The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1840-04-21

from duty on silk Suppose the importation
should be u little lessened by liz that would favo
The efforts Of our People. aud ohain revenue also
Suppose the importation should hardly be dnnin
shed NJ all, AZ perhaps it might NOT be; then W.
should receive the more revenue, and should col
Iuct II on an Itcir al the murest luxury. Sir,
such measure could originate in This House,
would move, This hour, 10 bring in Il bill laying
duty on Imported silks
The heXt article is wine. Wines were imported
last year to an amount exceeding three millions q
dollars Why should not wines pay IL duty?
know, that in regard 10 French wines, are Inn
lied by the treaty with France, until lS42. BIZ
still, Within those iimils, ght lay n consider
able duty on the Tues of France. But shoul,
| have desire To lay duties on tho red wines, o.
| the cheaper wines OF France. Such wines N @ con
sumed, exlens:vely,in the South and West, nre sui
ted 10 the habits Of The people, and supposed To b,
suited also to The climate. Until more necGSsar,
Than ut present TO tax them, they might be received
unlaxed. But other, and costly wines, such as uIt
regarded as Inquiries only, ient well bo subjected
| To reasonable duty
would lay no duty on tea or coffro becaus,
they very generally used, have become in some
degree necessaries OF iic and contribute largely tc
promote comfort, temperance, aud happiness n
n,ong all classes. may add that the general use
OF these articles is of The most Striking thing,
which distinguish tho ling classes # this coun
| try from the same classes in other countries.
Such, sir, would be my resort, If ! could have
my own way, for revenues, such us necessary
i3r The support of Government.
As 10 the public lands have been, and still am
in favor of dividing their proceeds among The States
upon fair and equitable principles. Perhaps this
should not be done ill the census, which is To be
Ilnien this year, be flushed; as that will Then be
the surest means OF making just and proper di.
division; but, at proper time, am for the neas-
ure. In addition tn other reasons which have been
often urged, il may be said with force, that the
income from This source is too unsteady and huctu
atng 10 be relied on as an essential branch of pub
lie revenue. But u ipw years ago, it amounted Ia
twenty. four millions. For this year, it is csima.
ted but at three and half. I should, therefore,
assign this income To the States, whatever 1. mig ht
have mentioned. In addition 10 silks ami wines
there articles called the projected articles
such at wool!en fabrics, on which, in my opinion,
The duties ought 10 be raised. would not hasten -,
INDIE ed the discussion Of the general tariff question
but that custom is BOW before us, not far of, aud
must soon be upon us.
Mr. President, om Imports, the last year, reach
ed The unprecedented amount Of one hundred aud
fifty seven millions Of doilars, exceeding by nearly
fifty mllions the imports of the year before. Yet
even this seems not 10 satisfy all. Public ap
pear 10 ha"" ruling passions or strong tendencies
towards particular objects. 1t seems TO that
our Government, and many oi our people, have
mbibcd an extravagant and morbid love of impor.
taton. They seem to judge of the prosperity OF
the country, and the happiness of the people, ex-
clusvely by the quantity Of iorcign merchandise
which they annually consume. With all respect,
the President himself, think, has feelings with
this tendency lnd this paragraph in his las,
annual message:
'.Our People will no, long be inspnsblc to the
extent of burdens enailed upon them by The false
system that has been operating on their sanguine
| energetic, and industrious character; nor to the
means necessary TO extrcate themselves from these
emborrassments. The weight which presses upon
| large portion Of the People and the Sntes il an
| enormous debt: fore On and domestic. The foreign
debt oi our Siaes, corporations, aud men OF bust
ness, can scarcely be less than two hundred mil
lions of duIlars, requiring than ten millions OF
dollars year L" pay the interest. This sum has
to be paid out of The exports of the country, and
must ofnecessity cut off imports 10 that extent. o
plunge The country more deeply ia debt from year
year 1t is easy I" that The increase this fr'ig'
debt must Augment the annual demand on tho ex
ports To- pay the interest, and 10 The same exten
diminish the inportS;-and IN proportion To the
enlargement Of The foreign debt, and the conse
qn"nt Increase of the interest, must be the decr"as,
| of the import trade. In lieu of the COMFORTS whicl
| 1t now brings US, we mig lave our gigantic bank
| ing institutions, IL splendid, but in many instances
prnfi.ess, railroads aud canals absorbing to grea
exteut, in inihrrst upon the capital borrowed Il
construct them, the surplus fruits Of national indus
try for years to come aud securing tn poserity n'
adeq tate return for the comforts which the labor o
| their hands might otherwise hav secured"
! Now, sir, | would ask most respectfully wheihe
any one can mention any railroad canal NOR
profirless to the country than this enormous i'm
portaiiun Of foreign Injuries? Or, l would a. k
what hose important comforts are, Of which w
get so much less than ought to desire? Doe
our comfort require greater importation OF silks O
| wines? Or should we be better off by adding L
the six or eight millions or imported woollen fab
RIGS further TO d"press and distress manu-
facturers? Or is the aggregate of one hundred an
fifty millions Of dollars Of imported mercan
dize mot enough ,on The Whole, 10 satisfy our eage
appetite for foreign productions! lnasInnch as W
lay and collect no duties on silks or wines, we
likely to fall short Of sufficient revenue; inasmuc
as likely to fall short Of revenue, we refIs
all appropriations To The Cumberland road, and 4
iiarbors the lakes 1t would seem to follow
from this, that we deem silks and wines
necessity of life ihan good road through new
country, ports and hav ems, in which ships en-
ploycd in useful commerce, take shelter for tn
preservation OF lives and property.
MIR. President, ii is remarkable, that this spir
for importation should become SO strong, Just whe
our own occupations and employments are mos
Oppressed The cotton nanutac tures, practically
are in worse state than they have been 70: TWEEN
~ years.-tt is supposed thai at least half tn
wollen machinery Of the United States has cease
TO work, and many of the establishments might b
purchased at one third of their cost. The iro
wade and the coal trade suffer with the rest.
the condition of East u and Northern manufacture
he as have stated. I doubt " he her one would re-