The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-02-04


scheme OF home valuation which had been proposed,
would place upon ii the seal of condemnation
Mr.. CLAY differed with the Senator from South
Carolina as to twenty, or even thirty per cent being
an extravagant duty. But had it come to this, that
the Senator was opposed 10 duty on imports, TO
supply the wants Of the Treasury He thought that
the gentleman had better review some of his former
opinions expressed in the Senate Free trade, WIN
him, at time the greatest of all blessings, and
II was relied upon to give to South Carolina share
Of benefits But she had had moiety Of free Trade Tor
eight OF ten years; and where did she stand HeI
great staple was at lower price than II had been
since the late with Great Britain and THIS was
the result Of the policy of the Senator.
Mr.. CALHOUN replied, and remarked ihat ,hey
might raise prices high they pleased, according
TO the system of home valuation proposed, by laying
duties, and the next year there would De announcer
increase ofdutes and yet they were called on 10 au
thorze the committee TO employ clerk Tor the purpose
of ascertaining the home valuation! Ii the simple
method of ascertaining the true home valuations
adding the foreign invoice prce TO the expenses OF -
portalion-should be departed from, the effect would
be that gentlemen would 60 fairly to work to increase
the tariff, to bring their home valuation to any
| standard upon which they might determine. The
Senator had told them that South Carolina had not
been benefited by the compromise act and said that
their difficulties were the result OF free trade but he
did not think that the Senator had attributed the true
cause for It was known that If Great Britain suffer
ed in her manu- features the staple States Of the South
suffered also The consumption of cotton in 1871 in
that country as compared with lS40 fell of five hun
dred thousand bags, and this remaining in the mar
ket, was one of the causes of embaIassments.-
But England looked forward to free trade, and
she would soon be obliged to pursue that policy
The great question of the currency was also lead
ing of the pressure in the two countries, as
well as the obligations which had to be met, and
which resulted from former business transactions.
South Carolina was greatly benefited by free trade,
and was In much better condition than she was I'M
der the tariff of 1898, Notwithstanding all her smbar-
easements. The price of negroes was at least 5O per
cent higher than il in 1928, and at recent sale
an entire gang sold for five hundred dollars each
Their lands too, were more saleable, and command
ed better price than they did under the system of
the Senator from Kentucky, Notwithstanding the di-
hcuties abroad Ii too late to speak against Tree
trade. The tonnage, foreign anu domestic, had near
~ doubled from what it was during the preceding
nine years the industry of the country was gong
on, and II was active and progressive than
II was at the present time. Men of intelligence had
said that free trade good for them and Tor the
cotton business and all who transacted business on
their own capital desired change and all this re-
suited from the operation of free trade The gentle
man from Kentucky was behind the time, and he
might as well attempt to stop the Mississippi as to
attempt to control the current of free trade and it
not in the power of any to resist the progress
which Providence had intended should go on.
Mr.. WRIGHT said that the Secretary Of the Sc
nate had always had copying done whenever it was
desired by the committees to which he had been at
| tached, and he thought that this might now be per-
formed without authorizing the committee to employ
clerk for that purpose. He did not believe that any
clerk could facilitate for hour the examination in
TO laws, for member of the committee would acl
upon The judgment of the clerk and he would sug-
ges that, If circulars to be sent from the
mlee the best mode would be to publish them at
once and let them 60 to ALL and the committees
would receive answers from those to whom they
might be sent; there would then be ground for the
charge of Partially.
! Mr.. BUCHANAN wanted to submit few words,
as the lawyers would say, to Exclude conclusion
He consulted few days ago as to whether
he would be willing to employ clerk; and he
answered, from courtesy, that if majority thought
a clerk TO be necessary, he would vote for one. But
he protested against any attempt in either quarter OF
the Senate, to create discussion as to home vaua-
ton on the simple proposition to employ clerk. He
wished to carry out fairly the principles of the Com
promise act and if the Committee on Manufactures
thought that they could get such information as
would benefit him, he would be extremely happy in
| their success When the Tariff question came up,
he would be prepared to vote on it, and to express
his opinions upon the subject; and he believed that
if little forbearance was exercised the question
would toward the end of the session. settle itself
He would vote for the employment of clerk SIM
ply out of courtesy, but he trusted that his vote
would not afford the foundation of an inference OF
any kind.
| Mr.. CLAY continued the debate and in the course
of his remarks said that, for days past he had
had under consideration the general subject of econo
my and retrenchment, so far as Congress could take
cogniZance of the subject but this could not be car
red out without the cooperation of the Executive
and, unless gentlemen on the other side, by wooing
and counting him, could get hold of his practical aid.
He heard said the other day by Loco Foco friend
:. We hold you Qhe Whigs) responsible for taking
the President by the Jaws he vetoed your Bank bills
and we like him for that and, whenever he does any
thing to please us, we fatter him for the act i
| Laughter. But the resolutions which he had drawn
up this very morning provided for the reduction OF
the expenses of the two Houses Of Congress- and con-
templated a reduction and regulation of the mileage
of members II was the first of the series of propo-
sitions which he intended to submit
Mr. SIMMONS replied to the Senator from South
Carolina and said that specific home valuation would
make duties uniform in every section of the country.
AT the present time not half OF the legal rate OF
duty was paid and the American merchant had been
driven out of market by the competition of the foreign
manufacturers who resorted to many devices to ac-
cornsh that object and the only purpose he had in
asking for clerk, to get at the amount and what
rate Of duty should be levied foreign goods They
might as well give foreigners the power to fix the
duty give them he power to fix the value for which
he would not give pin, as he hud reason to believe
that these foreigners were not always actuated by
honest motives and he would assure gentlemen that
in asking for clerk to enable the Committee to as
certain the amount of merchandise and to fix the
home valuation, they had no intention whatever to
fix the valuation farthing beyond the actual value
of the goods. He challenged the Senator from
South Carolina to name the article to which they
could not afiix fair value. Take cotton, for in
stance Could they not fix fair market value
without Inconvenience Take coal. What was the
value of chaldron Of coal at New Castle in Eng
land; Not two dollars Put the duty at forty cents
and that would give two dollars and forty cents to
value, which, at twenty per cent. duty, would yield
forty-eight cents and coal selling at from
eight to ten dollars per ton. So far as he was
informed, there was not collected from the revenue
suficiency OF money to administer the Government
with economy and did any one suppose that they
could reduce the expenditures below thirteen milions7
There was, therefore, great deal ofabor be per-
formed they wanted to ascertain the market value of
imported goods, and what the rates amounted to be-
fore valuation and put it before Senators that they
might for themselves. Twenty per cent on the
of honestly eyied better far bo