The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1841-08-17
TME TAREFF QUESr1n,z


That the Wings, while they would piva
State $50 900 from lte sale Of the ppblio Tie
would TAX THE PEOPLE, upon ar,ic,o oO lands
sumo in their families, MORE THAN T9MSoa.
THOUSAND" ''AlY
Certainly this is specific, plain and ,n,o,r.,,
sti il is mere assertion and it strikes NJ "
to make il even plausible, the editor of III. "a
OF will be obliged to assume things as so,. "l
principles to be true which are really fal... aa
let us grant for moment, what our oo.l, ="
seems to assume, that the tax imposed bv ''"
revenue bill upon foreign products, will aIl ,'
on the consumers. The principal articles I Inv
upon by that bill is as follows: silks. co,,o, W
and WOODEN goods, 20 per cent on their oos,, aaS
place of impor tatIon; wines, an additional J ~ m
10 cents per gallon; tea cent and four m;lIoV
pound, and coffee one cent and eigh, m;i,o pe
pound. These, it is to be observed ara all CO Pc
products, some Of them unnecessary as WE ca voN
duce them ourselves, the rest Iuxuriesn' ~" a Pc
words not commonly used, TO any cons;do o%a
extent, by the mass of the people, To th, '' 10
it comes: shall we refuse the share of Verm0'ma
the public lands, amounting at least TO S5OO0
year. equal to our whole state tax and wbiS
may Tighten the burdens Of every tax payey .H
and rich, or carry Increased means of edncaii%
bless every family; and shall we sacrifice tba INV
mon good, for the exclusive benefit of the w;ns
bers, the tea and coffee drinkers and 6ne IS
who faunt in French laces andFrench silks, S"s
is the question, taking the Patriots ground ~" .s
the Patriots answer is--yes But we N%
from the Patriot. Like the Wbigs of om'
time, care very little about a tax on lea n, s
other Injuries, and great deal about rigbt r.
right 10 raise revenue by import duties, for h, \
the very way pointed out in the Constitution: ana
It is right to give the several states the ppblc ,nI
for that is according to the contract which nm,
revolutionary fathers made, and bound u.s. thai,
sons to execute. We go, then, for the right AND
if men love wine, and tea, and coffee well enos
to pay small duty upon these articles, let Them
drink them; or if the ladies will have fine French
silk, instead of making their own silks or we,,;D
other American fabrics, let them pay for il Them
selves, and not require the farmer and mechanic
whose daughters use little of this foreign fnerv 4,
forego their rights in order that foreign silk NAV 6
a tr fife cheaper To these considerations we win
add iliis,--f the deeds of session are not executed
and the locofoco policy is not succe ssfuIy resisted
the old states will speedily lose their share of M
lands, and then be obliged to pay these enormou
taxes according to the Patriots theory) withOu
the equivalent which the lands would afford
| But these were not the points TO which we usn
ded particularly 10 direct the attention of our
readers. For twelve years the lccooco leaders have
been playing hypocritical and perhdOus game, for
during that period they have professed to he Tar,
| i'll men; or they have recently and suddenly chan,
ed their ground. Now, they avowed enems
of the Tariff policy In close league with ,heMl
iluStS VI COulu, anu Will the ucCldIeu tHemli
of Free Labor and Northern Rights and Of Amer
can Inierests--they are on the one hand urging
| financial system which has crushed the millomd
Europe TO the earth, and on the Other hand rela
ing that American policy, which was raised Na
Republican fathers to be the cap stone in the len
pie of National Independence, and under wbh
the nation has made the most rapid progressO rs
perity and true glory. This is the position Of
iocofoco leaders in Vermont. They took It boil
ly as their State Convention; their presses in 1
State have taken il; the locofocos in New Hap I
shire and Maine have taken il; their leaders nC
gress have taken it, and more than one Of as N
has announced that the tariff must be abaNdG% M
as direct tau upon the people, TO be paid in 1
ey, is the only democratic system; prop@I
| by the way, which needs only to be stated ID lX
pudiated by Vermont; 10 would draw from to
| three hundred thousand dollars annually from 'N
| state, four filths of it never to be returned
| leave our great interests to Perish! As bret M
the extract from the patriot, it contains The
| trine upon which the opposers Of the tariff and
advocates of direct taxation rely, viz: this-tf
duty upon foreign products is tax upon the
sumers.
| Tins is Calhounism: south Carolina must ~
taIed to benefit Vermont, and so South Can
threatened 10 play the traitor, nulliiy the ac
Congress, and resist by force of arms. Duties
| taxes, unequal and unjust taxes, say Pickens
Carolina, and McKeon, the representative
aliens Of N. Y. city, and so they must have
rect money tax. And is this doctrine hle'
said not the sages of the past; so says not the
best teacher, the experience of the past, II
the true doctrine. 1t is not true, even as 10
upon foreign products, which cannot be ralv
on our own soil, rs is proved by the TACT aA
imposition of duties has not produced coneY
ing increase in their price. 1t is clearly ano
pntably untrue TO the products which CAD
| raised In our own country--and these,Oe H'I
bered are the only ones on which prolecuVs"
are ever asked. Look at the cotton goods
compare the present prices with what lney
previous to the tariff instead Of being ncs
by the duty levied on foreign coitons, tho pnt
been diminished so per cent? wooden goods
been reduced about IS per cent; iron aoO@
same, aud so on through the long list OF l",'
products, with which our own products col"
to competition.
And the reason of this is obvious: previous .s,
the Tariff, we were at the mercy Of oFe'ea NV X
iacturers, and they fix their own prices' sm NsS
Tariff, competition, between our own mauu e. S4
ers and the manufacturers Of Europe n s 2
the latter te bring down their prices so ~ ows
pay the duties and then enter our rnarheIs ,sud
equal footing Thus nave prices actuaIy ,Ss NIX
duced and at the same time the duties ua 6dS
paid and that rather by the foreign m n md
than by the consumers. This is the tae. rs "
terly demolishes all the fine spun tbeol''I AMI m
ern Nullifers, British monopollsts, anu all
Locofocos. Nor is this by any meau soS
building up domestic manufactures "
consequently to the commerce OF the , cOur hs
number Of our population has been a' sh,nis
ricultural pursuits to be laborers, m e."; in ii
chineists, manufacturers and merchan' NUS Of 8
, to become consumers instead OF prouu.SSo fb
pork, potatoes and grain,-the cuslo%ss 10 The