Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1832-03-15

port TO the succeeding session of Con"
\ gress system Of revenue conforma-
BILE to the actual condition of the country.
lie had the circle Of a whole year to per-
/ form the work consulted merchants, man
ulacturcrs, and other practical men, and
4 opened an extensive correspondence
I The report which he made, at the session
\ of 1916, was the result of his Inquiries
and reflections, and cmbodies the princi-
pies, which he thought applicable to the
subject. 1t has been said that the tariff
of 1916 was a measure of mere revenue :;
and that it only reduced the war duties
to peace standard. 1t is true, that the
question then was, how much, and in
what way, should the double duties of
the war be rcduccd2 Now, also, the
question is, on what articles shall the du-
ties be reduced so as to subject the a
mount of the future revenue to the wants
of the Government? Then il was deem
ed an inquiry of the first importance, as
it should be now, how the reduction
should be made, so as to secure proper
cncourag ement to our domestic industry
That this was leading object in the ar
rangemcnt of the tariff Of 1916, well re-
member, and it is demonstrated by the
language Of Mr.. Dallas. lie says, in
his report, "Thcrc are few, if any gov
crnmcnts which do not regard the cstab-
lishment Of domestic manufactures as a
chief object of public policy. The Uni
ted States have ARRAYS so regarded it,
/ 4
The demands ofthe country, while the
acquisition of supplies from foreign ma
tons was either prohibited or impractlca-
BILE, may have afforded n sufficient in
duccmcnt for this investment OF capital,
and this application of labor; but the in
ducemcnt, in its necessary extent, must
fail, when the day Of competition returns.
4 Upon that change in the condition Of the
country, the preservation of the manuiac-
tufcs, which private citizens, under ia-
vorablc auspices, have constituted the
property of the nation, becomes consd-
Grafton of general policy, to be resolved
| by a recollection ofpast cmbarrassmcnts;
by the certainty OF an increased difficult
i lty of rcinstatlng, upon any emergency,
the manufactures which shall be allowed
to perish and pass away" sc. The
measure of protection which he proposed
was not adopted, in regard to some lead
| ing articles, and there was great Difficult
ty in ascertaining what it ought to have
been. But the principlc was then dis
tinctly asserted, and fully sanctioned.
The subject of the American System
was again brought up in 1920, by the hill
reported by the Chairman ofthc Commit
tee of Manufactures, now member OF
the bench ofthe Supreme Court ofthe U.
S., g the princi pie was successfully mann
tanned by the representatives OF the peo-
! pie; but the bill which they passed was
! defeated in the Senate. 1t was revived
in 1924, the whole ground carefully and
deliberately explored, and the bill, then
introduced, receiving all the sanctions of
! the constitution, became the law of the
/ land. An amendment of the system was
proposed in 1898, to the history of which
II refer with no agreeable recollectlons.
| The bill of that year, in some of its pro-
visions, was framed on principles directly
adverse to the declared wishes OF the
friends of the policy of protection. !
/ have heard without vouchng for the
i fact) that it was so framed, upon the ad-
! vice of prominent citizen, now abroad,
! with the view of ultimately defeating the
| IIbill, and with assurances that, being al
Iltogether unacceptable to the friends OF
II the American System, the bill would be
lost. BE that as it may, the most cXcep.
Itionablc features ofthc bill were stamped
! lupon it, against the earnest remonstran-
! ces of the friends of the System, by the
votes of southern members, upon prin-
J.. ciplc, think, as unsound IN legislation
as it is reprchcnsible in ethics The
bill was passed notwithstanding, II hav-
ing been deemed better to take the bad
along with the good which II contained,
than reject it altogether. Subsequent
legislation has corrected very much the
error then perpeiratcd, but still that mca-
! sure is yohcmcntly denounced by gentle
men who contributed to make 1t what It
was.
j Thus, Sir, has this great system OF
protection been gradually built, stone up
on stone, and step by step, from the 4th
of July, 1889, down to the present period
/ In every stage Of its progress IT has re-
Icciycd the deliberate sanction OF Con
grcss. A vast majority of the people Of
the United States has approved, and con-
tinues to approve it. Every Chief Mag
istratc of the United States, from Wash
ington to the present, in some form or 9th
cr. has given to il the authority OF his
name, and however the opinions OF the
existing President arc interpreted South
of Mason's and Dixon's line, on the
i North, they are, at least, understood TO
/ g., ,ko nstahIishmcnf of n iudicIOuS ta-