Virginia advocate. [volume] (Charlottesville, Va.) 1827-1860, 1830-04-09

self intcrest fails an instrument to enforce |
your revenue laws, it is idle I" attempt any |
other means But, whether practicable not,
before we embark in any new scheme to enforce |
high duties, let us inquire into the expense at
tending similar experiment. IN other countries !
and whether 1t is cxpedicnt To- enlist in SER
vice, rs they have done, an army ot revenue !
officers. In Great Britain although cncrcled
by limited marine fiontiers, more easily guarded |
than ours, the actual expenditure for The yea: |
ending the 9th of January, Is2l. for cruisers,
preventive water guard, lond guard, and harLor
vessels, was ci05277 IS. Ia. about equal in our |
money to 100000 dollars. This is indepcn-
dent of the coast blockade, cousis,ing of 200 |
10 2,000 enrolled on the books Of the Navy, aud
ready TO he called alna, ut any moment. The
whole cxpence o! cocc,n. the revenue from
custom in 1923, was 81 .45d 900 os. 3D. about
G,900,0 900 dollars; and of collecting the excise
| Ct ,209,153 los I'd. about $500 900 dollars
| making an aggregate expenditure Of twelve
, millions six hundred thousand dollars for coll
! lec,ing tho lakes in Great Britain, being about
two millions uiorc than the whole military naval
and civil expenses of our Federal Government.
| France though falling far short of our immense
boundaries, has an extensive inland frontier as
well as sea- board. She is under tho necessity
oil establishing three lines Of revenue guards
one within the other, on her from tiers She has
actually employed, IN merely guard ing the re-
venue and enforcing he tariff, about %. OCO
men five times the number of the army of the
United States besides the assistance of the DO.
lice, and gcndarmerc, &c. &c. She has actu-
ally more than $4,000 men 10 enforce her taxes
hnr IT
lo2', the mere expense of collecting her revenue
ana other taxes, is one hundred and twenty
eight millions of francs, or. upwards Of twenty
! iour millions OF dollars, being more than donble
the amount of all the expenditures ofour FEEDER.
al Government. The whole revenue from Gus
toms in France. is about 10 millions OF francs
very nearly the same as the cvcnue of the Uni.
ted States. The whole expence If collecting
our revenue, isbetwecn7 and 100000 dollars
such are the consequences which grow out of
aneXpcri"lent to enforce probi,ory duties and
eXorbltaDt taxes. How much better would it be
i,r tic people OF Great Britain and France.
were both to do away the necessity of such an
extraordinary expenditure, by moderatlng
their ;aAcS, and increasing thci r CONSUMPTION
and revenue aud were the former 10 apply
twelve, and the latter twenty-threc millions an.
nualIy, towards cx,inguishing thei, national
debt. If, on the comparatively limited circle of
France, such an enormous expenditure of mon.
ey Is necessary in an attempt 10 enforce heavy
imP"sitons on the people, what amount would
probably DO required, Tor similar service, on
our unmcasurci and even UNEMPLOYED frontiers;
Tie circle Of onr military frontier, excluding lis
angles and our Atlantic border, is 1850 mics
and we have not even in our army, a soldier for
every mile. We have, besides our extensive and
! winding coast, reaching nom The British pro,in-
cei iii the North, to Me xicD. With such from.
iers, and tie experience of G. Britain and France
bcirc us is not proba bic that We Shall make the
Wis nary experiment Of permanently enforcing
Il system of restrictions on trade. Iii ever is
attempted, the expenses of such service
would exhaust the whole existing revenue of
the United States, and render it necessary for
us to follow the example of France and England
by indroducinG system of internal excise,
I" make M tho revenue required in our abortive
attempt TO enforce prohibtory duties.
fit were, however practicable to enforce
high duties in the United States at: moderate
expense, it would lie very far from our intcres,
10 attempt it. TIE clfcctual execution Of sucb
laws Is the most serious calamity that can befnll
the industry ofany country. They permanently
rcPfeSS trade by contracting its circulation, and
diminishing tho e!nploymen's of capital and la.
Dor 'hcy cnrtulI consumption by restricting ma.
t"Fal wants. and impoverishing those who mu-
tn:iy consume the produce of Nations indus.
Try. The manuactur er mistakes his own in
tcGest when he disrcgards that of his customer
and asks for heavy duties on consump ton.
Inc miner and wool grower do themselves an
injury by restricting the manufacturer in the
supply and variety Ofbis raw IN aterials thereby
inJuring lie quality Of his manufacture, giving
ms foreign rival an undue advantage over Inn.
an permanently depressing his trade. Their
prosperity IS mutual, and each is interested IN
encouraging the industry of the other. nv fax
ing off restrictions, nrodcrating taxes, ard thus
extending the only eficctual encourar cnen,
which enables your country to produce supplies
ohe"Per IMAM other nations can do This is the
o"Iy permanent piotectionto industry, whether
IT. Europe or America. We are now PURSUING
pohcy towards our consumers similar 10 that
whch Great Britain formerly adoptcd To- |!
wards aIlahc American colonies previous to
our Revolution, and IN regulating the trade !
OF her Northern colonies. For more than CO. |
vcrty years SIC exercised towards the latter n |
rapacious and monopolizing policy she kept
them poor and insignificant and charpe upon
the Mother country. She has at last discovered
lhal rich customers in peace, and powerful allies
in war, car only be made by reducing taxes.
aooiIShIng restrictions, and granting to her pro.
vInces the utmost freedom of trade with ovc,y
part OF the world. 1t should be t3,c object of
OF every Government to open and enlarge every
market, whether at homo or abroad. for the
consumption of its productions, and the supply of
its wants.