Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1832-03-22

granting the power 10 Congress 10 LAY
imports, and prohibiting that of laying al
export duty, manifested that they did no
regard them as equivalent. Nor doe:
the common sense Of mankind An ex.
port duty fastens upon, and Incorporates
itself with the article on which it is laid
The article cannot escape from tit pur.
sues and follows il wherever the article
goes; and il, in the foreign market, the
supply is above or just equal the demand
the amount of the export duty will be Q
clear deduction to the exporter from the
price Of the article. But an import duty
on a foreign article leaves the exporter
of the domestic article free. lst to i'm
port specie; 2dly goods which arc free
from the protecting duty; or, 3dly such
goods as, being chargeable with the pro-
tecting duty, he can sell at home and
throw the duty on the consumer.
But, it is confidently argued that the
import duty falls upon the grower of cot
ton; and the case has been put in debate,
and again and again, in conversation, OF
the South Carolina planter, who exports
100 bales of cotton to Liverpool, eXchan-
gcs them for 100 bales of merchandise
and, when he brings them home, being
compelled to leave, at the custom-house,
forty bales in the form of duties. The
argument is founded Oh the assumption
that duty of forty per cent. amounts to
a subtraction of forty from the 100 bales
of merchandise The first objection to
it is, that it supposes n case Of barter,
which never occurs. Ifit be replied that
it, nevertheless, occurs in the operations
of commerce, the answer would be that,
since the export Of Carolina cotton is
chiefly made by Ncw-Hork or foreign
merchants, the loss stated, lift really ac-
crued, would fall upon them and not up
on the planter. But, to test the correct
ness of the hypothetical case, let us sup
pose that the duty, instead Of forty per
cent. should be $50, which is asserted to
be the duty in some cases. hen, the
planter would not only lose the whole
hundred bales of merchandise, which he
had gotten for his hundred bales of cot
ton, bu. he would have to purchase, with
other means, an additional fifty bales, in
order to enable him to pay the duties ac-
cruing on the proceeds Of the COTTON
Another answer is, that, if the producer
of cotton in America, exchanged against
English fabrics, pays the duty, the pro-
ducer of those fabrics also pays it, and
then it is twice paid. Such must be the
consequence, unless the principle is true
on one side Of the Atlantic, and false on
the other. The true answer is, that the
exporter Of an article, if he invests rs
proceeds in forei gn market, takes care
to make the investment in such merchan-
disc as, when brought home, he can sell
with a fair profit; and consequently, the
consumer would pay the original cost and
charges and profit.
8. The next objection to the American
System is, that it subjects South Carroll
ma to the payment of all undue proper
ton of the public revenue. The basis OF
this objection is the assumption, shown
to have been erroneous, that the produ-
Ger of the exports from this country pays
the duty on its imports, instead Of the con-
sumer Of those imports. The amount
which South Carolina really contributes
to the public revenue, no more than that
of any other State, can be precisely as
certained. 1t depends upon her con-
sumption of articles paying duties, and
we may make an approximation sufficient
for all practical purposes. The cotton
planters of the valley Of the Mississippi,
with which l am acquainted, generally
expend about one third Of their income
in the support of their families and plan
tation. On this subject, / hold in my
hands statements from friend OF mine,
Of great accuracy, and member OF the
Senate. According to this statement, IN
a crop Of ten thousand dollars, the ex-
penses may fuctuate between two thou-
sand eight hundred dollars and three
thousand two hundred dollars. OF this
sum, about one fourth, from seven to eight
hundred dollars, may be laid out in ar'i-
cles paying the protecting duty; the resi-
due is disburscd for provisions, mules,
horses, oxen, wages of ovcrseer, &c
Estimating the exports of South Carroll
ma at eight millions, one-third is two mil
lions six hundred and sixty-six thousand
six hundred & sixty-six dollars: of which,
one fourth will be six hundred and sixty
six thousand six hundred and sixty-six
and two-thirds dollars. Now, supposing
the protecting duty to be fifty per cent.
and that it all enters into the price of the
article, the amount paid by South Caro-
lima would only be three hundred and
thirtv-three thousand three hundred and
thrty-threo and onc-ihrd dollars. But
the total revenue of the United States
may be stated at twenty-five millions, OF
which, the proportion Of South Carolina,
whatever standard, whether Of wealth or
lnnnnlnfinn. be ndnntcd. would be about