Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1831-11-15

y,
the laws OF commerce extending merely TO shipping,
transportation, and international aion without
reference to the commodities which form the objects
Of trade
When II wac denied. y. YOU we la'eiy done, that
the power TO regulate commerce could include thu en-
enlargement OF ma uss'urrs sooh.r and sub''an We
part OF polite poicv, " msd To 20 be suieien'
and 'a'i'iseOry answer. haihi- rp'n commerce alone
aud not upon uSsur-s hst Congress has poW er TO
act, tut the whole tf ret on uroo thai subj 1t
being given, the end or co i've OF such rtguaion y
matter entrusted 10 legislative di.eretion wb,y;wbe
hsr II he with the view OF rsaliatux upon the upjus
policy If oh'r n.,ion., or the encouragement OF
i,b,es, TIE prepare ion for war, pos IDLY he
preservation ~ public heal h. This 10 power, doubt.
less, exposed 10 petons abuses, but still less than
that Of war, or OF Dir ,asaor, o. contracting deb
snd Ike ihops, GRE which every raion fas thought
sxpedien, 10 lodge some - here. Thus war debt, k
that OF Eosland, would reqsi'e 10 posts
any reslris'ive sys mpes', coupled with the bur.
dens OF heavy eNises ard oppressive IN erpsl taxes We
hs only guard ssanst tu,h sbu'e 10 70 be found in The
discretion OF Cong csc, aud the wa,chulnefs OF their
eousttueo,,.
When TO thes. lection, IL was sddsd (ss in the sd-
dress OF tbs late Free Trade C1rveno ,hs, ",he pow
or to resuls co. no Dfu3e the poe er % anDhiia
the objects Intended 10 protsc :" med TO me
again 10 bs 81 fcen, anwer, that tat yet had
10 view tie suf ID iou OF mtrce tu, either tb'
looping II Certain tranet e, Of u, the urrg them
ioto new dire ciionithe Fl reQusi uy # por.
non oil torego eommerSr promote sud increase that
"between the s ate'." Nay, when l considered tha,
great public emergencies mieh dc'a,. .he ssy OF
long end almost universal embargo, for the ,aks OF
pease, for the o. uaty, for thu pre-
paraiion for for rToee ion Against foreign po.
Tense, hesi,aed even 10 deny he povT e oia p'o-
bibior njuriou, az the abuse OF ID right be.
Bu without going farther iD'o speculative rcastniug
thought 'ha, she ordnsry and habi,uai Accep ion O.
the words used in constitution a. -. EN-, 10y
60 ny geoi writer's ard IN popular u'c, desdsdly TO-
siuded this dispued power IL /, remark ,tls iha Adam
Smith, the great father of he doctrines OF free ,rste
their widest extent il the very ehap'rs aud p>ssases
OF hW Wealth o. Naiions in which he dsroUrces the
Jesiretiop, an! prohibitions OF the Bi in and other
European ar:f', repeatedly and roushou, esis them
Is TO be found In Burke, and most all the Euglsh po.
liisal eeonomsts and statesmen. down cur own days.
mat in The ofheisl msrcal 1gs,s ef tn, revenue
laws OF various eopntfie, puhiisted by the British 90
verpment and our own, he prohibioFy and p,ot
tarHs are slssssd commercial tegulsionf ard iba
this u'e Ii 20 bSos snd Incorporated in language
that even d. Coopt, ot Sou Caroline, 10 hai sag-
ter OF his work ~ pcl ea ecouou y, in which h. his
summed up, win his scSus,5ued y wgr tfucid au6
ecndersed rso'onir rgumepis sgains, eucour.
egauent Of msruac ure- by ippo,, resric ION ex-
pres,y calls such "prohh,tons on importailn" &c
vernnep's r"gu'a o1." aod sdop'- as his III. very
i'ngr@gs Of Adm SIN h GO prs Political Eeono
my, p. 1919
Neycr b>i-ss the cousisrey ard eor6dencs with
whi.h the coe.i'n'io aiy Of these lava wa, MED
the hish and me'i'ed authority # many who msn,s in
ed his doriTiur, NY reluctance allow 10 the
f-dsr-I government power sutjest % misuse; ali
eemtined % induce Intellectually no, to change o.
'u'rcrd my opihieI but 10 prevent any fien'
put lie XXI rssscn OF AID a. keep my nieA open Il
convisicr. ] could not hut pre'ume that there nigh
ye, be ttms argrmtitto whsh d not allos ed it's
due weight, some positive evidence OF the iuien
oil The trainers o. the Constitution familiar 10 cider and
sbier politicians but whith lad yet been ted in
sufficient forre he clear to my II ind. !, 20 his
ls't msde oipTeoi 'ha, chiefly locked. Eve day's
experience bad ,aus hi hat word' which app ar L.
be he cleares, and most d,ct tia, could be selected
may yet I ON some fact or Circumstance, familiar 10
those who use ihem, have pc GUITAR or limited neen.
ing, widely d.henpg hcm shat which hey al in ~
ersi use.
I'll in this dispc'ton Il mind aud wills, in s.sr.i
Of some sulh external evidence OF the in euon O, ,h
f,unJeFs of sion tha I i,,I
by the psruss Of the ea'Iy rloiua iv rrs popden
of hs United States: Ia"ly published by order Of Coz
gress, into GiseuTsive bat eX'on.ivs study OF III. his
tory and state papers OF ibe Revouicn.
The outline OF that glorious nsrrsiv; Is familiar &c
all OF US from cur etiIthCod bu', jud. ing from nv
own observation AID experience, fear best tduca-
ed citizens are mose ccnveIsant with the csriets O.
Roman Ahenan pcii:ios or wtth he sirug sl,s oi
English liberty under The Tud0rS d S,uats, en- wi
the details Of The ttcry Of orr own indc pepdense
set forth in its origin al reeordsthoFs models OF poi
cal wisdom, sEd snpiy msjss is quepee, hs spseshs
and state papers OF 'he Amsr.cau X vo'uiior.
cannot otherwise scsount for the strange obliyor
OF fact, which had myself III hero rlcok bu.
tbs proof Of WHICH flashed upoa ne from every
quarter. ii 10 nj; that the VOID, of our n.i u io
coDferficg the several powers of laying taxes duties.
imposts, and tzcseF, and a "the regulation Of com
merce," were cot accidentally elected, used in any
looss and popular acSep;son but that they were he
earliest q Independence, ard bad acquired
by repeated di'cussicn aud legal aud pstisms AIRY
use, prsc:ss ODd dehni meaning in ihis alone
could they bavs been employed by the grea, m, n Of
the revoluiop W. fgaCed nsi op; aud in Ibis
alone they havs been iyed by ,be pee
pie who adopted it, In tiI p culiAT sense, then, 'he
imposition of duties for the teton Of foreign trade
and the fostering OF o;hsr ioieresis vas included
Let sail your attention to The prooi Of This asser
tion--far, indeed, from the wbo, pfoof-bui merely
such Of The more prominent points Of IL may be con-
sisten with The Iimts that hive proposed TO myself
In this Letter.
Every American knows that our Revolution had ito
origin in the denial of ii right OF tbs British pnlis
nent &c impcie taxes and imports" upon ihe soloni,s
who unrepre ented ia the legisls i've councils ef
Great Britain Tbis question 6fEt dslin-Iy tsis
in l763, by he inpo loo o! the S.snp tx, which wac
laid upon iha econs.s "or lie pu' pose Of revenue -
Blu, before his lime, Chef Jusiise Manhall hss il.
formed "n 'he jtls and sou hern provinces the
authority Of iuth cf the ecis Of parliament Of internal
regulation az were made FOR America, well 40 hose
fer the regulation ct ecn merce, by The imposition
OF duties, provided ihoee Gu les were mposed Tor ,h
puTpo,s Of regulation, had been al all iises adm ted
But hfss colonies denied he right Param m, TO
tix them Inter ma ~" (.l{drShdiFs Wash POL In 770
use the language OF Chsi Justice Marsha IN ptsis
F.Dce TO NY bSeauSs his work bisied 10 1904
long before bs iii pu ed question oceupisd any AZ
tenioD, shows al once Eis saning Of words ami
liar to him soldier OF he oIuiion Ind ftaes.
Ct the ry periods Of constitution and record,
the Historical lace. Again, tpeekiDg OF tie stamp tax
he adds, TIE colonies had long been in the habi, of
submitting 10 duties laid their trade and had not e.
Morally dsir guishsd between those whsh we're impos.
sd for tbs mere pufposo Of regulating eOmmeJee and
those which being also dsigDsd 10 raise revenue
In truth to every purpose real tax G'eai disgusf,
however, was ocSstioned by the increase OF duties bv
the new regulations which were made, and bv ,be
cd. The gaiDiul efee 40 10. Glandesiinely car
ried with The French and Spanish co0be, yss now
10 be 'igorousy suppressed by iaNe amounting pro
bibi'iOn Of any fee trade, Ss, ( Marshall D H. D Sly
Amidst he uulvsr, bUr.i Of opnori ion from all ,art
OF The conine1tt saDs these measures verv dHs,ent
grounds TAX in relation TO tie two DOW r, thus
iojuriously txefsi'ed They were ssVeialy known by
tue apps Ia cD IT h upo oD OF iaxes 70, rsi,,o0
n al \ sgui al, n off t.