The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-02-02

ana silks, IN an eminent degree. The tax is
paid by the wealthy, and those who do not feel
in the slightest degree the increased price from
the duty, and il is paid willingly. No one pays it
who does not choose to do IT, Not SO with such
articles as now bear the whole burdens of the
revenue. They are articles of prime necessity
such as salt and iron, which the less opulent
are obliged TO have, and cannot choose whether
they will pay the tax or not
will not weary the committee by the discus
sion OF proposition which no one has as yet
queslioned-the peculiar justice of tax on
Injuries The principle, universally admit
tea, goes further than IS necessary TO this argu-
ment IL goes TO taxing luxuries and exempiiDg
necessarles. But, all that is now contended for
is, that they should bear some tax, although not
even as high rate as necessaries. This being
principle universally conceded and specially
insisted on by the South, would not OPP
pose il even if its sectional bearings and ten
denotes disadvantageous | will not, Ell
ther from principle or policy, act the dictates
OF that terrapin patriotism, which draws il
self within It's own shell In a matter
where just discrimination may be made,
shall, of course, prefer my own section. But will
not violate the well established principles of po-
litica economy, and of manifest justice, TO bene
hit myself or my own peculiar people and, sir,
let me say to Southern men, that if they are re-
strained by no other consideration, is il wise to
! adopt such course2 We are and always will be
| the weaker interest. II we act upon principles
thus exclusive, what are we to expect from
others? If we adopt lshmael as our model and
set our faces against all men, may we not expect
i that all men will set their faces against us2 If
we thus act, with what grace shall we hereafter
read lectures to our Northern brethren about
honor, justice, patriotism2 But sir, if gentle
men VIII listen to no arguments on this subject
but those OF an exclusive character, forgetting
that we owe duties to the confederacy as well
as TO our particular sections, submit 10 them
that no principle of taxation can be as fair
and as just TO the South as this is. One reason
for this is enough: Duties must be laid on some
thing. These articles, silks and wines are not
manufactured in this country, and therefore no
class or section is benefited by the increase of
price. They are consumed equally in the diff
| ferent sections, and therefore the duty is paid
equally. Is there any other better source OF
revenue The only other that can be suggested,
is an increased duty on the protected articles
on the articles manufactured here. Does any
anttarit man prefer that? If he does, let him
dare to say SO. But, sir, submit that an in
crease OF duties on the protected articles would
not increase revenue. Ii is not every increase
of the rate Of duty which increases revenue. On
The contrary, writers OF the highest authority
maintain, that any duty beyond 20 per cent,
dmnshes revenue The manufacturers well
know this. We of the anti-tarf school always
told them so; and that the present rate of du-
ties was better for them than any higher rate.
Experience, that great teacher has proven TO
them what our arguments failed to do, and this
accounts for the fact, that the gentlemen from
New York and Maine, (Mr Barnard and Mr..
Evans, tariff men, and myself, are found to-
gether on this subject. How we come together
is no look out of mine. ! stand where always
did. They have come TO me- Why have they
done SOL Because ii is stipulated in the
Compromises stipulated at the instance
Of the South, that deficit Of revenue shall be
supplied by duties on the unprotected articles,
and because they have found, as we have always
asserted that the present rate Of duties was pro-
lection enough. The only object Of protecting
duties, as the term implies, is to keep out TO-
reign competition. The present duties accom-
psh that additional duties would do no more |;
whilst domestic competition would be thus
encouraged The manufacturers, therefore, can
not possibly gain by it, but must loose.
have heard one, and only one, objection
made to this proposition, and that is, that, as
/ Southern staples, rice cotton and tobacco, are
received in exchange for French silks and wines,
any increase of duly will greatly diminish the
consumption Of those articles, and destroy the
ability OF France to purchase our commodities.
| This, sir, is genuine humbug from the original
Missouri mint. have seen another hun,bug
from the same quarter, pervading the country
and my own State, with the exception OF my
/
became superstitous fanaticism-a thing not TO
be met with argument, as no superstition Is. /
believe il is law of all superstitions, that the
more absurd il is, the more fanatical are its de-
voices. cannot say that this, the latest hum
bug, will not have an equal run-but humbug il
is. Will any gentleman inform me, what arti-
Gle of foreign production we can tax which is
liable TO this objection that il is paid for
with Southern staples All our commerce
nearly is carried on with those staples, wines
and silks, not whit more than salt, sugar, rice,
or any other article. Those staples may be said
to be the currency Of foreign commerce-the
medium o. all its exchanges. Unless some an
swer can be given to this, there is end Of the
argument. You must forbear to lay any impost
duty at all, and resort to alchymy and d.
rect taxation. But | go further. As to any
other article, it may not only be said with
equal truth, that it is paid for with Southern
stapes but as 10 those articles the effect is un-
compensated; but as TO silk the incidental
compensation, if not complete, is nearly so
certainly greater than any other article. If silk
dresses are not worn, cotton fabrics will be sub
stltuted; and cotton muslins cost nearly as much,
and are not one-fourth as durable; so that for any
silk fabric excluded, an equivalent will be supplied
in others OF cotton, our own particular staple.
Thus | repeat, shall we be incidentally com
pensated more on this than any other article
But deny that the duty on silks and wines,
will materially diminish consumption. They
are articles of vanity and pride, not of necessity.
They are used by the wealthy, and the price
which they bear is often the inducement to their
purchase-not an Objectionable real value not
the criterion of value. To whatever extent,
however, the consumption Of these articles is
reduced, the Wis nedicatrix of commerce will
supply their places by some other article: French
muslins for example. will now present one
other view Of this matter, which does seem TO
me to close the argument. The Reporton Com
merce and Navigation, for 1889, shows that
our importations from France, exceeded our