Vandalia Whig and Illinois intelligencer. [volume] (Vandalia, Ill.) 1832-183?, 1832-04-04


Tariff of 1928. Pat a dutyof repenue alone on
cloths, and remove the duty On wool. 1t would
be much better for us, if we were placed in Eng
land; for we could there, with our present hands
and advantages, make cloth, send it to New
York, pay the duties, and take more money than
we do now The difference is in the stock; and
this difference is attributable to the absurdiies Of
the American System, as it stands The duties
on dve-stuis, oil, soap, and wool, taken IN con-
nexion with the arrangement of trade, by making
the manufacturer an exporter, amounts to much
higher protection to the foreigner, than all the
Tariff affords to us Such are the facts, and such
the fruits, of the SYSTEM which the American
manufacturer has toiled to support
Thus, Sir. it will be seen, that we who propose
to repeal the Tariff of '2S, ''are the only true
friends of the manufacturers, and that they are
their worst enemies who are striving to perpet-
uate the sabsurdites of the American System"
Next we have the opinion of Mr.. Niles himself,
'that the act of 1928 was the result of political
bargain, and passed on principles disreputable to
a Congress of the United Sates," to which the
enlightened author of the exposition very justly
adds, ssthat nothing can be more obvious than the
folly Of pretending to encourage manufacturing
Industry, and at the time to tax the raw ma
lterias, iron, hemp, flax, wool, lead, indigo, and
losher component parts of manufactures, and con-
shutting the principal value of them. from fifty
Ito two hundred per cent, And heie am will
ling to rest my case.
The act Of 1923, Mr.. Niles affirms, s'ras the
resuh of political bargain, and passed on the
PRINCIPLES disreputable to a Congress Of the Uni
ted States.'
The gentleman complains of frauds upon there
renue--and fraudulent invoices, and smuggling
but it is his system which has produced these evils
Smuggling, from the very nature OF things, must
exist when the duties exceed the risk and expense
of the illicit intercourse. For season, sir, the
high moral sense of a young and interrupted
people, may oppose some obstacle to these pract-
ces. No government on earth can prevent them
Napoleon, in the plenitude of his power, was I'M
able to maintain his continental system. His
prohibitions and restrictions were constantly vio-
lated with impunity Yes, sir, he who sported
with kingdoms, who constructed thrones on the
ruins of empires, and appointed the officers of
his household to Gil them; whose armies were
his custom house officers who drew his cordons
around the nations which he conquered, was ut
terly unable to pat down the great principles of
free trade. 1t has been well said, sir, "that when
all Europe was obedient to his nod-the smng-
gler disputed his commands, set at naught his
edcts, laughed to scorn his power, and overthrow
his policy How is it with England, that sea
grit Isle surrounded with thousand ships, and
thirty thousand guardians of her revenue? Sir,
do we not all know that smuggling is there
profitable trade, and that the revenue laws of
England are constantly violated with mpunty {?
And how is il with Spain? A modern traveller
asserts that there are hundred thousand persons
in that unhappy country who live by smuggling,
and that there are thirty thousand others, paid by
the government, to detect their practice, but who
are in league with the offenders; and as to the
condition of things in our own country, the gen
tleman has told us a tale this day, which, ifhe be
not himself deceived, shows what fearful progress
these practices have already made. The time
was when smuggling was absolutely unknown
any where, in the country, as it still is in the
Southern States. Ii is your protecting system
which has introduced it. 1t is the natural conse-
quence of high duties-the evil was foretold, and
as we predicted, it has come upon u.s. The pro-
tecting system has already, in The minds Of ma
ny, removed the odium, which formerly rested on
this practice. 1t was but ihe last year, that
distinguished Senator rose up in his place here
and held this language: ''your tariff policy com
pes respectable men to violate your law; you
force them to disregard its injunctons, in order
to elude its oppression. 1t was his perfect con-
viction, that there was not d virtuous man
throughput the Union, who would now think ii
criminal to smuggle into the country every article
consumed in it-and why? Because you force
them to it in self defence" Sir, when these sem
tments shall become prevalent, what think you
will become of that system? How long will it
last after the payment of duties shall come to be
considered as badge of servitude?
Mr. PREsIDENr, the proposition of the Sena-
tor from Kentucky is, that the protecting system,
as it now stands upon your statute book, shall re-
main untouched-t that all its contradictory pro-
visions, its absurdities injustice, and inequality,
shall be maintained invlolate. Let us look then,
at some of the existing provisions of this system.
Some Of them, in the exposition to which have
before referred, are detailed with clearness to
which nothing can be added by me. Here are
tables of the duties on wollens, fannels, baizes,
and carpeting, ranging from forty five to upwards
OF two hundred per cent. l will read few ex-
tracts in illustration of the effect of these Duties
Here Mr.. HAyNE read several extracts from the
work in question, showing that the duties on
coarse woollens, such as are used by stage dri-
vers, watermen. and other laborers, for great
coats, pea Jackets, sc are soexorbtantly taxed as
to raise the of the articles to about three times
the price which the English laborer has pay for
the same kindiof clothing; 'that the Western far
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