Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-09-23
rWENTY-sEyENrH CoNGREss--2d : ssion

/, II L.
on THE TARIFF BILL,
D.L,,red in the Senate If The Untd States Juty UM
lo42.-[ Continued
Again: By going above 20 per cent IN the manner
now proposed, you violate another conf -onise, muGt
IN the distribution act last September. Ii vas there
oemnv stipulated, that # any exisency 'oud arlst
10 require higher rate Of duty than ~ pei cent? tile
n,ocpeds of the lands should return 10 the treasury
and thus help TO reduce the Tariff again nearer the
former standard One provision 10 :his bill goes direct
y TO the violation Of that stipulation; and thus IN tina
,a-tcular to stand ont to the w'rid, IN ooic
,ale, IS utterly isl,hess. II is at war with the pro-
ssed object Of the bill is TO ralse and not give
AWAY. revenue; and beng virtually new distribution
in new terms and under new circumstances, Ought mol
to remain In aud thus endangenne IT'S success, put De
legslated separately, II ct III.
nn,ber vital consideration tor adherlng to the rate
ofonty on imports not much above ~ per cent ~ that
;f Won 90 In gher, heher horizontally or BY dscn'na
ION m instant temptation held OUT, now 10 give
away other revenue, QIke the ancs,) add resist re
,re,chnent in expenses, well as make large aGdi
tons to them order to create an occasion 10 raise
the Tariff higher cad thus to obain directly or lnd
recy more protection IT IS therefore essential, WIN
view TO secure economy III Outstanding means, as wen
as in reducing expenses, that 50 powerful a motive TO
The contrary as ihis should Nc; .or moment longer be
allowed Ia exist.
II v be seen that, in this view, low tariff tends
10 produce economical high one extravaganza a
low one is, likewise, Demcc!at'c-a high ore anil
Democratic And the very highest which has ever &c
cured before III this country, was 'nposf d IN lo2o,
under an administration Tie most an,iDemocratc,
which has before existed here si"ce !'9s
The bill, ty going Tor such high rates, is wrong IN
another view; and that wh'ch has great influence
in all countries limiting the tax on imports tor III; re
revenue 10 something not mc2h above twenty per
centum Ii is, that tax vi this rate, on this ki.d "i
personal properly, is quite the lar proportion TO oe
laid on il towards The public burdens, compared
with the taxes othe. property Thus, though d.
rect taxes might show to the people more distinctly
the extent Of their expenses aud The burdens there
by devoved them yet, IN The present relations
between the States and the General Government, l
am no, the advocate Of drec: taxes The education
habits and preiudces al our people are more favor
able 10 Tariff on foreign imports, to support TIE Oe'
neral Government, whenever enough can iaHly he
raised from that scarce. The pscprieiy CT fuch
course is strengthened hy tie fact. that most of the
State taxes ere Gec; and tta, the burdens al the Ge-
neral Government shru,d, therefore, ne far as pract
cable without inequality and injustice, he huhg upon
dlf;.rca; sources OF rcrcna"-such az lar'n Hence
IN that sense, and 10 iha; extent. an "a drh man.
mn IN fay,r Of such a Tarf agreed on in the
conproG,ise act an, such Ta,i!T prevailed from
the adoption u lie Constitution M TIE last was W'i
England.
30 per ccnt v II yie, and outstanding The proceeds
of The public lands, if more recenue should be stu
needed 10 meet economical administrator OF tht
Governments which do not believe Is the case now,
contend that ipaali,y aud equal justice among the
society," require that the balance should be obtained
from some other source 80,
To illustrate this " figures Suppoye tax of =
per cent, was laid all pr peTty IN THIS country equal
" IL valu,ng that property, rs many 90, al Si'cGo'
O00 Geo woui amount ~ an a-cc gate lax o. >ouU
zoe 600 But ;he whole aggregate at taxes no's col
!ec.ed in money the United States, including - pei
cent Oh Imports, does not probably exceed soo Vuooo
This ii wi, be seen, IS not one-cn'i hat II would be
If all other property taxed high az 20 per cent
on imports: Yet the face Of thus, ycn propose Il
law still more imports, By neatly double Anothe
evidence oil ,hs great dsprepor;on 49, that The tax of
Imports would not be PER cent, It 1t was IN th'
ratio of tie value OF imports to the value OF al
other property.
am aware that much Of the property in socet,
should be taxed according 10 lis income, rather THAI
it's value but, taking that guide. the Inequality wit!
which imports treated would still be very striking
Arain il was computed by Hamilton III 1857, tina
:he tax on imports should equal not more than one
third of all other taxation IN The u D As the Gene
raj Government might, therefore, III case oil war, o
other calatntes, require revenue than one third
aud more than Just tax on imports would yield, III
arrued st,enuonsly that 1t should also have AUTHORITY
to tax land, and impose excuses 0. any kind IN crde
10 procure the res.d Yet you, by ths bi propos
10 collect from imports alone, hall the whc'e monle
taxes Of the country. The gross amount IS be nea
two dollars per head, on an aretng~; when A'thai
that amount Us pad most Of the States in t 7cy OF
all other property, aud including, in some, q tax OF
polls besiGc.
Experience,
" the correctness at these views. l&ring the iicvo
luton among The highest rates Of duty imports, wa
three per and The rest o. The ;oAre were inposs
on other property So in the first ten years oi the pre-
sent Government, with interest large il bt, hcsid
current expenses 10 be paid, not over y cent, q
nm average was imposed on imports aud tao rest col
lected in various from other property so durin
the late war, large portion o: i.e revenue vas de
rlred from o:her taxes Shan those on imports
France attempts 20 RAISE oniy about onesevcnth O
jarr ENGLAND nnuS
CIV after all her attempts TO collect the large proporiio
of about hail her from imports and SIR R'oer
Peel at last admits that The further amount o"ght TO o
procured in usilcc aud equality, from other sources
He saws in short that The burden should fuli on h
property OF the country; not upon those who are chel
IL occupied in lis productive industry. This disclose
another reason, and potent one, why higher rate %
taxation on imports than 20 per cent IS unjust l'taN
almost exclusively "thosc acho are eht!fy occHpitH
in the PRODUCTIVE industry Of The country ii is as hea
wa burden the lahorer and farmer, in many cases
as the large capitalist the former consume near
Nv an equal Quantity with the last OF many articles
most highly ,aSed-snch as salt sugar, no laSSes cot
TONS woo!lens, and iron Ii thus operates with all III,
inequality and nj ls,ca OF as' poll tax and is oil
tina, account, equally Objectionable.
But another strong admontion against raising du-
ties much above 90 per cent Isl that, in doing you
are by no means sure of Obtaining much more re
admit, readily, that you may thus obtain more pro
lection and more retaation il seeking either of these
but ifseeking only revenue, os here pretended
your success will be at least questionable Al The
same time is certain that, by going very high, you
will deprive the people, by higher prices, OF the ability
to enjoy some comforts and necessarics which more
moderate Tariff would net prevent; or will Gemoralis
many of them, by thus holding out additional tempia
tons to violate the laws BY smuggling.
The first reason why you not likely to obtain q
much larger aggregate Of revenue under duties much
above this rate is that when 50 high, the amount rs
NJ sufficient importance in NEST cases, TO raise the
nrice Of the article Hence the consumer having only
The same means as before cannot purchase so much OF
il, nni less is imported The neat reason is, that, when
VIA d,Iv "a hcb ard some. tines before i reaches ~