Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1830-02-20

rcbied In 1857, the duties French wines and bran
dy were reduced fifty per cent. under commercial
treaty; but tho revenue was increased with the con-
sumption. IL Is difficult devise any efficient scheme
Tor eniorens high or prohibiory duties. They have
never bccn eiiectually executed in any country, and
here 1t Is utterly impracticabe. All our legal proyi
sions to guard against frauds with the exception of ac
tuai examination and appraisement, no purpose
Whatsoever but to cmbarrass fair traders and 10
thc snu-ger, whom the most ingenious contrivanccs
OF law eau never reach. Your Custom House officers
should be well paid, and the committee propose to mod
the very defective system of subjcc,ing their cmou.
neh's 10 all the fluctuations Of trade. In many in
Stances the collectors and surveyors have for
years, scarcely any salary cmolumens Even where
there u little commerce. you cannot dispense with their
services IL you mean that the should be guard
Cd The inspectors and every officer in the service of
he custom house, should be well paid if you expect TO
ensure vigilance hdety The committee also propose
OH embracing various provisions for further securing
the collection OF the revenue and another
10 the introduction, partially, OF warehousng system,
on wheh subject they beg leave TO refer their report
" inc lat session. They are not however, disposed to
recommends part our policy such as have
oeen adopted IN other countries for enforcing prohibto
ry duties; our laws already give to all who detect
smugsied goods, large share OF ibelled and condemn
cu merchandize When provision like this, which
ch's's me whole community, and virtually constitutes
every ciIeh custom house officer; when the pow
incentive OF sentsrcst fails am n.trume nj TO enforce
your revenue laws is idle attempt any other means
But, whether practicable not, before we embark in
any new scheme to enforce high duties, let inquire
into The expense attending similar experiment i'm other
counr es and whether ii is expcdent enlist in our
service, as they have done, army revenue officers
In Great Britain although encircled by limited marine
iohcrs, more easily guarded than ours the actual
peniture Tor the year ening the 9Th January 1929 for
water guard * harbor YES
ses, was i0o2'1 IS 4d about equal ia money to
l9oooOo dollars This is independent tho coast block
aie consisting OF 200 TO 1000, enrolled OH the books
oil the Navy and ready to be called aoat at any mo-
ment- The whole expense of collecting the revenue
rom customs III lS2S, was 81 1890 2s. 3D. about
$4,000 dollars; and of collecting the excise in BOG
''S los 3D. about 900 dollars; making an acgrc-
gate expenditure oil twelve millions six hundred
dollars for collecting the i'm Great Britain bcin
abouttwo millions more than the whole military naval
and civil expenses of our Federal Government France
houSh falling lar short OF immense boundaries has
an extensive inland frontier well as sea-board She
Is under The necessity of establishing three lines of re-
venue guards within the other on her frontiers
she has actually employed, in merely guarding the re-
venue enforcing the Tariff about % 900 mem five times
he number oil the army of the United States besides
me assistance OF the police, and gendarmere, &C. &c
ohe has actually more than 10000 men to enforce her
aNes ana guard her revenue. In the estimates for
iS2o, the mere expense of collecting her revenue and
other taxes is hundred and twenty millions of
francs, or upwards of twcnty-four millions of dollars
ocnS more than double the OF all the cxpendi-
lures oil our Federal Government. The whole revenue
from customs in France il about millions of francs
very nearly the same as the revenue OF the u States
Inc whole expense of collecting our revenue is be-
tween and 500 0J0 dollars Such are tn. con,cnuen
ccs winch grow out of an experiment to enforce proh-
oitory duties and cxorbitant taxes. How much better
would be Tor the people of Great Britain and France
were both To do away the necessity of such an
binary expenditure, by undertaking their taxes and in
creasng their consumption and revenue; and were the
former TO apply twelve, and the latter twenty three nil
lions annually, towards ex,nguishins their national
debt H. on the comparatively limited circle of France
s"ch an enormous expenditure of mon.y is necessary
IN an attempt TO enforce heavy npositions on the
PIE, what amount would probably be required for a
similar service, uHmeasurcd even unc xplored
frontiers! The circle Of our military frontier excluding
It's angles and our Atlantic border, is five thousand
miles, and VIC have not, even in army, soldier for
every mile We have, besides, our extensive and wind
ag coast, reaching from the British Provinces in the
North, to Mexico. With such frontiers and The OWE
rience of Great Britain and France before ms il !, not
probable that shall make the visionary experiment of
permanently enforcing system of restrictions on trade
III II ever IL attempted, the expenses Of such service
would exhaust the whole existing revenue of the u
States, and render ii necessary for us TO follow the
ample oil France and England, by introducing system
oil internal excise TO make up revenue reoired in
our aDorhvc attempt to enforce prohbitory duties
Hit were. however, practicable to eniore high du.
, ne' w w STATES al moderate expens', il would
ne very lar from our interest TO attempt it, The eH,c-
'ua execution OF such laws is the most serious Gala
NIFTY that can beial the Industry Of any couatry Thev
permanently refress trade by contracting its cireula
non, AMI diminishing the empoyments of capitsi aud
'aoor lhry crtail con Imp'ion lay restricting natu-
raj wants, and impover.hing hose who mu.usly con-
sumo the produce Of ation's indu.try The mann.
,c"er mistakes his own interest wbn he disree ards
INA! oil MS customer and axis for levy duties on con-
sumption. The miner and wool. grow, do III emseIves
"h"lnFy "y restricting the m'nu'acturrr in the sup
ply an" variety oil his raw materials. thereby inuring
me quaii'y oil hS manufacture, giving his foreign ri.
val an undue advantage over him, and permanentlv
depressing his trade. Their prosperity is mutual ana
edc Is Interest," IN encouraging tn. industry of Tho
otIer, by taking oil resjrictions moIsr and
nus extending the only eT.ciual eIcour, ZEN MI
"hi' enables your country 10 produce supplies ch.a
er Than other nations can'do This The only p.r,,a.
h'n otecion TO industry, whether il Eurcpe or Anne.
fica We are now pursuing policy towards our ron.
suneis similar 10 tina which Great Britain Crm., v
adopted towards all her American colonies ,rcv;o,s IN
our Revolution, and in reguli'iug IN. trade of her
northern colonies For more thsn seventy wear. she
exercised towards the latter rIpacious AMI m ,po-
plng pocy; she Kept them poor and insignificant, and
charge upon the Mother country: she Ia. AZ l,. die
covered. that rich Gu toners in peace and wc-fI
hi'eI III war, can only be made by reducing tax,s
hoii@hing restrictions, and granting 10 her provnco
the utno freedom of trade with every o.rt n, IN.
40 Id IL IN uhi be the object OF every G,v.rnmcnt
TO open and enlarge every market VIII .ther At home
or abroad, Tor The consumption Of its prouction, and
the supply Of wants.
In proportion as the circle Of commerce IL p,r,ov
co. he consumption and production If the nation ia iii,
ininshch and It's industry of every kind depressed
We saw an ILLUSTRATION Of This at the adepton of our
constitution, when ew life was infused into IN, il,
dustry OF every State in the Union by conmerciaiIv
exlngishing our thirteen small circles aud enareinc
our reciprocal trade TO the eIten Of our Ccnfcd.rarv
Were all this world of nations in one such com,n.y
claI coniederacv oi free trade the wealth. an re- sour
ce' OF every country would he rapily augmented and
Developed population would he more actively anil mi.
iormiv employed. and commerce ind hni,eiy extend
ed The ables Ministers Of modem tim.s b,v. hen
epsibie OF the Wholesome operation of liberal pol
ey but they have seldom been able 10 overcome s,ub
born prejudice, and The sill more stubborn and per
hack az l7l3 a treaty was framed securing CONNER.
| cial reciprocity between Fraure aud EooI,,J 49,, a..