Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1832-11-20
COMMUNICATIONS.
no 1HE EDITORS or TILE RICH.uoND ENQUIRER
MIR. CALHOUN AND THE PROTECTIVE SYSTEM
MIR. CALHOUN AND TRUTH.-No ~
DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE.
(DoCUMENr No ~
Reports Of the Secretary OF the Treasury and of the
Committee OF Ways and Means.

Reports of the Secretary of the Treasury and of the
Committee OF Ways and Means
EXTRACTS.
Annual Treasury Report, Dec s. 1915 -
the general Tariff which has been directed eresoluou
n to Congress soon materials forming
seoy presented; probable this measure can
50 to go into % on The @ rs9o,Iy newt !,
rat Of o,S' until The oh Of whom the Win all
%IS DC gwen 10 The merchants" to regulate their
The report proceeds recommend the discontinue
OF certain taxes, after which il SAYS
tons in the dree, the duties estimated at the a
Ic o ~ r' o, uo'aLs. bnt tho substitutes for supplying
crease S The duty on licences to dSes aud continuance OF tho
ron ,ne continuance Of the duty imported salt tho
on q" ",es S% me inoa'o" OF foreign mech"ndise the
The recommendations contained in the above report
were with some notifications and exceptions adopted by
the Committee OF Ways and Means. Their Report (read
and committed 10 the Committee of the Whole Jan. g.
1870 concludes with series of Resolutions declaring il
expeden to continue temporarily the double duties OF the
TO increase the duty licences to ,iscr,:-o con-
nue the stamp duties, the duties on sugar refined within
the United States, aud the duty on imported sat-o re-
peal the duties ION various goods, aud merchandise
manufactured in the United SateS-and TO reduce the
direct tax TO three millions of dolldr-n other words to
continue direct tax TO that amount Among these re-
solutions also the following which is given a leno
Tor reason that will appear in the sequel:-
eoeed That IS eNpedient so TO almond the up
tmated To- produce am ano as shall be
ss addition" oil l. per cent to the permanent rates ofdu
few words of explanation may here be necessary 70
the perfect comprehension OF these extracts in their bear
ing upon the points in relation which they are intro
duced. The Duties of which temporary continuance
here recommended by the Secretary and by the Commit.
tee, were the "do6le duties of the war; in contradic
ton TO which the duties, they existed b,e the act of
July ls 1872 in the reports and discussions of that
period, sometimes called the 'SingLe duies sometimes
the 'peTnldnenf duties and sometimes the single ,,er
ma"ent dulles The following extracts from a subse
quent report of the Secretary OF the Treasury states their
origin, and also another fact which a passage i'm Mr.
Calhouns letter will make il necessary TO refer "Bv
an act oil Congress, passed first of July 1870 th
permanent duties previously imposed ,y law non .oo
imported into the United States from foreign places
doub'ed Iis act was limited in its to the
period oil one after the conclusion of peace will
Great Britain; and it expires OF Oh the I7th Feb
ruary, 1916"
The temporary continuance of these double duties as
here recommended, encountered vehement opposition
both in Committee OF the whole, and in the House /,
was among other objections conenedt that Congress were
pedged To me notion, not 10 continue them one lay be-
You'd The year, originally limited Ii however vailed
Lake opposition, at every stage of the proceedings was
experienced by of the other measures here recon-
inended: The continuance Of the Direct Tax in ana de-
gree was most strenuously opposed SO was tue ncrca
oil The duty ON stills-ihe continuance of the stamp du
iics oil the duties on sugar refined within the United
States; and above all, OF the duty salt These nea-
surcs, were however, all adopted. BY the act of March
D. 1870 the old drcctaX repealcd and ne one of
"OOV'uOO was Iaid By the acts OF Feb. l. and Feb o.
1870 The ac:s imposing stamp duties duties sugar re-
hned within the United States, and salt (al Of them
war du,icS) were indefinitely continued.
glance al these duties shows that their continuance
IcdS purely measure of rcvcnue The salt ,utv is
the only one Of them which could p0SSiby have any other
object than revenue; and that this irGS the obec-at
least the chJ ohicct-Of the salt duty clearly
from tie above extract from the Treasury report Tbi.
Is important to be nocd Tor the question then arises tchy
Was hc revenue 10 bc derived LON these sources
sary! And will afterwards appear that one of the c,us
cS OF tihS necessity cause crP,cSSiy although i,tdi.
Tccty, acknowledged by the Secretary of The Trr,sr,
was That The duties many OF the principal articles of
import were 10 be fixed, (as they ccrc fxed not with
view 10 inc production oil revenue, but for the purpose
Finally, the Resolution above quoted al length. call.
Tor remark This resolution relates the latter part OF
Ine extract from the Treasury Report The Secretary
herc calculates Oh i've millions OF dollars, "from am in
crease upon the permanent of duties on the mpora
ton OF foreign merchandise" The plan on which this
increase orevenue to be effected shcwn i'm the Re
solution 1t be donc net by adding ~ per cent to
each and every duiyOT by making such additions t the
duties sevcray that the aggregate increase of those
d"S should be equal TO u per cent the wloc but by
am7'oWS 'ne duties IN such way, that the rerenue
TO be yielded by them should equal that which yyouJ he
productivity an average addition OF ~ per in other
words, they were TO c so arranged yield the addi-
uonal 5OOOOOO On this plan is vions that some of
the duties might he fixed (ds they were Iixed) with
view 10 their protective operation; leaving the Others
10 DC hNcd with view 10 revenue aud to he brought
up TO the point necessary to make up the required re-
venue 1t is evident too that a duty fixed so as TO
Afford projections must by the very operation of afpr,iuq
protection exclude some portion at least of the supply
which, but for the protection, would have been
ana mat therefore, every duty so fixed must yield less
venue lah 1t would have dome II bXed lower ii is like
wise evident, therefore that for every duty fixed with
view 10 prOccon corresponding increase the duties
Ncd with view 10 revenue, became necessary in order
that the requisite might he raised Take Tor ex
ample The two articles, coffee aud C0oicHS by fixing
Tie duty on The latter at the point of protection became
necessary I'm order 10 make the duties imports Well
the revenue which II necessary derive from that
sourcc) that the duty coffee should be fixed
higher than would otherwise have been necessary In
tc0 respects therefore, the OF the two ar
ucles more highly taxed than would Otherwise have bcc
necessary First in the enhanced price Of woollcns which
enhancement went TO the support Of the domestic manu-
dcturc Secondly in the enhanced price OF coffee which
enhancement went into the Treasury to make 10 te sun
which would have been yielded by the duty woocns
had 1t been fixed lower.
But this was not the only consequence Of fixing some
OF the duties at the point OF protection Various cons-
dcraous, anong others the tendency check cOnsun,p-
ton and TO excite smuggling cOuprcd prevent the
venue duties from being fixed At too high point. OF
course, 81 still more revenue wanted thdn could be
derived from them when fixed tic productive point
resort 10 either sources became NECESSARY The procc-
tive duties had therefore Tie further consequence oi con
branches Of The grand system co-opcrcd) 10 make re-
tau, sc.
All this is simple and obvious, That Il would be won
dcriui indeed IT il had escaped The notice Of any r..
who had given any attention 10 the subject
mems and debates Of The period owthat IL 81
STOOL and strongly Icit.-Sco the extracts gene
(No 3D.
TIE DIRECT TAN
The Direct Tax recommended by Use Sec,
the Treasury and supported by It's advocates in G.
upon two distinct grounds First. lhat lndsp pend,
u a. .f.f.