The Arkansas advocate., 1832-02-08

the report was presented by the chair man of the Committee, he understood that 1t was against any further rednc- ton of the duties on tea. il conformity. to what seemed to be the opinion of the Secretary of the Treasury. The com mittee, he was glad nov to learn, only thought it iapracticable 10 effect the reduction by the lst of January, but were in favor of reducing the duty.- The intention of the memorialists from New York and Philadelphia, to which lie was disposed to assent, was to have the reduction of the duty take place on the first of January next. But this was not the exclusive time to which the memoralists confined their petition.-
 Their object was ;o have have tic reduction take place as early as possible. And if 1t could not be effected at tic time first mentioned, the ist of February. or even the lst day of March, would meet their wishes. The tea no@ in bond, with the exception of occasional par eels taken out for immediate consump- ton, would have remained in the Gus tom House until that act shall take eff feet, fit was not before the lst of Feb ruary or March, and thus their object would be substantially attained. This, however, said Mir. C., was not the most important aim of the memorials. The principal motive in presenting them was to ascertain the sentiments of Con- gress in relation to further and def- nitive reduction of the duty, with the view 10 the regulation of their conner eial operations, and on this point they were left totally in suspense by the re port of the Committee. No gentleman {eontinued Mir. C. in answer to the Se- nator from Marvland,) who has reflect ed.oa the subject, as connected with he financial interests of the country, would believe that retention of the duty was necessary to effect the pay
 ment of the national debt by the day
 which had been designated by the Se- cretary nf the Treasury.
 It was impossible to consider the re-
 dnetion of the duty on this article alone
 without examining the great and inn poFtant question of the Tariff in gene ral, which embraced the leading inter ests of the country witlio this seope.-
 flle nnimportant as well as important articles included in the Tariff must come into consideration. Those which were protected, as well as those which were unprotected, by our present sys- tenn of policy, demanded their due share Of cur consideration. Il would be impossible tn examine one article se- parately. without taking into conside- ration the connexian which 1t bore with others which were equally subject to duties, nor without considering the whole system of protection and reve- rue of the country. But ifthere were any one article which might be eonsid- cred distinctly, that article was tea, which, if we take it's almost universal consumption into view, must be regard ed as one of the necessaries of life.-- Tue gentleman who submitted the re- port stated that he did not intend to an- nounee the determination of the com mittee, much less of the Senate, as be- ing indisposed to the granting Of fur ther reduction. To this explanationhe was not disposed to object. But he thought the committee might have act ed immediately on the subject of the memorials without inconvenience or in- jury. He did not wish to prevent the of the bill which the Chair man of the Committee had proposed in relation to the reduction of the duty on this article.
 But that Senator had stated as his in- divdud opinion, and not that of the committee, that the reduction of the duty ought not to take effect until the liquidation of the national debt. He, Mir. CLAY, would, inreply, observe that Senator didintend to defer 1t until the whold debt, including the 3 per cent. was paid, he might perhaps have to wait much longer than he supposed. It could, said Mir. c. be easily shown that it was not necessary 10 effect the payment of the entire debt by the time proposed to retain any part of the duty upon tea. The debt may be dis charged by the 4th March, 1883, and
 the duty be nowreduced orrepealed in
 toto. He hoped, however, that few
 would be found willing to sanction tie
 improsident project of paying off cap