Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1840-1842, 1842-09-28

SPEECH OF MIR HUDSON. Of .Nsssa
eiuss,is, on THE TARIFF BlLLs.-Delv
cred in the Committee OF the Whole III. X
July 3, Ist9.
The Tariff Bills being under consideration
MIR HUDSON addressed the Committee as FOL
lowe;
,o;,;, ,nJ temper OF the committee, and from whs
Iknov OF the views and feelings of gentlemen o.
this aoor am inclined to believe that there IS no
n radical difference Of opinion between us. an
satisfied that il gentlemen could forget Their pre-
conceived opinions, aud would sit down and can
,lidly compare notes, they wosld find thensevo
much noarer together than they imagine. Evcrl
man will allow tina, the Treasury is empty; every
man will admit that VIC need revenue; anu what
ever may be his party bias or speculative Opinions
every man will acknowledge that our revenue mus
come mainly, il not wholly, from imposls. Nearly
every member on this floor will admit that, m I'M
posing duties there should be Discrimination In
revenue and in some degree for protection. Every
man. in imposing duties, would have some refer
ence to the policy OF the nations WIN ~h'eh w
nre connected by commercial intercourse.
1 doubt whether there is a gentleman presen
who will dissent from these views. Will en-,
member on this floor rise in his place and say that
in the imposition of duties, he would have no re
card TO the interests OF the peoplel VIII any on
maintain tina, the general welfare" the very oh
icct for which the Government was instituted
should be overlooked or dsresarded, IN raising th
means TO support the Government IL any on
ertrrtains theae opinions, and IS willing TO carr
then ont let him speak let him declare, IN Thu
presence of this House and OF the nation, that N
will moi discriminate between Injuries and neccssa
ries and that he has disposition TO protect th'
leborers OF this free Republic against tho paupei
lator OF the old world. go
MIR Chairman, il we approach this subject like
business men, our first inquiry will be, iohat are the
,oaHfs of the GopernW,nR The Secretary of the
'rte,sury estimates the wants OF the Government
for three wears to come ut SS2,OVO,oOO annualiy.
The chairmen of the Committee of Ways and
Means and of Manufactures assure us that It would
not be SAT. TO estimate the necessary amount OF
nett revenue at less than S27, 100000 or S2sOOO,-
600 for several years TO come. In these Estimates
arc included several millions which will DO required
"a redeem Treasury notes outstanding, and TO pay
the interest and redeem the principal OF tho loan
REQUIRED TO pay the debts OF the late administration,
and TO supply the deficiency created 10 the IRE suy
by tho reductions which have taken place during
the last year, by the operations OF the compromise
act. -
The Secretary estimates the importation Al SlO7,-
OOO, 900, from which he deducts Sl3,O0OOo0 for
the free articles leaving about ssi, OOO,OOO o. I'M
ports, on which TO raise the necessary revenue
without intending 20 20 into this part OF the sub
lect which has been fully exhibited 10y the chair
man Of Ways and Means, II IS sufficient TO say
that taking the Secreiary's own estimate, TO raise
would require an al yaorem duty oil about 50 per
cent.
Now, sir, how shall. the necessary amount be
raise67 Every gentleman will admit the Propneiy
of free list. /. would he folly to impose duty
upon specic the importation OF which amounts, IN
some years, to Si5,000000. Equally unvise
would il be TO impose duty on articles imported
for the use OF the United States, or tor literary III
stu,ions and societies. The other free articles arc
generally those OF absolute necessity, as drugs and
,Na In nfNr
manufactures. Such list has always existed;
from the adoption of the Constitution It has been
the policy OF the Government 10 admit such aTu-
cles free OF duty: nor am aware that any gentle
man ~ho has examined the subject Is disposed 10
aanihilate this free list.
What duties. then. shall be imposed upon the
SgI. 900 600 OF du;able arlicles1 We have alrea
dy seen that the duty, If il were levied upon every
article. must be 30 per cent But will every aTiI
Gle bear this dutyl Or would soand policy dc
tate such impositon1 No; the same reasons
which would dictate free list, would require that
n moderate rate OF duty be imposed uron some ar.
ticles. One class OF articles IS Of such character
that they could be easily smugged, and 4 high
duty would lead 10 frauds upon the revenuei ano
Their class IS consumed principally by the poor, who
are bu, lily able to hear the burden OF any add
tional taxation. One article comes in competition
with domestic production, and another does not;
one article is 0h,aned from a country whose ports
open 10 our productions, while another comes
from country from whose ports our pIouuCts hle
excluded. These considerations would dictate a
different rate Of duty. A nor zontal duty IS as
absurd in political economy, as an exact equairy
or uniformity in nature. No man can, am per-
suaded, after rejecting for single moment. maintain
that every article under ali the variety OF cIrcum'
: tances, should pay the same rate per cent.
We are required, then, by the dictates Of pro-
psety of sound policy, Of common sense, TO DIS
eliminate in the imposition OF dG,ie'i ami II some
articles are brought below the average ra'e, Others
must be carried above. But on what principles
shall we Disseminated Before l answer this ques
ton ! wish TO inquire, tohy raise rerenue al aiil
II il ho said that IL is necessary TO support the Go
vernment, say, then carry out the same princ
pies 10 levying duties IS those on which the Go
yernment is founded. As the Government was
established 80 provide for the common defence,
And 10 promote the general welfare" VIC should
have regard to those objects in tic imposition o
duties. Prolee, your industry against the raupeI
labor Of tho old worj seek the welfare OF your owl
country, and not the prosperity OF other nations
from whose po,ts some Of your own products are
excluded.
But we are told that lo~ rate Of duty will pro-
duce moro revenue. Withou. stopping here to
show tic fallacy Of this position, ] will simply re.
mark, that this could be done only by increasing
inpoftotons Aud Is this desreLlc' Have not
excessive impoTtat:Ons been ono principal cause OF
our prescott pecunary embarrassment The gem
tlcman from South CJIolIno tMr Pickens) TIE
o.hor day gave US doleful account OF the PROSTATE
condition of the cOunity-commerce aud osdcui'
turc nearly destroyed -businOss, 10 all i,s depart
ments, Observation-Disclosures credit gOnc-Ststes
bankrupt and the United States bonds hawked IN
the mnrket. And does that gentleman suppose
that individual OF State credit would be improved,
or foreign Indebtedness 10 wiped out, by increased
importation Of foreign IuEuEe.l Will now 0nd
increased debts relieve our pocuni1Ty ombannss-
ments7 Common prudence would suggest 90 US 10
curtail our expenditurcs-io diminish Imporie1ions.
Ono argument in supper, Of a tariff IS, tina, i. will
tend ~ diminish imporiations, and so choek that
pride aud exHavsgance which now stalk forth Of
monday.
But, sir, we are told thot The proposed rates Of
duty are unreasonaby high. Has any gentleman
shown, or attempted 10 show, that the propos-
ed rates will give more revenue than Is required, OF
more than was expended by the last adminis,ra.
tion2 Such an attempt has not been made. Still
gentlemen tell US that tho duties IN the bills before
us nro eonrnOus. Enormous They are not as
bigh as they were under the administration or GEM
Jackson; they arc, on the principal articles, no
higher than they we're during tho administration OF
MIR Van Buren,. Let US look at few articles un'
der his reign:
By the acts OF 1892 nnd 1888 Woollens paid a
duty Of so per cent. nd valOrcm; and though tho
duties on sugar, iron in tie various Orms, and cot
tens, wore mostly specific, they would not, on on
average, vary materially from the same rate OF 81
per cent. Under the operation Of the compromise
act, TIC reduction would bring duties on arlclci
paying 20 per cent. down os follows;
Fro,u DECEMBER 81 1919 20 Dec 81 1895 10 u per cent
% l5, % 85' ioii %
% iSg, Do ~ ioS5 DO