The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-09-24

properly UNDERWOOD, IN tun sonso, DOuo Out utF IN
opposou them cangAinssy their Justice and their
truth Pre- trade, thus defined, asserts that, 10 our
own country, commerce, agriculture, mining, ana
ma are all alike entitled to protection that
duties shall be 70 laid To- injure neither for the
benefit Of the Others and that ali shall be equally los
tered and cherished.
The uItrsisfs Of protection, the other hand-for
there are ultraists both sides-seem to imagine
that there interests having equal claims TO pro-
lection with their interests, ssshly insisting that all
others shall be taxed for their sole profit IL they be OF
the agricultural class, that commerce and manufac-
lures shall suffer most for their sake if of the com
mercial class, that agriculture and manufactures
shall be altogether taxed for their benefit if Of the
manufacturing class mat commerce and agriculture
shall bear the whole burden. The enlightened theory
of free trade is that they shall all bear their resPcc
tive Just proportions Of the burdens laid for the sup
port OF government
Theses uitroists Of protection go further They not
only assert that all except their interests shall
be taxed for their benefit but that the primary end of
all taxation shall be their protection Free trade de-
MES this assumption, and insists that the primary end
of all tax alton shall be for the support ogoUermen and
the defence Of national existence The theory arrays
section against section interest against interest," class
against class in demanding unequal exactons for dis
cordant ends the other harmonizes all sections, IN
teress and classes, by equal contributions from all
for one common end.
Free trade thus understood, is nothing but the
equality, harmony, and moderation Of domestic taration;
and every rational man knows but too well how much
the peranency and stability of laws depend upon these
three great requisites Of tariff of duties, and how
much stability and permanency conduce to the pros
perty Of all interests protected. And may, there
FORE well say that, far from being an ultra any
thing this subject, there is nothing which so much
eschew iiraisi either side OF the tariff ques-
ton These are, in fact, they who no less mar the
truths of free trade than the true interests OF equal
protection | am not of them. Indeed, for the
reason that not of either class OF ultraiss,
too am much msrepresented in the extreme
South one way as am, you say, in the North and
East the other way The fact is that will not degn
TO treat the question sectional one at all The u
tratss al do treat it, and continually err too, in
arraying the North against the South Why is this,
when New Hampshire is much opposed to what is
| called protective tariff is South Carolina, and
when Louisiana is much in favor of such tariff as
is the State of Massachusetts, The truth is that they
interests manufacturing, mining, commercial, or
agricultural, which conflict with each other not
States and Territories. Whichever way the interest
| lies, the State will be this subject But
the sound and practical statesman will look alone,
FIRST to iohaf tariff the Government tcants and secondly,
10 h0lo the duties may be imposed pith the most benefit to
| all, and ioith the least possible injury 10 any.
And t is precisely what endeavored to do in
my action upon the late tariff bills before the House
of Representatives. Had though. that addition
al duties were necessary for the support of Govern
ment in the first place should have opposed an in
crease OF the tariff for any other object whatever.
believe that not only the true principles of free
trade, but of the Federal Constitution, forbid the
imposition of duties merely for projections sake, and
especially in the sense of its ultra advocates.
think that duties only be laid for repente, and
| the amount OF revenue must be ascertained by the
wants of an economic al administration of the Gov
eminent. This is, it is true, somewhat indefinite as
to the amount of the revenue to be raised, but IT Is not
indefinite as to the true principles upon which rev.
ought TO be raised. 1t settles the distinction,
already glanced at that the primary end of taxation
by tariff of duties imports shall be revenue, not
protection. This principle was thoroughly discussed
and fully settled by the compromise act OF 1888 1t
is especially incorporated in that BILL IFS most es-
sential provision, that after June, 1872 such duties
only shall be laid are necessary to an economical
administration of the Government" This in other
words declares that duties shall be laid for revenue
only And thus this first great principle of free trade,
as have defined il, was made part of the statute
law of the land. The law goes further, too it pro-
vided that in case of excess of revenue the duties
should be diminished. Accordingly, when, in 1886,
there was an excess of revenue, and 1t was proposed
TO distribute among the States, instead Of diminish
ing the duties imports and retaining the excess OF
| revenue in the Treasury meet such dimnution Of
duties the only one of my party then in Congress,
voted against the proposition, which regard still as
Of the worst OF either OF the great par
ties in the country And not only did the act of 1888
pas with the provisions alluded to, and not only has
it been acquiesced in for ten years, but am author
lied by the secret history Of its passage through Con-
gress to assert that its true meaning and nterpreta-
ton by its own author was, 70 prohibit altogether the
| imposition of duties for mere projections sake.
] am informed and au horned, by one who saw the
manuscript draught Of the act of 1883 before was
offered that when Mr.. Clay drew the act of
1888, aud showed it t. his friends IN his own handwrl-
ting, after the clause which provides that oaly such
duties shall be laid necessary Tor an econo ncal
administration of the Government, after the 3oth OF
June 1912 the following words, other words pre-
cisely equivalent, added, to wit: "And such du-
ties shall be laid without reference to the protection Of
any domestic articles whatever" 1t may fairly there
FORE be claimed that the great author of what is called
the An erican System himself has, IN the most direct
manner acceded to this principle at least, that duties
must be laid primarily for rerenue, and not for pro
lection alone This is the leading principle TO which
the faith of The nation has been soemny pledged and
one from which will be safe for the great pro-
tected interests themselves to depart
| The first question with then was, whether the
actual wants of the Government required additional
duties. The compromise act settled great principles,
and set up standards conform to rather than
details II fixed for example, the rule to be- that du-
ties should be laid only for revenues that the maxi
mum standard amount of revenue should BE-, for an
economical administration OF Government, 70 per
cent. ad vaorem on all Imports after June, 1872 and
that the duties TO be raise lowered above or
below hat standard, oding TO the exigences OF
the Government. IL did not provide what shou d be
the exact rate OF duties in any given case Ii ncces-
sary iheD to raise the duties above 20 pei cent 1t was
obviously easy to conform to the spirit of the compro
mise act, without imparing any of It's leading princl-
plies or any important interests of the nation dcpen-
Gent upon It's faithful execution according to its true
intent and meaning.
To determine whether it necessary to raise the
duties above 20 per cent. ad vaorem had only To
look 10 the condition Of the Treasury, and TO the
state of the Union. lst We had public debt Of
twenty Millions in round numbers; and never " as
one of those who believed a public debt a national
blessing. ID Our foreign relations were in very
threatening aspect and the public deences we've all
IN diap,dation and neglect. 80. Public credit, the
Government credit, State aud Federal, in con-
dition of dishonor 4th. The proceeds OF the Punlic
lands were to be wasted for good whatever, whilst
duties on Imports remained at 20 per cent. and 9TH
Current expen> had to be met, the wheels OF Go
| vernment had to stop
In this stata of affairs and looL;n, ,h.ad moi