Virginia advocate. [volume] (Charlottesville, Va.) 1827-1860, 1830-06-25

d ousnel. AT these prices the West could
be supplied with this salt, at New Orleans,
ii the duty was abolished but in conse-
quence of the duty it costs 81 cents per
oushel there, being four times the import
price OF the article, and seventy-6ve cents
per bushel at Louisville, and other central
parts OF the valley of Mississippi. This
enormous price resolved into its CONDO.
nent parts. is thus made up: 1. Eight or
nine cents bushel for the salt. 9. Tween
~ cents for duty. 3. Eight or ten cents for
mercnants profit at New Orleans. 4. Six
teen Or seventeen cents for freight to Lou
'sV'''e' FIi,eenrto twenty cents for the
second merchants profit, who counts his
per centum on bis whole outlay. In all
aDout seventy.hve cents for a bushel OF fiE
~ pounds; which, if there was no duty.
and the tariff regulations of weight for
measure abolished, would be bought i'm
New Orleans by the measured bushel of
80 lbs. weight, for eight or nine cents,
and would be brought up the river at the
rate of 35 cents per hundred weight. 1t
thus appears that the salt tax falls heaviest
upon the West. 1t is an error to suppose
that the South is the creates, sufferer
Inc West wants it for every purpose the
the South does, and two great purposes
BESIDES ;-c"rtng provision for export,
ana SaHing stock. The West uses alum
salt, and on this the is the heaviest, be-
cause the price is lower, aud the weight
greater. Twenty cents ON salt which
costs or cents bushel, is a much hea-
Vier DUTY than on that whic cost Is cents;
and then, deception in the substitution of
weight Tor measure, is much greater in al
um salt, which weighs so much more than
the Liverpool blown. Like the South,
the west receives no bountes or allow an
ces, on account Of the salt duties. This
may be fair in the South, where the i'm
ported salt is not re-exportd upon fish or
provisions; but it is unfair in the West.
where the exploration of beef, pork, bacon,
CHEESE and butter, is prodigious, and the
foreign salt is re-exporied upon the whole
Oft
Mf. Is. then argued with great warmth,
that Inc provision curers and exporters
were entitled to the same bounties and al.
lowances with the exporters of fish. The
claims OF each rested upon the sams prin-
lc'pIe, and upon the principle of all draw
backs, that of a reimbursement of tho dr.,
~ when was paid on the imported salt
when re-exported. on fish, and provisions.
The same principle covers the beef and
pork OF the farmer, which covers the fish
erman; and such was the law in the be.
gInhIng. The first act of congress in the
year 1850. which imposed duty upon
salt, allowed bounty in lieu ofdrawback.
on beef anc pork exported, as we'll as fish.
lhe bounty was the same in each case {; il
was hive cents quinta on dried fish: five
cents barrel on picked fish, and FIVE ON
beet and pork. AS the duty on salt was
increased, the boun,ies and allowances
were increased also. Fish, and sailed
beet and pork, Jared alike for the first twen-
~ years They Jared alike till the revival
OF the salt tax at the commencement, of
the late war. Then they parted comma
ny; bountlcs and allowances were contip-
ned to the fisheries, and dropped off beef
aud pork; and this has been the case ev-
er since. The exporters Of fish are now
drawing ct the rate of $3.50, 600 per an
mum. as reimbursement for their s,It
tax; while exporters of provisions draw
nothing. The aggregate of the fishing
bountIes and allowances, actually drawn
from the Treasury. exceed five million Of
dollars while the exporters of provisions,
who get nothing, would have been enti.
tied to draw a greater sum fo1 the ex-
port IN sailed provisions, exceeds the VAL
ne OF exported fish.
MT. b. conld not quit this part of his
subject, without endeavori1g to fix the at.
tention OF the Senate upon the provision
trade IN rs largest sense, as including the
export trade Of beef, pork, bacon, cheese
and butter, to foreign countries, especial
Iy the West Indies the domestic trade to
the lower Mississippi and the Southern
States; the neighborhood trade, as supply
ing the towns in the upper States, The mi
ners ID Missouri and the upper Mississippi;
the army an the navy and the various
professions, which, being otherwise en-
pIoyed, did not raise their own provisions
The amount Of this trade, in this compre-
henslve view, was prodigious and annually
increasing, and involving in it's current al.
most the entire population of the West
either as the growers and makers .,f the
provisions, the curers, exporters, or con-
sumers. The amount could scarcely be
ascertalned What was exported from
New Orleans was shewn to be great; but
1t was only fraction of the whole trade.
lie declared it to be entitled TO the favor
able consideration Of Congress, and that
the repeal of the salt duty was the great
est favor, ifan act of justice ought to come
under The name Of favor which could be
rendered it. A reduction in the price Of
salt, next 10 a reduction in the price Of
land, was the greatest blessing which the
Federal Government could now confer uP-