Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1833-03-09


u'"e, ,s,,nce adopted as he conlended; and mat
~ I.arnaIs. so far from supporting. are IN d.
inc 'D 10 the position which he attempts
rec. vr n,a;o, He might push the argument much
t,,'ber against the power oil the court, ou. "e
lad nat deem 1t necessary, at ieas. q, t"'s as'
u ",ha d;.cuss,on. II the views which bad AREA
OF 'ne asaot.J he correct, and he did not see
- H., could be- resisted, the conclusion was
;n,uabie that me reserved powers "e'e -
r,J equally against every department OF the Gov
',0oen,, and as strongly against the Juoic'a' as
Inst the other departments: anu OF course
,rnT,sl, under the exclusive will OF the states.
Tbsre still remained another m'srepresenta-
.;or of he conduc, of the State, which mas Deen
IL with the view OF exciting odium. lie anu,
IaJ ~ he charge that South Carolina supported
~ Tariff of SIC. and was therefore responsible
t,r the protective system. 10 determine the
nth Of this charge, 1t becomes necessary 10 as
sar,,,n the real char acter OF that aw-"hether IL
r,. = tariff for revenue or for protection; which
lent, the inquiry of what vas the condition
If the country at that period.
The late var with Great Britain had just
..,mioaed, which. with the restrictive system
~, r,.ceded It, had diverted a large amount OF
..o,,J and industry from commerce to manutac-
.n,s. PARTICULARLY to the cotton and w0ollen
s.,ochss There was debt at the same time
of oo4 hundred aud thirty millions OF dollars
,nainy o,er the country; and the heavy war du-
80 ns,s ,,iIl in existence. Under these Circum-
.,,n,ss the question Was presented, 10 wat
mimi the dul,es ought 20 be reduced! That
ons,rioB involved an0ther-at what time the
d,bt opaht to be paids which was question OF
,oI,cv involving in It's consideration all the
,ircumstances connected with the then condition
NJ the country. Among the most prominent ar
,nrent, m favour Of an early discharge OF the
I,bt. was that the high duties which It would
rrouirs 10 effect II. would have at the same time
the effect Of sustaining the infaut manufactures,
which had been forced up under the circumstan-
,s> 70 which he had sdyerted. This view OF the
.abirct had decided influence in determining in
ayor Of an early payment OF the debt The sink
ins land WAS accordingly raised from seven TO
len millions of dollars, with the provision to aP-
pIy the surpu, whics might remain 10 the Urea
>ury. as a contingent appropriation to that lund;
aaa ,he duties we're graduated To meet this. In
creased expenditure. Ii was thus that the policy
and insli.e Of protecting the large amount OF
,,p,lai and industry. which had been diverted
bY the measures pf the Government. into new
channels, ~ he had stated, was combined with
the fiscal action Oi inc Go, eminent, aud which,
While IL secured prompt payment ct the debt,
prevented the immen.e losses 10 manufacturers,
winch would have followed sudden and great
reduction. Still, revenue was the main object,
and protection bat the incidental
The bull 10 reduce the duties was reported by
the Committee OF Wsvs and Means, and mot of
Manufactures; and 1t proposed heavv reduction
Oh the then existing rate Of duties. But what of
Itself, without other evidence, was decisive as to
the character Of the bill. is the fact that il fixed
much higher rate Ut duties on the unprotected
than IN the protected articles Hewoud enumerate
sfewleadnS articles only: woolen & ton above
the value OF 25 cents on the square yard, though
they we're the leading objects Ut protection, were
subject to permanent duty Ut only20 per CT. Iron
another leading article among the protected, had
aprotection OF not more than per cent. as fixed
by the act, and OF but Is rs reported in the bill
These rates we're all below the average duties as
hsed IN the act, including the protected, the un.
protected, aud even the tree articles. Mr.. C..
said he had entered into some calculation in or
der To ascertain the average rate Of duties in the
act. There was some uncertainty in the data,
out he teIt assured that il was not less than so
pee ce0t AT valOrem; showing an excess of the
">">N "''''' "o'>e wat ithpO>eu on the protect
tdaucieS enumerated, of more than 10 per cent.
and thus clearly establishing the character of the
measure, that i; vas for revenue aud no, protec.
tlnn.
inoking back. even at this distant period. with
all ""r experience. he perceived but two errors
N the nc'; the one in reference to iron, and The
Other the minimum duties on coarse cett,ps.
a' 10 The former. he conceived that the bill, as
reported proposed duty relatiyel, too low,
""'y" was STILL further reduced in its passage
mfo'sh congress. The duty, at first, was fixed
f'en'y i've cents The hundred weight; but.
" we last sage OF ITS passage, it was reduced by
>'o' caprice, ocCasIoned by an unfortunate
motion, TO tortyf,e cents This Injustice was
sg'eIey ieIt'n Pennsylvania, the State, above
d" "'0e's' most productive Of iron; and vas the
Principal cause Of that great re action. which has
,e U''o~n her 50 decidedly OH the side of the
protective policy. The other error was that. az
,,. ",e 'o''on', on which the duty was as much
WV nIh' as that on iron was too low. II intro.
na'sd, besides. the obnoxious minimum prluci.
f'' "heh has since been So mischievously ex.
Sdu'u' aud. to that extent he was constrained.
nNS"u'r. TO acknowledge, as he wished to dis.
he