Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1832-02-09


| And how is it With Spaini modern travellcr
| asserts that there are hundred thousand persons
| IN that unhappy country who live by smuggling
and that there arc thirty thousand others paid 10y
| The government, to detect their practice but who
arc in league with the offenders; and TO the con
d'ton of things in our own country, the gentleman
| has told us Il tale this day, which, # he hc not
| himself deceived, shows what fearful progress
| these practices have already made. The time
was when smuggling was absolutely unknown any
where in this country as 1T still Is IN the South
crn States. l; is your protecting system which
! introduced ii. II is tho natural consequences of
high dutics-thc evil was ioretold and, as we
predicted it has come upon us. The protecting Sys-
| tenn has already, in tho minds ofmony, removed tho
odiun, which formerly rested on thus practice.
! 1T was but the last year. that distinguished Sc
major rose u? in his place here and held this Ian
| gnage: 'four tariff police cOmpcls respectable men
| TO violate your law; you force them to diSregard
ats lnunctons, III order to ciudc its oppression 1t
was his perfect conviction, that there was not a
vlrtuous man throughout the Union, who would
now think it criminal to smugge into the country
every article consumed in it--and why2 Because
you force them to it in self defence" Sir, when
those sentiments shall become prevalent, what
think you Will become of that systcmi II ow
long VIII 1t last after the payment of duties shall
come to he considered as badge of SO rvitudel
Mr. PRESIDENT, the proposition NJ the Senator
from hentGchy is. that me protecting System, 1t
now stands upon your statutc-hook, shall remain
untouched-tlIat all its contradictory provisions,
its absurd dulics, injustice, and inequality shall be
!
! OF the existing provisions Of this system Some
OF them in the exposition 20 which have before
referred, arc detailed with ccarness to which
nothing be added by me. Here are tables of
the duties woollcns, lanncs, baizes and carpet
ing, ranging from forty five TO upwards of two hun
drcd per cent. will read few extracts in illus
tr"ton OF the effect of these duties. Here Mr..
iiArNE read several extracts from the work in
question, showing that the duties on coarse wool
| lens such used by stage drivers waterrncn
ana other lHborcrs, for great coats, pea.iackets
&C arc so cNorbitantly taxed, Is to raise the cost
| oil the articles abCut 'ithrCC times the urice the
English laborcr has to pay for The same Kind of
| ciothing;'-that the Western farmer in consc.
qmence of the high duty, is compelled TO paw four
doiiars yard Tor cloth which costs the English
larner but one dollar, seventy five cents that fan
neis so Indispensable to all the women and chill
drcn IN the country, are subject to duty Of from
ninety to hundred and fifty per cent, whereby an
article which cost "a England from eight to nino
cents; Is sold here for twenty cents, and that
which costs in England twenty cents our
manufacturer can obtain fifty cents for thS cottons
are charged with duty of from twenty-five TO two
hundred per cent? whereby tho cost TO the Amer.
can consumer is in many instances, increased one
nall; and that the duty upon iron is from am hun
drcd and fifty to two hundred and eighty per cent
On tins point, Mr.. llAYNE read from the report on
the bIacksnnths petition, made 10 the Sonata du-
ring their last session, and quoted the testimony of
John SaTchat. witness examined on oath before
inc committee, from which it appeared, "that un-
Ger inc existing rate fdutcs, ton of hammers
American manufacturer OF those very articles at
Il less cost than the bar iron from which they are
made, that whecl-tirc has actually been imported
III finished state, for about lorty.scvcn dollars
ton, while bar iron, suitable for the purpose is
selling for about ninety dollars the ton; that tea
trays can be Imported for half the price of the raw
material out OF which thoy are manufacturers
/ knitting needles for Il hundred and foytv-threc
dollars a ton less than the raw material out Of
which they are made; that ton OF chain cables
can now be imported INTO this country at less
cost than the rods OF which they made, and
| thal the necessary consequence has been, that Il
number of workers in iron, and or mechanics est.
mated at one hundred Thousand, had their profits
| so diminished, that Mr.. Sarchct had declared
That h" had never seen any biacksmiths poor or
carrying on less prosperous business, than those
oil the United Sta tcS owing, he believed to the
high duties they arc compelled to pay on the raw
| ROM
Look, continued Mr.. Haync, through your whole
protecting system; your duties every where are so
ranged as 10 fall most heavily upon the poor. The
poor man is taxed five dollars upon a coat, which
! cost him ten, and rich man ten upon one which
| cost him tUrty-1 tax Of eight dollars upon coarse
| cottons for his wife and children which cost him
! no more than eight and the rich man but eight
dollars, for what cost him upwards ofthrtv. Can
any thing be conceived more moHsirous than the
system OF "'iHi'nU"iS, TO impose duty of twomty-
five per ccntun ad valOrcm on cotton goods. but
provide that If they should cost less hau hrty.tive
cents per yard, they shall be dcemei and iaEca 10
have cost thirty five cents and nav duty accordin 81
to provide that duty Of foriy.i per ccutum
ad vaIorcm shall DO imposed upon woulIcus, but
provide that goods which cost more than one dol
lar, shall he deemed and taken to have cost two
dollars and half This is like imposing an in
| come tax of fifty per cent, and then providing
| that every mans income shall be deemed and
| taken to be three thousand dollars; or tax of
fifty cents per gallon upon stills, and providing
! that every still shall be considered as containing
fifty gallons. Now, arc the gentlemen prepared TO
say that such system this, with ali It's mper-
fecions on its head, to be held sacred as the
laws of the Mcdcs and Porsians? | trsst not.
Let not gentlemen far deceive themselves
as to suppose, that the opposition OF the South to
the protecting system is not based on high and
lofty principles. 1t has nothing TO do with party
politics, or the mere elevation Of Ii rises far
above all such considerations. Nor is it nlucnc-
ed chiefly by calculations of interest, but is found
ed in much nobcr impulses. The instinct of self
! interest might have taught easier way of re-
hcying ourselves from this oppression. IL wanted
but the will, to have supplied ourselves with every
article embraced in the protective system, free OF
! duty, without any other participation our part
than simple consent to receive them. But Sir.
we have sCornod in Il contest for rights TO re
sort 10 any but open and fair means To maintain
them. The spirit with which We have entered into
this business, is akin TO that which hindicd
in the bosom Of our fathers when they wcr1 made
tho victims Of oppression, and il it has not display
ed itself IN the way, j. is because have
ever cherished TN" strongest feelings OF conlrater
nifty towards our brethren, and the varmcst and
most devoted attachment 10 the Union. If we
nave been, in any degree divided among ourselves
IN this matter, ths of that division let gen
tlemCn be assured, has not arisen much from any
difference OF opinion to the true character OF the
oppression, as from the djorcnt degrees Of hope
of rcdrcss.-All parties have for years past been
looking forward TO this crisis for The umeui
OF their hopes, tho confirmation Of their tc0rs.
Ana God grant that the result may I've suspicious.