The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-07-27

Mr. CusuisG moved to strike out IS cents, and IN
sert IS cents for the duty on certain carPetings Ito
said that the duties carpetiDg were, IN the aver
age less than under the act Of 1882 and yet OF the
woods employed in carpet manufacture, and which
were free under that act, there was imposed, by ts
bill on part duty of 30 per cent. ad valorem, aud
on the rest duty Of per cent. ad valorem inns
would be doubiy unjust TO the carpet manufacturers
for them il would be lighting the candle al both ends
They were made to pay duty, and in part heavy
duty on the material, while, at the same Tune
the duty on the foreign manufactured article was les
sened He wished to correct this injustice In some
degree by increasing the duty on the ioicign manu-
facture.
Mr. Cushing moved to increase the duty ON WOOL
len blankets of the first class
He said the manufacture Of b'nkets, although yet
in its infancy had grown into important business,
and he thought it ought to receive more protocton
In a national point of view, they belonged to that
class of articles which, in anticipation OF the neces-
sites of war; every nation should produce within it.
self 1t was bad enough, during the last war; 10 De
dependent enemy for the supply OF this neces-
sary article, and such difficulty ought not again TO
recur And not only the proposed duty on coarse
blankets too low of ITSELF but the injury to the blan-
ket manufacturer the greater under this bill IN
consequence of the heavy additional protection when
this bill conferred woods, especially coarse woods
which had been heretofore free This course OF poll
cy equally injurious to the wool manufacturer
and to the wool grower
COTTON MANUFACTURES.
Mr.. SMITH, OF Virginia, having moved to strike out
the minimum valuation in the proposed duty on manu-
factursso cotton Mr. c. objected. Tie said that moca
misconcepion, and very groundiess prejudice win
regard the minimum principle, existed IN some quar-
tiers. 1t was but another form Of specific duties II
they were wrong, the alter native uniform al "a
loren duties in all cases. 70 this, the oblectons
were obvious and nsurmountsble. II would violate
every principle of egsa on every doctrine oil nnance
No Government ever did, and he did not believe any
Government would do, SO absurd a thing as 10
impose indscrminate and equal sd valorem duties.
Suppose Congress to apply an equal al va'orem
duty Of 70 per cent to all articles would 'nis oPe
rate equally Z No. On the contrary, on some arti-
cles would be revenue without projections on others
revenue with protection; and others again. no
evenue, but absolute prohibition Equality IN these
things is impossible. 1t is necessary to aPportion the
duty according the nature uses and relations OF ths
particular thing Accordingly this bill there are
many articles which the duty is less than ~ per
cent b. cause they could not bear much. On others,
the duty is MORE because they can b. ar more, anu
because they affected interests which required proec-
ton. For in the imposition Of duties many things
were to be considered as, first, revenue for the Go
vernment second incidentally regard for other In
teres,s be affected well i'll by the duy and third
iy, the consideration Of vested interes's, which, hav
ing grown up under the legislation OF The country
are to be respected. In word, the idea of rails
ing the Of the United States by duties on i'm
ports, framed fixed and horizontal ad valorem
scale totally incompatible with the public ine-
rests, mpracticabe and unwise question of expe-
diency and was in no sort required by the Consti-
tuition.
AID vALoREM DUTIES.
Mr.. RHErT, of South Carolina, having in another
form renewed the motion to strike out the minimum
from the duty cotton
Mr.. CUSHING replied: He said it was great error
TO suppose that specific duties desired by
faciurers only. The system Of al vaorem duties was,
be sure inconvenent to them, because by false in
voices and other fraudulent devices the ad vaorem du
4 III Al L.. S.,,cnn
turer did not obtain the anticipated protection The
system was prejudical to the Government, because |
made corps of appraisers necessary increased the
cost of collection, and did not give to the Treasury
the legal rates of mposts. But the system equal
y inconvenent to the importing and commercial in
,erests, and it to this point that he Mr.. CO.
wished particularly to call the attention of the gen.
tleman from South Carolina. If you have specific
Duties the merchant knows precisely beforehand what
duty he has got to pay, and able to make his cal
cuations the probable result of his enterprises,
free from uncertainty in this respect But with ad
valorem duties he can do no such thing. The amount
of duty that he has to pay depends perhaps upon the
accident of an aPpraisement at the custom-Rouse
Besides which, if he be an honest man, he finds
himself undersOld by some foreign importer, who, |
disregarding alike the laws Of his country and of no.
nor has made his mportations with false invoices
to evade part Of the duty, to the injury of the
honest importer well as that of the manufactures
and the Government.
SILK MANUFACTURES.
MIR. FILLMORE having moved to amend the bill, by |
striking out the various proposed duties silk man
ufactures and substituting therefor specific duty Of
two dollars and fifty cents per pound,
Mr.. CUSHING m we'd to amend the amendment
by substituting two dollars for two dollars and fifty
cents per pound. MIR. c. said that he was very
glad to see that the Committee of Ways and Means
had thought better on this question of the duty on
silk manufactures, and proposed not only to re-
duce It in rate, but to make 1t specific. He should
be glad to lower still, and therefore moved the
rate of two dollars, equivalent to about twenty per
cent. ad vaorem.
Mr.. C. thought the United States ought never to
forget their debt of gratitude to France for the eff
cent and decisive aid she afforded in the of the
Revolution France was then, and is now, natural
and necessary ally of the United States. We ought,
therefore, in every proper way to cultivate friendly
relations with her, and in the arrangement of our
tariff, if the necessities of the Treasury require that
additional duties shall be imposed French articles,
we ought to take that those duties snail be so
arranged not to involve or imply any act of un-
kindness towards France. 3,
II was further to be remembered that ships
sttute 30 per cent of the tonnage employed in the
navigation between the U United States and Franc 9,
and that, with the exception of tobacco the impora-
lion of which into France Is Government monopoly
the tarIn OF France is not generally highr than
is The present tariff ofhe United States, aud in some
cases makes distinctions In favor Of productions.
Thus our cotton pays only about twelve yer cen
"noas, NJ the hSuest, twenty-five anu HaH per
cent; rice Two francs, while that of other
tries pays from four to francs; potashes pay
ony fifteen francs, while those Of Russia pay eIgh-
teen franco.
Mr.. G. said that the BILL originally reported, by
imposing higher duty figured than plain silks,
did, in fact, make distinction against the silks OF
France. The present proposition free from that
objection, and apart fro n the otca objection against
high duties on Frenc articles there financial
objection which was entirely conclusive If anexces
sive duty was put French silks, it would not be
collected, the business would 60 into the hands of
smugglers and fraudulent importers. Naples silks
could be smuggled into the United States, by the way
of England and Canada, at premium Of ten per
cent, and lis said that company been organ
ned in Paris for smuggling silks into the United
there is doubt but frauds will duties be