Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1839-02-07


end though The national debt 10 paid and distribute the
proceeds AMONG the States would be AL assumption Of
! power where granted 10 Congress
| But apart from constitutional obstacles, there
serious object The OF expedency Can the
proceeds Ut the sales Of the public lands be diverted from,
the Treasury of the I. 5, without leaving the other
of insufficient 10 the ordinary
pendilures' His investigation OF this inquiry had led
HIM to believe that they cannot De spared. IN inokng
the Ieuns Of the Secretary OF the Trrasury for
raj years past he inrcIby struck With The Inability
Of the from the tariff 10 meet the endltures
of The Government 1t will be remembered. that The
dividends from bank stock OF the u s Bank off
from The Treasury the stock sold and the proceeds nearly
expended By the appropriations of Congress The whole
derived from all other except the tariff
and public lands amounts 10 less than half million of
doars-and, should The public lands be cut OF the Co.
Vernmant must depend almost entirely upon the arf
for support The ra,rs OF the tariff b. us- 10 rise
or tall with the fluctuations IN The expenses OF The Go.
yrInment. The average receipts from customs the
last five years has been millions of dol
lars, while the average expenditures have been twenty
five Misunderstanding the average expenditures exceed
The Average receipts from customs eight miIns of dol
lars 1t true The expenditures of The last five years
have been extraordinary, from Indian wars, ush-
Gf lndan titles 10 lands within The States removal
and Subsistence u indians. payment Of iGGtmmes
from foreign nations TO ciII3-ns and other I'M
usual canses But II is also true, that the impnra-
lions have been lar beyond The average Of any like
number Of years IN The laa; twenty II is evident,
that The customs would not have been sufficient 10
the expenditures, The last five years by aver
age of eight millions ni dollars annually. Viii they be
sufficient future; In pursuing this inquiry, rel~
b. had 10 lht fact that there is hanging
the Treasury debt q" eight millions "i dollars, Ter
rtdermed Treasury notes issued ~ drIrdy eSpPuses-
that should there NJ i surplus the Treasury,
there will b. immediate call i"r the fourth install
o tir surplus revenue. the meGi ui which has
been suspended Tor want OF means These two sums
III amount 10 HII"ns of G,iiars of actual
debt aud Liabilities due from The U ) Er-des Tic facts
that ur receipts irun Tor live years past have
aIl, Fha. Ina
Government, and the existence OF 'hr debt hanging
the Treasury the Tariff rapd slate OF reduction.
Whatever may be the lectures Ui gentlemen lhis
fnor, the report OF The committee there he
doubt 70. the fact that the receipts UnI ir The
last five years have been many millions Ut dollars less
than The previous FIVE years, though the Imporiauns
were enurmous. BY the sci Of Congress OF March,
lc3 called the COMPROMISE Bill, the tarid Is gradually
but RAPIDLY reduced Onr.rnth of ,h-
twenty per nd o"ioJem is deducted b'eunIaliy
unuI the 3Ist oil Dpcembrr lo!l, wien ha ard IN
loI2 the Other half Of the excess above twenty cent.
are taken off After that period, duties not 10 be
raised tu create 'ievenue abuve lhr wants cf the Co
vernment economically administered IN addition to
the reduction OF the actual duly charged inspirations
BY The Compromise Act, many articles are admitted free
Of duty unI lSi2, which had before that Act,
charged with duty The ops ration of the ac, at 49,
two i,d IN reducing The revenue Of the Government
first. ia actually reducing The per cent cnargcsbe
imported goods and, secondly, in admitting large class
OF merchandise free uf duty. The practical Effects of
this law have been undoubtedly to reduce hr revenue,
not " the speculative oplniu,s the contra.
~; and tins curalmen OF The receipts from customs,
has taken place under amount OF lmpOr,uGnS here
t0lore unparalleled The slightest examination will
satisfy the House Of the fact 1t of much
surprise him, that it had escaped The notice OF the
tsR%5uy G"oi Jhr GoTriilev that the receipts from
amount OF lmporatlous Thus for example, taking rhe
wear 1888. the value OF the lmpurta0ns was Suc OOOWO
- dnii-s S29 0OO,UGN while in 1924, the Impor'sons
were l2G UUU 900 and the duties only $l6UUOOOO
sh"wlrg that with Increased importation OF eighteen
e IN wall There
receipts for duties Of lhlrlern millions OF dollars -
In the year 1885. the mporations were Sl5 geo 200,
duties only $4,000 COO, orien millions less than 10 1888
thong II value OF imported goods was upwards oi luy
millions the most THIS is caused by the large amount
of goods imported since The act OF lc3 tree OF duty
In 1888 the amount imported free OF duty was thirty
two millions Of dollars IN value; in lSj1 the value OF
impuriaons free Of duty seventy seven millions.
From the compromise act To the present me The mer.
chandse admitted fire. OF duty largely over halt the
value Of the whole impofianns. While there appears
Ia be immense increase III the quantity imported,
there great reduction az tic amount imported, upon
,rhieh duy is chargtd-and hence the rapid reduction III
the recerps from customs The whole Of the immense
augmentation of mportaons which has occurred IN The
last years has been in the classes OF merchandise
admitted free OF duy; and while this increase OF rnpo
tutuns has necpssar swelIrd the expenses attendant
on this branch OF the Executive deparments ~" re-
venue denvahe from II has been rapidly reduced -
When in ls42, the whole 0i The excess OF duty above
twenty per crHtum ad rGIOrm, shaIi De oeducuh,
aud the duty charged upon all goods being after that
~ rod limited 10 twenty per centum nd rai0rtm will
sonire an imoora,iun Of more than one hundred and
s,.ty millions of dollars in value to yrid Of
fifteen millions ni dollars 10 yield revenue Of ghr'cn
,n,nns There must be an impnrraon Of nnoda TO The
value of near two hundred millions unless til. proper.
ou b-lwpen the goods admitted free of duty and those
durable shall b. chnnged from The relation which has
existed from 1888 to the present time These results
are matters of fact Largely half the amount OF
imported goods pay no duIy-"f two hundred millions,
not more Than ninety millions in value would pay duty,
n tlaL n
onlv e,,Ie.n mi Inns oC rsyeune We have no reason
a. orrc;,,,s an largo an amount of irnporn;ions nor
anu ,,sn, Io e,oec, change IN the relation between
,b free nnd durable GOODS and unless one or he other
ccn, c,n,,,,S IN IN. ,neri.,ce or The mast one
,,on ri The comprnwse act revenue from The tariff
,f.r so of more than twelve or fifteen millions.