennsylvania could no more concus
without New York than Marylan With
out Pennsylvania, nor Nav York With.
ont the concurrence OF Boston. &c.
These projects were superseded for
the moment by that Of the Convention
at Annapolis in 1856, and forever by tLe
Convention at Philadelphia in 1857, and
the Constitution which was tie fruit OF il.
There is passage in MIR. Neckar's
work on the finances If France which
affords signal illustration Of the diff
Guilty of collecting, in contiguous CONF
muntiss, indirect taxes, when not the
same ia all, by the violent means resor.
ted 70 against smuggling from one to a.
| bother OF them. Previous 10 the late
Revolutionary war in that country, the
taxes were OF very different rates In the
different Provinces, particularly the tax
on salt. which was high ia the interior
provinces and low in the maritime. and
the tax on tobacco, which was very high
in general, whilst in some Of the pro.
vinces the use Of the article was altogeth.
ar free. The consequence was, that
the standing army Of the patrols against
smuggling had swoln to the number Of
twenty three thousand, the annual ar.
rest of men. women, and children, en-.
gagged in smuggling TO five thousand
i've hundred and fifty; and the number
annually arrested or 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 GalIies.
i May il not be regarded as among the
providsntial blessings to these States.