Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1840-1842, 1842-06-14

,oeartv into sffte, aau impo, ing excise duties !,
And n not, What would be the ecesqoeoee' why
the duty would be paid TO the producer OF exporter,
instead OF finding its way into the treasury.
| But another consequence which had grown out
Of the system in Englsnd-whieh vas, perhaps, not
less deleierious to the morals OF the oocufy-~es,
that the legislation had been such, that The excise
duties refunded often exceeded the amount PAID.
Take, for instance, sugar or glass. by the law OF
Great Britain, the duty on glass to enable the pro
Queer to meet the citizens OF other countries IN the
market OF the world, was TO be refunded when the
| article exported.
! He then called the attention OF the committee to
another instance OF the mpolicy of excise duties
The Committee OF Ways and Means had had many
gentlemen before IL, 10 give information as 20 the
operation OF the various duties upon articles manu-
featured and exported. They represented that the
manufacturer OF sugar could, by means OF the pro-
lection afforded him by the excuses and our tariff,
afford TO sell refined sugar for six cents per pound
In answer TO inquiry to the cos, otthc raw ar
tiele, II was stated that the manufactured had 10
pay eleven cents for the same article IL was then
| asked, how he could afford 10 buy the raw article
for eleven cents manufacture Il, send across the
ocean, and sell il for six cents The arparentnb-
surdity explained thus: BY the laws OF En-
| gland, an excise duty was imposed upon sugar and
molasses, and drawback allowed on all exported.
IL so happened, however. that the amount received
by way OF drawback exceeded the amount paid by
way Of excise. There was. also, residuum, after
taking out the refined article and this the manuiac-
turers sold house moasses, exporting Il and
duty upon it. In this way, they were enabled to
sell the refined article iot cents when the raw
material cost them eleven.
He read from Blaeksione's Commentaries briet
history of excise duties IN Eng and, where they were
first imposed in i643 upon ale, beer, cider bread,
&c Both parties, however, agreed that they should
continue during the war; and Blackstone declared
their very name was odious to the people. Their
enforcement required the regulations in En-
gland; and If they had 10 be afforded with such Sc
pains and penalties that small country, what
would be necessary here
The recent movement in the British Parliament
showed that every expedent Tor raising revenue had
been exhausted in that country, and the Govern
ment compelled to resort TO that last mea.
sure-the income tax. Here was the experience
OF England TO prove that imposts were not efficient.
lie begged gentlemen who considered them so, TO
read the Report OF MIR Randolph when was pro.
posed TO supply the treasury by means of impostS
and when Pennsylvania was in a state OF rebellion.
That report stated the Of collecting mposts at
80 per cent. Was any one prepared 10 sanction that
rate
| IT, then, as he had endeavorcd to show. the sys.
TEN OF imposls could not be udvantageouSly adopt.
ed, there was but one other mode in which revenue
for the public treasury could be rased-and that
was, by imposing duties uron foreign imports, as
contemplated in this bill. OF the nine hundred mil
lions OF revenue collected by our Government, seven
hundred and I6 were received from duties. nc
thought no further argument was necessary TO show
that this the best mode OF raising revenue TO
carry On our Government.
The next question was. whether the bill was sui.
| hcient to supply the wants OF the treasury. Here
he would state that it was, in substance the pro
iect Of the Secretary OF the Treasury; though alter
ed IN some oi its details and section added the
end, by the committee, TO provide for future lesis.
laiion. The amount estimated TO accrue about
the same that according to the Secretary's bill.
The Secretary took the imports of ls40 as the basis
OF his calculation and estimated the receipts fol-
lows:
Total receipts from duties s32 COS. 900
Expenses OF collection and drawbacks $3.50 900