Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-06-28

II i cr;dert that necessity cS'ss 10 increase he
means ofthe treasury. The bill Tor the la'oh
nj ,h tariff has not vet been matured ana iheie Is 10
~ Tim, !, ran he ready 20 into operation sooner
,hn, ,he ii of August lie believed Tie oenrht OF
home valuation vii be about equal 10 ihe reuucl"m
CONTEMPLATED BY the CompTomse ac'; so ina. mere WIZ
be- no violation Of The principles oil ihaI act ,e uu}
nav oila ba continued. The necessity ior ms ten
, i'll; * o,na,.n, i,on tie donbt winch exists whe.
nrv dniv can be collected after the 9;n oil June,
uulsss 20 far as secured hY tie revenue ' oil last seS-
sion: wbici, bin imposed duties on sinaii portion 81
the imports This doub, arose out oil the COMPROMISE
r ,b, nc, and assumed that if he act stopped there,
M doult could exist: but the third section sptc'ir"
,ha, the rate of duties should be c"nued ""fd me
3h of June l-I2 and there was another section "ch
pruydes in effect that ether laws should De passed re-
culatnu the duties to be collected alter the JUN oil june
This in the last part oi lle ii,h sect'"h, SHINY
that articles shall not be imported unless SUBJECT 10 suc
duties as shall he imposed by law, not exceeding ~ per
cent.
Here then. was considerable doubt whehcra any du.
:ies can he collected Ought TO be lett matter d
dnulla Every one knows that importers are under an
immersion that no duty can be collected, under tHe
r,,,o,;se moi after The 10Th Of June. THIS indicates
t,a there NAV he considerable disputa,ions reerT'he
to judicial courts and they have not been favorable 10
revenue laws Ii is, at ras; not 90 GEAR case as 10
;ustc reliance on the power OF collecting duties re
,,ro,ous are made for very large mportaons, # the
Increased under the chance OF beng admitted duty
rrce The condition Of the Treasury mperiousy re-
ored Tie passage of this BILL and the necessity was SO
nressnr that he could not antic pate any hrstation-
Il is even very questionable whether The nome vaiua,
lion c,n be regulated in time So that, even If the ac'
nj 1874 can be made available for the collection OF du-
ties il is verv plain lis operation EIsi be ve'y unequal
and very unjust. As far as the main question OF re-
venue vas concerned there could be II" objection TO
the passage If the bill But i; is said 1t 81" be ''o-
III art hu
cent, duty after the 30:h OF Jane. He asked Senators,
was no duty beyond ~ per cent. absolutely required
for the wants of tie Government, even the proceeGs
of the public lands taken buck II can be no V'o
llou Of the COMPROMISE act 10 exceed ~ per cehtun
duty imports, while the necessities oil the uo'elh
inent demanded more.
lie very much questioned whether the rate o duties,
now existing will not be continued after the Both o:
June, by the adoption of the home valuation But, as
that home valuation cannot be adjusted in time, there
would be no violation of the Compromise act 10y con-
tinuing the rate Of duties the same az nj present.
Let the matter be what 1t may, Congress must pro-
vide means for the necessities of the treasury There
is another objection be anticipated and that Is, in
relation to the clause repeating the section OF the Land
Distribution of las, session, which returns the land
fund 10 the treasury should the duties be raised past ~
per cent, II has been insisted that this section was IN
troduced into The Distribution act as compromise and
that this niiempt 10 repeal 1t is violation OF tie com
pact By which The act passed. How could II he
called
stand pledged to repeal the whole act the moment they
can get The opportunity Urgent appeals have been
made TO Senators supposed to have committed them
selves lie saw himself alluded to as having said he
did not contemplate that any attempt would be made TO
increase duties beyond twenty per cent lie never had
expressed opinion TO what Congress would do
What lie had said was that if it necessary to 60
into the subject future session Congress would
have the whole subject before II, and could repeal the
Distribution act if 1t fit.
His impression was, that the whole matter
the adjustment Of the tariff and also the distribution
subject til st of August 10 give time for ad-
ustmcnt-wouid leave neither the friends nor the enc
mics Of either increased tariff distribution III worse
condition Than at present. lis object was, III effect,
to post pone the ls dag of July To the LIST OF August
so that Tie passage OF s bill shall have no effect on
either tariff distribution; and # no other law be pass
ed on the Isl of August the Compromise act and Ds
riuuon act shall both 70 effect, according 20 their
specific powers.
IL seemed To him, that all those who opposed 10
distribution ought TO 20 with him for pcs.ponemcnt.-
Neither party would suffer any disadvantage, or oh
tam any advantage IL the bill pass as It is the dts
tribuon will take effect but If the provso be stricken
out every gentleman will stand IN the same condition
on the lst Of August as on the Isl al July For the
purpose Of rendering the bill acceptable oa, he would
propose strike out the provso IN The bill, and insert
in lis place the following:
'Tl, The disrnon Of The proceeds Of The public and* an
o1ed aud directed by The act Of Congress passed the ' 81
Sricuber entitled An appropriate the proceeds o
t sales of ,h- public lands, AID :" giant pc emlon nights
in IT, ANA 's SANE : "y ' aIa a ' , m r1r,
her 1871 shall no otherwise further affected ." modified
an merely postpone said III day "i August GeM The
distribution Of The proceed. directed by that be- made
the h day e" July isi2 anything contained IN ms act or r
standing"
Mr. WOODBURY. hoped The Chairman of the Fl
nance Committee would have given some explanation
as 10 the aincun. Of money now III The Treasury, and
the immediate necessity for increase Of duties for
/ the present month
lie considered the clauses Of the act Of lS', qro:eJ
hy the Senator from Name taken together, secured the
collection of duty at ~ per cent. The power Of coec
ton was still preserved b. ihe act Of July, IS2, winch
the compromise only modified in amount, and did mol
repcal the right collect, lie read passages from bot
acts show that the power of collection was not i'm
paredby the Compromise act Both acts, and the gTea
object Of the Compromise uct, dad not look to suel
strict construction. If the filth section was to be sr
strictly construed, there could be any authority
for collecting over 20 per Some who passed the
act may have believed that with the proceeds Of the
public lands, there would be enough Tor an economical
administration. But he did not hold 10 such stric
construction for he ready 10 admit that, II all rea
sonable and practicable retrenchmenis made, an1
the land fund restored and higher rate Than y
per cent necessary, IN an exIgcncy oil war, he
would not hold strict construction of the Com
promise act.
MIR. w. said, however, that to avoid doubt and tga
ton with merchants, aud unnecessary conflicts with
/
One should have been passed earlier new tarlt
providing for the difficulty Now therefore, he woule
himself for the law, from abundant caution, but mo-
retaining tie land dslr5 tion, limiting lis operation
to the Is Of August but I'LL Congress should otherwise
direct The law before us would then be unexception
able except that the duties might by it be reduced TO u
per cent if that, with the lands, supposed TO be
enough
Mr.. w. then explained his construction of the home
valuation with view Of showing that the Senator iron
Maine mistaken in supposing tina: he ought to ge
ten per cent. additional BY home valuation, or al
much the highest duties now are That would in
volve necessity Of aisng the present valuation quite
% per cent in order TO get 10 per cent. more duty
than you get by % per This would he NANTES
violation Of the Compromise act He objected TO the
provso 10 the distribution, and also TO the amend
men OF the Senator from Maine the ground Of then
both being p"slponement Of the payments 10 the
States, and not of the right of the States 10 Tie dis,r
button for one month. If it stopped the distribution