Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1830-06-01

CNpOr-s during iLe tvvc
petads alluded 10 find that almost the enrs nc WV
those o. the latter period over the former consist
OF me single article of Gotten. And vet sir we ye q
prave'y told from high authorv that hi. fact conc,,
sveiy proved that the tariff o: 1921 had increased on,
lo,e'sn commerce. But sir though il did not prova
wna was designed 10 prove il es,abished one ,bip
que eenc'uslveiy that the cotton planter so far from,
having IL in his power relieve himself from, ,h h
men OF taxation by limiting lis production and ,bcrsh,
Increasing The price OF what he produces is comuei
eo' as the alternative least ruinous 10 increase b;s
1neuon, in the hope Of making up in thai wav for de-
ulh'nshed price. Yes, sir, The heavier and mere on
pevsySur taxes have been, ihe harder has The plan
M ,aoo'eo' necessarily struggling against DECLINING
market; ana yet by his extraordinary exertions re~,
Iy adding TO the aggregate value If the na,is,al sx
por's. Between the years 1920 and 1925 the produc
y, co.'on exported was increased from l2T 900 600
% 300 600, 200 pounds, while tie oyyrega,e yst
was only increased from % 10 IS millions irdc,,,n
a' 10 'ne price OF cotton from Is to cents ponnl
".e oher n"hh TIE exports OF most OF the other pro
auctions Of domestic industry, and particularly .ra;n
turing me same peIioR, decreased more in ousn,i,v
No va,ue, indicating gradual rise in their price
No contrast could exhibit, in 4 more striking point of
view The unequal and oppressive operation Of federal
YAK uon on the different portions the Unon and non
certainly could more concusiyey show tIa, n, "a -,
'eriy impossible Tor the planters TO throw the nvas ;
poen on her productions upon any CHER class of the
IT'S so important, Mr.. Chairman, 10 lust comma.
hehsion OF the operation OF our tariff reenlaons ,h,
we should clearly ascertein where the burthen If %
nnpos. taxes really falls that must be excused for
presenting TO the committee another illusfroion 70 49,
mat II principally falls upon the producers If ~
ports 10 avoid the confusion OF ideas which resn,
o'n es'lm1'ing The value OF merchandise and the dn
imposed upon II In money. will dispense win H.
o ms as have done with the agency of The ,ner
snSn'; VIII suppose, then, that the Government L.
III. I ue an'iPs IN Kind, aud that for every Hundred
ed'es oil cotton the panerexI oris the Government tL.
'o ~ and then places agents on board The vessoi c ia
panter' 10 go with him TO Great Britain and sell he
=, J.; rus t"Keh rom nm, in common with his own
~ apparent, mat the very quantity of coto,
would go into the foreign market az youlJ I,vo
-, no ua,y had been levied. with this difference ONLY
w, ' ~ oHes would belong to the Government and
10y 10 'he PLANTER instead of the whole belonging ~
ne planter No change, the refore would he rasIs -; ~
-. n'.nsh market 10y thi. division Of the properv he
,ose e,cb b 1nG.v n and the Government we
s oS Ms, FL iieet Only sXly pieces OF cloth
stead of one hundred, yet he could not get any high
price for it than il he had been permitted 10 import
lie whole hundred pieces for II is wholly mmateriai
its effect upon the market price OF the cloth, whe-
Ter il is all imported by the planter, or part by him
nd the remainder by the Government While the de-
and and the supply remain unchanged, no imposition
the Government increase the price.
Let MS suppose then, that the Government takes no
art Of the cotton when exported, but permits the plan
II 10 port It without dimnution With his hundred
aes of cotton, he purchases hundred pieces oil CLOTH
his would be The product Of his ndusry-cotton
inverted into cloth. When he reaches the custom
ouse ths agent of the Government takes forty pieces
"a his CLOTH as contribution to the Treasury. IL is
aually obvious, in the former case that the same
uantity OF cloth would come into the market az none
it had been taken by the Government the price
poud be deprived of forty OF his hundred pieces OF cloth,
" the exacion Of the Government, without any means
{ ;ndemnifying himself by obtaining higher price for
he remainder This Sir is the actual operation OF your
IMPORT duties, stripped Of the disguise with which they
re invested. They taxes upon those productions
+ domestic industry, which go into foreign commerce.,
nd although the consumers, as class distinct from the
will in the long be incidentally innr-
ID by whatever Expresses the producers yet the bur-
he primarily and principally falls upon the latter class.
according 10 this view Of the subject, the Southern
anter would bean the principal part of the burhen Of
he mposs levied upon the productions o! his industry
wen il he did not consume any OF them himself; but
imported them exclusively for the purpose OF making
for Western and Northern produce
But cir even If we grant that the tax falls excu-
lively upon the consumer, ask you who consumes the
ctions of Southern industry, ii they not
mmed by the Southern people? They are certainly the
The natural consumers OF what they receive in ex-
change for their productions IL they do not con-
sumo the very articles they import, entirely and
exclusively they must consume some other article OBJ
tained in exchange for than. Let US, examine little
in detail what become of the imports of the South. In
the first place the Government takes forty dollars out
of every hundred. That portion. Of course, the planter
cannot consume Bat surely this Circumstance does
not diminish the burhen imposed upon him. The fact
that he does not consume IT,. is the very thing that
makes the law which deprives him Of IL, burthensome
tax rpon his industry. As TO the remaining sixty dol
ars there can be doubt that the people Of the South
ern States are the direct OF the principal
part of it, portion OF it, TO be sure, s exchanged with
the people of the Northern States, either Tor her TO-
reign merchandise imported by them, such East and
West India produce, or for thsr own manufactures,
But this il preci'ely the thing il The Southern
peope consumed the very articles obtained abroad for
their own produce. What does il matter to the plan
ter whether he consumes the very cloth for which mis-
cotton IL exchanged, the tea an coffee, aud sugar.
imported by the people Of the North in exchange for
their productions and industry the manufactures of
the NORTH These foreign productions and domestic
manufactures, enhanced in price, quite as much as
the cloth imported by the planter in consequence oil the
duties Thus far, then, the Southern people pay the
whole amount of the imposis laid upon their produce
tons, regarding them consumers merely. But 1T
has been said that exchange some three millions OF
our IMPORTS for the live stock of the Western States,
which il not enhanced in price by any duty. But even
here the planter is not entirely relieved from his bur-
then. Can he purchase much live stock with sixty
| pieces Of cloth, az he could with bundredl Ii would
be absurd to maintain such propositions; and yet this
is the only way in which he could relieve himself from
the whole burthen Of the impos The fact is, that me
would be able TO purchase but little than half the
quantity OF live stock from the Western people, that no
could have purchased if duty had been laid upon his
imports In this way, undoubtedly, the burthen would be
seriously fetby the Western people. But this would
not mitigate the suffering OF the planter. You deprive
him OF the means OF purchasing live stock TO a very
great amount, and 10 that extent cut Oft the market
Tor the productions Of Western industry By this pro-
cess in all OF prohibition, you destroy two VAL
ues that OF The planter TO the extent OF the imposts,
snd that Of the grower of stock to The extent that he is
injured by losing market for the productions OF his
industry.
Upon a general survey Of the condition Of the u s.,
IL will be perceived that, owing TO causes iDU atey
connected with the restrictive system, production is
every where OverrunDing mpiion. When 10 This
T. circumstance, we add the fact that the consumers OF
J, those articles of which you propose 10 enhance the
price by your high duties have many oher resour-
ces and can resort many substitutes to avoid paying
the duties every gentleman must be satisfied Of the ut