Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-06-04

thousand dollars annually. Ii the gentleman pro
poses to benefit the people of North Carolina by suci
legislation would il not be- to use his own chaste ant
classic language, "the most ridiculous humbuggery:
Butthe evils of this project do not stop here II thf
indirect taxes, by which the money raised from the
people to be distributed TO them, are laid as the gen
tieman proposes putting luxuries upon the same foot
ing as necessities, it would operate very hardly upon
the poorer classes of the people. When poor man
whose income is from his personal labor, IS taxed as
rich man, the taxes far heavier upon him lie has
10 pay out OF his necess.es-the rich out OF his
superiuites. The of taxation on necessities after
1912, II the act of 1883 is continued the gentleman
proposes, VIII be twenty per cent and he proposes,
understand to raise the luxures also to twenty per
cent. Now, Sir, take twenty per cent. on. of an in.
come OF three hundred dollars and it leaves the tax
payer but two hundred and forty dollars; but dimnu
ton Of the ola poor man NAV not only inter
tsre with what little comforts ne possesses but may
oen from scantiness of clothing, Of fuel and bad
food, endanger life itself himself family But %
per cent. income of two thousand dollars would
leave the payer i'll the possession of thousand
ON handrod dnllas-a few superuities CHIT be touch
ed but that is all Now, il is by such unequal uIid
burdensome scheme of taxation (Which falls heaviest
actly in proportion the means OF paying most H.
mted) that the gentleman from North Carolina pro
poses to raise money from the people Of his State by
this Government, 10 be given back to them again
This "humbuggery" CT hope the committee will par
don the gentle phrase) is not only ridculous, but il
is most mlschievous and wicked Necessities ought
not to be taxed as high as Injuries.
1t would be consolation, however, MIR. Chairman
if this project of distributing portion Of the revenue
Of the Government TO the States stopped even where
as have traced. But Sir, it goes much further; and
in its sectional bearings on the South, operates with
enold more aggravation By your system of indirect
tuxation-by taxes on importatons-the South, con-
stituting she does fourth only of cur Federal
population, pays into the Treasury OF the u 3 three
tourths of the revenue collected. know that this IS
difficult and long disputed point for subtle is the
operation Of the system ct indirect taxation, and so
many exceptions to any general principle can be pro-
duced from the and complicated relations of trade
and commerce, that It very easy to obscure the truth
by doubts, and thus delude the public mind My OBJ
ject in the observations shall make our system of
indirect taxation By duties imports, will not be orr
ginay, but practical usefulness. may, therefore,
say many things that both others and myself have pre-
viously said | want the people of the South to IN
derstand and especially the constituents of the gentle
man from North Carolina, who proposes the scheme OF
distribution the true nature of its operation when con-
nected with The Tariff If do not mistake, it is pro-
position to the people of the South to put three dollars
into the national treasury, and receive back one by the
name Of distribution.
Taxation goods imported from foreign nations
constitutes the revenue collected by the General Co.
yernment through the customs. II isa burden on TO-
reign commerce and, in the first instance, must clear
ly fall upon those Immediately engaged in it. Who is
the originator well the supporter Of all the direct
commerce between the United States and other ma
tons Unqurs,onably the producer. If the country
produced nothing, it could import nothing. Its pro-
auctions exchanged for the importatlons and the
importations are, in fact, the productions in another
FORM ! will endeavor to elucdate this by familiar
instance.
An enterprisng constituent of the gentleman from
North Carolina produces by his labor and capital dur
ing the year ten thousand dollars of naval stores
He carries them down 10 Wilmington, puts them on
board Of ship, and sails for Favre in France. He
there exchanges them q exclude all expenses and pro-
fits to simplify the process for ten thousand dollars
of woollen goods Or, what is the same thing, sells
them for money, and then takes the money and pur-
ebaSes the woolen goods. lie returns with his cargo
are not these woollen goods much the production
of his skill labor and capital the naval stores OIL
gnally were; Ii we suppose an intermediate agent,
like the merchant TO have been used to effect tins ex
change, it will make not the least difference WOOL
lens are wanted Wilmington and naval stores are sale
able in Ilayre by which the wooens can be obtained
In The stores, merchant will give no
for them than the woolle Is, which he intends to
purchase with them will wa ant and the wooens,
when landed in Wilmington, q still the production
Of the labor and capital Of the producer Of the naval
stores.
Pass on now Sir one step further. The port collec.
tor comes to producer of the naval stores, and de-
mands lax from him Of forty per cent upon his wool
lens on the wharf Now, what manner of difference
doeS u make TO the producer Ol inc Husdl SUMS
whether he pays the forty per cent on the wooilens
coming in or had paid it originally on the naval stores
going out of the country Is not the tax on the I'M
port in this case, exactly the same as IT levied on the
port and does not the producer pay il: Nor does
The Intervention of the merchant in the least degree
alter the relation of things 1t forty per cent IS 10 oe
taken from the wooens which the naval stores will
import, the naval stores are only worth to him the
wooens, deductng the forty per cent. The navai
stores is the instrument by which ne imports the wool
lens and he will only give what the instrument can
accomplish. ;,
And here, Sir, let me pause and inquire why should
the producer Of the naval stores in North Carolina be
called upon to pay forty per cent on the Woolens I'M
ported by his naval stores, and which, in tact, are as
much the production Of his labor and capital as the
ma val stores originally were, whilst the producer OF
woolens in the North Qhe manufacturer pays no tax
at all
Why should the production Of one portion OF the
country be taxed and not another? If the revenue oil
the Government collected on impartial principles,
for every dollar raised by duties on commodities import
ed there would be a corresponding amount raisea oy
a main duty on similar commodities manufactured IN
The u. S. The producers Immediately interested 10
the foreign commerce Of the country, pay the whole
revenue which supports the Government, whilst those
whose productions constitute the internal trade OF the
IT, S., by far the most extensive pay no taxes at all
MIR. Chairman, where ia The power in the Constitu.
ton of laying duties for the protection OF domestic ma
nufactures: Is it claimed from the commercial power
the power to regulate commerce-whlst its object
and effect really is, not regulate, but TO destroy TO-
reign commerce: Is it claimed from the power to lay
duties for revenuc-wils its object really IS to de-
sroy revenue, by excluding from importation the COM
nodities on which the taxes to be rased' 1t was
from Jus, such perversion of power ms this that Inc
contest in our Revolution Great Britain pos
sessed the constitutional power of laying duties Tor
the regulation of commerce. She claimed the pow
er TO lay them for another purpose-the purpose
of raising revenue. Our fathers resisted It. SO now
here by the Constitution, the power is given to re-
gnla,e commerce and lay duties for revenue The
bower is claimed to lay them for another purpose
tho encouragement and promotion of manuiac.
lures The revolutionary statesmen saw clearly that
the perversion of power was the assumption OF a
ne power that the object not the name characterized
the tax and they breasted back its first imposition
The duties on tea &c, not laid for the benefit OF
the Colonies but for the benefit ofthe mother country
So here, our duties imports for the encouragement
of manufactures have been laid, not for the benefit OF
the South, but for the benefit of the North. That
tribute which the South refused to pay to the mo-
Their country has been exacted from by orr sister
States through the nstrumentalty of Government
Our fathers sad that to pay any tax not iaid .ne
was taxation without represe