The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1842-04-05


compromise acL TO impose duties TO any amount
Whatever, thirty, forty, or more per cen, subject
TO the single condition OF an economiai aunlhsra'
ton ofthe Government
What are the other principles OF the act! FIRST,
there is the principle that fixed hd o"'crcm duty
shall prevail and be in force at all times For one
am willing to abide by that prncip'e. mere are
certain vague notions ahoaI as to the utlv ana ne
cessity of specific duties and INSTANTANEOUS, which
am persuaded arise from want OF rgh' under'
| standing Of the subject We have mad the al ga
lOrem principle practically in force ever since Inc
compromise ACT was passed; and there has been no
difficulty IN administering the duties OF inc iroas-
ury on that principle. =
1t was necessary first to ascertain tho value of
the goods, and then TO impose the duly upon them;
and from the mmencement OF the act 10 tnis oay'
the al UGtorem principle has been Substantially 10
operation. Compare the difference between spe-
ciic and the adj paiOrent system OF duties, ana
maintain that the latter Justly entitled to the pref
erence. The principle declares that the duty
paid shall be upon tho real value oil the arcie tax
ed; the specific principle imposes an equa' duy Oh
articles greatly unequal i'll value. Coiiee' ios OK
ample, (and il is Article which always suggests
itself to my thougbtsD is one OF the aiticies on
wi ch specific duty has been levied. Now IL Is
perfectly well known that the Mocha coffee is
worth at least twice as much the coffee OF ST.
Domin go Cuba yet both pay the same duty
The has respect 10 the value, but Is aIoitra-
iily levied on all articles OF specific KIND aiiRe,
however various and unequal may be Their Vaiue
say that, IN theory, and according to every sound
principle of justice, the ad Udtorem mode oi TAXA
lion is entitled TO the preference. There is, ad'
nit, one objection TO It: as The value OF an artcie
! is matter subject TO opinion, aud us opinions VIII
ever vary, either honestly or irauduentiy, there Is
some difficulty in preventing frauds But with
| the home valuation proposed ny my hiehu from
| Rhode Island, mir SimmonsO The I'D UGt0rem sys.
TEN can be adopted with all practicable safety and
will be liable those chances only o fraud which
are now inevitable under any and every system.
| Again What has been the fact from The origin
Of the Government until now? The articles rom
|
drawn, such woucns, linens, silks ,euttons, wors'
ieds, and few Others, have all been taxed on the
ad 0atoTem principle, and there has been no d'in'
Guilty in tho opeation. l believe, upon The whole,
that it is the best mode. believe That II we adopt
Il fixed rate al catorem, wherever II can be done,
the VIII be subjected 10 fewer irnuds thah
the in Justice aud frauds incident 10 specific duties
One ofthe most prolific sources Of the violation oil
our revenue laws has been, rs every body knows,
tho effort 10 get in goods oil liner qnaiiiy aha
higher value adm lled under the lower rate of duty
required Tor those OF n lower value. The honora-
BILE gentleman from New Hampshire (alr Woods
bury,) aud the honorable Senator Iio,n New york,
i (Mr Mrigbt,l both well know this. But It tho
duty was laid ad catorem there could be no motive
for such an effort, and The fraud ia lis present form
would have no place. In England, as all who
have read tao able report made by MIR. ltuinc, u
SEQ itish member in the House of Commons, must
perceive, they seem to be giving up SPECIFIC duties,
and the tendency IN the public mind appears To De,
! instead Ol having variety Of specific duties aud
variety of cd catorem duties, 10 have one pernla
!
ling, repear, adhere TO Ibis great principle us
| laid down in The compromise act. IL there be
those who suppose that, under the specific form OF
duty, higher degree of projections can be secured
than under the oIner mode, would observe that
the actual measure of protection does not depend
upon the form but on the amount of the duty which
is levied on the foreign rival article.
Assuming that we arc to adhere to this principle
then every one OF the leading principles OF the
same can be adhered TO aud FULLY carried out
for again assert that the idea that duties ire all
ways 10 remain at precisely twenty per cent, ana
never from that point, be tho cxigencics OF
Government what they may, does not belong to
the language of the act, nor is 1t required by any
! one OF It's provisions.
The next resolution have proposed to the con
| sideration of tho Senate is this
| Resolved, That the provision in the act of the
Extra Session for the distribution Of the proceeds
Of the public lands, requiring the operation OF tha!
act to he suspended III the tngency OF higher
of duty Than twenty per cent. ought 10 be re-
pealed.
Now, according to the calculations have made,
the repeal Of the clause in question and the REGAL!
Of the proceeds of the sales of public lands from
the Slates,e even if made will not dispense with the
necessity Of great increase in the existing rate OF
Taxation. L have shown that duty oil thirty per
cent will not be too much TO furnish the requisite
amount OF revenue for u just and economical ad-
| minisration OF the Government. And how much
of that rate will be reduced should you add to The
revenue from imports the million and haii(whch
was the amount realized the last yeai) derived
from sales OF the public domain? II will be but
the difference between 30 and about 20 ~. Tor,
since 30 per cent. yields revenue OF twenty SIX
millions, ono per will bring about $900,O0O
aud every million Of dollars derived from the lands
it will reduce the taxes only 30 TO 70 IL per cent;
or il you get three millions, as some gentlemen IN
sst will be The case, then you VIII save taxes In
the amount ofthe difference between ~ per cent.
and aoout III Per cent. This will be the whole
extent of benefit derived from this land fund which
some Senators have suppressed would be SO album
dant as to relieve us from all necessity OF addition
al taxation at all put It, then, to every Senator,
no matter whether he was opposed 10 the land
bill or not, whether lie is willing, for the sake OF
This ,riflinn difference between 80 and p 2 per
cent. OF between 30 aud 81 per cent 10 disturb
great, momentous and Perplexins SUBJECT OF our
national policy which is now settlsd and thereby
show such an example of instability in Legislation
as will be exhibited by the fact OF unseitiing So
great question within less than eight months IL
Ter it had been fixed, on the most mature CONSIDER
alton IL gentlemen can make more out oil Inc
land fund than have here stated IL likely to yield
L shall be glad TO hear on what GROUND they resi-
their calculations say that all the difference IL
will produce in the amount of our Increased taxa
ZION IS Tho difference between 80 and 70 IL or