Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1832-03-06

free of duty, or DO subject TO higher duty than
similar domestic manufactures. Imported manu-
features the productions of Southern labor and
capital; domestic manufactures the production
of Northern labor and capital; and noihing short of
an. equal exemption of both from taxation, or the
imposition of equal duties upon both, secure
these two great rival branches of domestic industry
fair and equal competition i'm the market. The
very lowest rate of duty imposed upon one of them,
while the other * wholly exempt, is an act OF par
uahy and injustice on the part of the Government,
which destroys the equality OF The competition.
Entertaining these opinions, the Committee feel
that they owe it to the House explain the
which have induced them To lay as high rate of
duty on those imports which como in competition
WIN uhaNed domestic manufactures, IA upon any
other description of imports While the manutac-
turing interest demands that protecting duties should
be imposed three or our,imcs higl, as may DC ne
cCSSary for the constitutional purposes of revenue,
and when Justice obviously demands that no duty at
all should be imposed upon rival interest that is
not equally imposed upon the other the utter inn
possibility ui adjusting tariff of duties upon prin-
cpes o strict and equal Justice will be at per-
ccNcd, when n ~ considered that large ory of
both Houses at Congress in favor of that inter
est which puts forward the most cXtrayagant de-
mands. IL Is contest between power the one
side, and right the other; and, although the very
extreme demand OF the minority is for nothing
than justice, yet II Is Obvious that no compromise
can be made unless the minority will acqucscc i'm
an arrangement which gives the majority more than
justice. What the minority comedies is Il portion OF
It's uudoubtcd rights-wl,at the majority conccdcs,
il concession it be called, portion of its I'M
lawful gains
/ Though such are the terms upon which the Com
mittec have adjusted the dues-tcrn,s of the utmost
iberatyto the protected branches of industry-t is
to be apprchcndcd that the manufacturers will be
more opposed than any other class to the bill report
cd That they will have no Just ground To complain
of IT, is most certain. Even under the provisions of
this bill, they won he the decided ivorics of the
Government, as the Committee will proceed to show,
as briefly as possible. IL may be assumed that at
least onc-half of the revenue uccrlny from imports
will he derived from iron, salt sugar spirits and
manufactures of cotton wool, iron, hemp, and flax,
and from other imports which come in competition
with domestic productions. As To this half of the
federal taxes, nothing is more clear than that the
manufacturing or projected interests bear no portion
a.! the burden they impose on the community. The
duty imposed upon iron, sugar, or cotton manuf;,c-
lures, for example, is no burden AT all, but bounty
to the manufacturer of these respective articles
while it is an undoubtcd burden 10 the other classes
of the community. If this were not So thev would
desire reduction, instead Of increase of the du-
Ties. But this is not all. Each manufacturer sells
more of his manufactures than Inc consumes of nil
other protected articles perhaps five ten times the
amount. He not only gains, therefore, more than
he loses, by the duties imposed upon imported ar
ticICS similar to his manufactures but Inc oans
more than Inc loses by the whole Protecting System
considered IN the aggregate This il is which con-
sti'utcs tho indissolube bond of that great courdc
racy ofucrcsts which has become almost too strong
iorthc Government and the People united. If the
manufacturers and the producers of protected art-
clcs were all assembled in common council and the
question submitted, whether all the proiecting
duties should he fifty twelve and half per cent
is not to be doubted that the unanimous voice of
the assembly would he in favor OF the higher rate of
duty. This fact conclusvcly demonstrates that the
projected manufacturers US an entire class bear no
portion at the burden imposed by the protecting
duties and, consequently, are entirely exempted from
all participation in onc-half Of the federal taxes:
NN is In,l a. fl,
their equal proportion of the other half which is de-
rived from articles not manufactured i'm the t. Statcs
Indeed, would not he cXtravagant To say that the
Protecting System affords bounty to all the protect
cd interests, considered in the aggrc gate so large as
to indemnity them, and more than Indemnify
them for all the taxes they pay to Government.
IT. i'm the splendid career of modern improve
mcnts, political philosophy should make the bes-
sed discovery of an art by which government,
could be carried on without money and tho system
o federal taxation were to entirely can it be
doubted Tor moment that the whole ofthe projected
classes wouh regard il in apecuniary point of view.
as the heaviest calamity that could bcfal them?-
Would it not spread much wislcr scene of tlcsola-
latlon over the whole manufacturing region of the
Union, than the most gloomy Imagination can anti
clate from the bill reported by the Committce?-
fc such Is the strange iniatu;ilion which prevails
tins subject, and such the magic power ascrbcd
10 particular form OF taXation that many who arc
prompt to discover that one portion OF the Union
will he greatly injured by the repeal of the taxes do
not perceive that another portion OF the Union would
ms necessary consequence, he greatly benefited
hy that repeal. Can there be extraordinary
instance of the power of scintcrcst to delude the
huUan understanding and deadcn the sense of JUS
tice in the human heart than tat which will doubt
less be exhibited, of the entire class ofinanuactrcrs
clamorlng against system oftaxation, not because
the taxes are TOO high but because thew are not
high enough? The complaint, upon the very face
of 1t, admits that there is radical vice in the
system of protecting duties. For, what right, hui
man or divine, any class Of the community have
90 invoke the power of the Government To promote
the prosperity of that class, Ivy imposing burdens
upon another?
Unjust ana unequal in lis operation ms a system of
protecting duties must be, in all countries and I'M
der all Governments it is only in n country of such
great extent aud such diversity Of conflicting inter
csts the United States that it becomes absolutely
rIIlnOus TO entire communities MI other objections
TO it dwindlc into absolute insignilicancc when COM
pared with IFS unequal action upon the different
clusters OF StaicS comprising the geographical sub
divisions OF tins Union. I'm this aspect the subject
rises INTO the most solemn and cvcntfiIl importapcc
and gives rise TO range of Enquiry much higher than
any investigation of mere abstract questions of no.
lltlcal economy. In country of small extent and
with homogeneous populations (such MS England
no commercial restrictions can long produce great
inequality or injustice. The people have n certain
resource against this Of oppression in the faci-
ty of abandoning one pursuit and taking UP ano-
less profitable, and the other more so. This easv
transfer of capital and industry from one employ
mcnt TO another, reduces the profits of the ia
nrp1 tho.