The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-07-26
ACNAnkH Og
MR. John HASTINGS, oy OHIO.
ON THE TARIFF BILL.


tie afifis ard bearings a ttis tan ball frvm The
Commits a Way ssd Meas sasA, ans, have ~--
espsd ths sfieasi5n ~ xeniemsn ~hs hsss Psvc~drd
me. lei state fact thai mas h~ sort CONSIDERS
ton snd induce feaeetssn. All sossrw@sns> that
hsye ever read II, az % ths present uns, whether
drspDtisns. limited msnerehss repabisss. ushsf
Dor - he rsisf II oaais With oce4sonsi sbeffs-
ton so tbis = Tia oppressive un)ss sssson II 81
and cal policy, or ~has soa ~iti, " ssieDtls
kind Of inherent Instructive, ssmpsshsse secret thsi
they all understand and agree Il there =
some difference ocessscaaiis, aneng ,ossrewsn,s ~
The mode process of ahstrscing from The labor OF
the many 10 agsransxe the ies 70 compel he indus-
trious 10 supper, the idi. The gsanssss legitimate.
full blooded despotisn, ss % Tho summary, clear
thing at once-cut od head 90 carry "a ths pro-
perry Of the subject without question or ceremony
but the more refined Chrsstian sosernmcpt. 60 dn-
ferentl, TO work-by the action al curious, sscs,
subtle nsnuatng little operator II thrs, letters cad
ed " TAR" they keep grinding, and squeezing, and
scfapins, and wearing oat the mind aud oods and
property OF man, woman, aud ohsId, until all b~cone~
exhausted nothing left bu, the skeleton oi What
has been AT the same tin,e the motive oi aclsoa n
all is the same--to make the producer do ths work.
pay, end fight, while the Idle exclusive laxnrssies
and riots the consumpt Of the fruits OF The pro-
ducer's labor. And our own Government has been
in the same habit since ever have known il-tAxlns
labor to the relief of capital bat habit that ana
III hopes II will have To get rad Of pretty by the
fiat of the People, for IL Is very PLAIN, rom the CON
dluou oil the country, ana TIE Noscrtuscits tgsDaf-
raised vements, that it is behind the People, aud
they will have TO put ii right. We ali know that tise
Government must DC supported, and that " has been
airtaIned heretofore by the income from the public
domain and by indirect taxation, called q tarih,
duties imports and the bill now before Is OF
the latter description, for the public lands gone
and, by provision in the bill, are, seems, to con-
tinue gone. Well, it is yolumnous bill, compris-
ing fifty pages and an ably drawn up bill, and well
printed b but 1t appears to me- at least, revenue
ha n
sit easy the stomachs Of those who swallow it,
less made more palatabe and wholesome by remodel
ing and reconcng its conflicting proportions,
moving its cruditles, and substituting more sound ma
lerial.
In relation, Mr.. Chairman, to the amount OF money
to lie collected fro the people delray the expenses
of their Government and more, the will Of my
ituents, and the conviction of my udg meul
Is, hat heretofore, the first APP
pIopraed towards that purpose should be the proceeds
Of the sales of the pubic lands and that the indirect
tax in The shape OF duties imports make up the
remainder should be levied equally aud impartial
y in reference to the various indusria pursuits OF
tue American People, as may be practicable. And
such Is the guide by which will be recied In my
upon this bill; bill that 10 man OF
plain, simple sInge-eyed purpose, indicates, ii IL
should become q law series OF distractng and per
picking 10 the sections and Classes and
interests may be supp ed 1t will benefit, and dis
turb, and unhing anu dssatisy the straight forward
and more direct avocaOns that not embraced in
The scheme. Such, believe, with the most re-pec-
ful difference to the Committee that drew up the BILL
will be the effects and results OF the disparities
partial tendencies of ITS provisions, pro-
lection, positive incidental, tor revenue, OF for
ALL then discIim mating operations viii be perpexiDg
and oppressive, and unsuccessful in execution. How
ever, tnat it may, my mind is single and straight
forward upon the whole subject; in taxation, 40 in
all other legislative &C ion an governed by invo-
late irreprt sslbe regard for the Peop equal
in hir pune, entire amplitude, believing that Their
,esny the only security for the perpeiuaon of tree
government. Y nder this H. III cOnvctiun adhere q
the entiIiens maintained during the extraordinary
session of last summer, in my ks this fool
when the Tax bill Of that day under discuss on
perhaps may as we'll quote the proposition itself =
'As put myself upon the ;a 10, unerrng, broa,
ground equality Ut taxation direct inniIect
that The Peoples rights, and the Constitution, ant
the harmony OF the Union through mpa tial xaton
imperously demand, In every acl OF legislation, a,
entire, unqualified regurL Iur this Democratic funda
mental principle OF free government--rqual rights
of,r plain, simple pr.posiuon, arising out If the
supjec Of. TIL, bill ard hat is, hat the import out es
upon all products that raise in our SOIL and
upon all iabrcs thai we manufacture, saould be Of
ad valorem denomination, Of such per centage a.
wodlu, together with The proceeds OF tue public lands
ply he expenses Of the Government and no more
that products which our climate will permit i,
ralse should come In duty free that the duties should
&c pa d III cash down, and that gold and silver anL
the fish bounty laws repealed" This is e general
tatlves Tor their consideration then, and submit the
Same now, with The incumbent addition of the
saTy checks and guards against fraudulent invoices
and other revenue malversaons; having, this pu-
son, single eye to the good of the whole, not per
mittiDg my Imagination be led away by particular
interest Of action clique, class, individual. AnC
believe me, Mr.. Chairman, mistake the matte
egregIously If we suppose that any other kind of in
direct taxing Legislation will satisfy the will of tn,
American People generally they have began to IN
VPStIUate and III cIosey tha md Of
fects OF the taxing power in It's application heretofore
on their Independence and prosperity; and the hou
Is rapidly approaching when they will confne its
erci-e TO an impartial regard for the nviolability
their equal rights do not think could DO any goot
by grabbing In The arcana of figures, and speculation
and conjecture, of what the public expenses ex
portations may be, what the mportations OIL
which TO predicate a tax may be, for plenty ha
been SAID upon all this to inform and cOnfOun
and perplex; we have variety Of TRUTH error, hypo
thesis calculation, and imagination; but one thing
certain, and that is, that the public expenses from
the way we are going on, will he quite plenty and t
spare tor the people to pay-some twenty five million
AT least II not thlrty-fOr need not talk abou
what they might be with wisdom and economy, WI
had better speak of what they are, and what the PEG
PIE will have opay, what will be exacted from abo
until they enf'rce salutary change themselves a.
they may think best AS the coniectural calculation
oil Imporatlons, by taking the average of the last 81,
or seven years, which some have been doing, lhinl
we are deceivlng ourselves with the mere fickeTing
of tancy-moonshIne q we'll Is not the seen,
changed? Has not the paper money Illusion by
when the country was inundated with foreign mer
chandlse, evaporated, leaving only "wreck behind2
Dr Is 1t expected to revive again and deceive the PEG
pie once more with its pictorial Establishments Have
not the States two hundred and twenty millions O
debt to pay, and the General Cove nment upwards o
twenty millions and an increasing prospect, | an
afraid And yet, we figure up heavy importati n,
on paper on winch to levy through consumption
to pay expenses, interest, and debt No. sir; We
may import and tariff as we will, but the people will no
buy those who live upon the industry, the labor
Others may buy and get in debt again. labor itself
the great pay-al cannot afford to buy what have beer
heretofore called goods, for they would turn out evils
as they have already done. | may be mistaken, bu