Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-09-23

inc,ca tie p;ce Of the article, ana ia che"y ." -.
consumer and thus diminish both consnmP.''n l "'"
,.ve,uo ne The General doctrine not only OF Hicoui-
cb ard ohr writers abroad. but Of The parliamentary
committee on Imports well as most e1per'eh sno
scientific writers. Speaking OF A'gh ana Profee"oe
dutirs they say THESE impose on me CONSUMER
r., eoun 10 the amount OF The duties levied on tae To-
r.gn article and check Importation, ana, conse-
ouently are unproductive to the revenue. hamh'o"
| maintained similar notion But ccncede, that "heh
the duty is prohbory, (Which, ID many arucies, ~
the case at little than 70 per cent? the price, al
tunes is regulated by the competition nj home among
the manufacturers of similar goods-and, also, mat III
treat plu, and depression of the market the holders
of goods are occasionally obliged TO sell under hrst
cost utthcse merely exceptions to general prn
cn,es as is a fall of prices which sometimes takes
Mace after duty is imposed, well as in the case OF
free article THIS often happens from some improve
mpnt i'm the manufacture or some new Invention oil
labcr saving machinery But it is ridiculous TO pretend
that in such cases, the fall s IN consequence OF the
duty and as one has gravely calculated IN the other
House sometimes equals "f;y Il hundred, even
-four hundred per cent" These last must be rather
| Irish falls Causes enough for all the reductions III
price which occur in most Of our imports, will be
found ndent of any mystery about the duties,
when we call TO mind the remarkable fact, that the
cha neeabe declared real value of British exports has,
since 1919, IN consequence OF useful improvements
and inventions, well sounder currency and more
general peace gradually fallen from equality with
the permanent official value, till il is only one half
of that Again If the manufacturer dd not believe
that the article III price taxed higher, why do
they wish il 10 be taxed So doing cannot AID
hem unless it raises the price. IT. on The contrary,
the actual operation of high duty be 10 lower prces,
wby do not the manufacturers desire the duty TO be les
sened on rival fabrics from u5road-as that, on their
reasoning, would increase their prices
Why is il, also that the duty on raw materials I'm,
from abroad not asked to be raised, instead OF
removed and the duty to be increased rather than re-
funded, on railroad iron, if 1t makes the price lower
So through the whole system of Drawbacks and Ike
wise of smaller difierentin duties IN favor Of colonies
This point then, being established that an increase oil
duty reneray increases the price OF The aftclr, II
seems TO follow, inevitably that much OF It can
not be imported and consumed, and as much reVe-
nue. received on il, if the duty were less Yet
nairetc and almost simplicity, seems 10 nave neeh eS
hhed by oil the nanclers on the other SIDE, from Tue
Secretary downwards, in calculating that the same
omouot Of imports is likely to take place. aud be enter
ed at the custom house when the duty on them 49, IN
various instances from 80 to 100 per cent and IN all
1T least IS per cent on all average as no duly eX'
cecded ~. In England, they have Just experienced a
nav illustration of what often 10 be expected on this
subject An addition Of per centum was made on
certain customs and the excise, but winch, IN TACT,
welded only half of per centum additional revenue,
instead of j, as anticipated. More may, at times, be
obtained by duties above 30 per cent, where the pre-
sent duty is very low, and the article taxed highly 10
great necessary, and substitute can DE procured, ana
ample means exist pay for III but, otherwise, the at
tempt is either financial lottery, or mere bubble
MANY gentlemen seem, Likewise, 10 have overlooked
the probability that an increased duty viii, IN such
distressed times these operate more unavoraoIy
than usual against large imports. The pecuniary EN-
barrassments of the country under contracted cur
repcy and revusions arising from That and immense
speculaons, unprecedented. The State taxes, IN
.iany CAGES, also higher than usual-its credit
abroad 10 procure goods never worse-its new oahR-
fupt law so sweeping and rnnous IN character as To
weaken much ordinary confidence IN buslness-aha
The prices of its great stable exports, which furnish
tie means Of purchasing low, from the absence oil
wars and the abundance Of productive aborers IN Eu'
rope as well as America. No new State or corporate
ioans are to come home in goods; and The duties are
hereafter 10 be paid IN advance III cash In such con-
dit;un of things it would be rather sangune 10 expect
as arne imports, low duties But Vt an addition
i made Of ncG. 20 per cent. mere, :he consumer must,
on that account alone, dispense with every sixth bnshel
OF salt or sixth pound Of sugar or tea, he now consumes
The entire duty is thus lost on the sixth bushel or
pound not imported and mt consumed; and, no eva
slcns If the law exist, the Government has got no
more rross revenue and has lost Gil the extra expense
Of collecting and guarding the customs, when high
BIZ, wherever bushe or pound OF any article rs Snug
cled unGcr the high duty, which would not have beeh
under lower duty, the gross, US well as the melt reve
nue. ~ that extent lessened beside all the iGno
ralny thus introduced All extremes naturally react,
and defeat the object ihlendet and IN nothing Is Tins
more onspicuous than in high taxation on imports
|, seems, Also to have been forgotten that, as cur
manufactures become improved, duty less h'gh 's
many articles are now made here, all of which were
formerly imported II is that We have obtained an
immense SUN fom customs SINCE l1S9-nearly Sf'2,-
CSC GEO. according 10 the chairman calculations and
he vouG TO infer from this, that we can hereai-
ter obia from that source, with ease, % SIS Geo.,
600 wear. But did never occur to him to divide the
great arrrcrae by HE number of years II was accunu-
aiinr and 20 that I has been yearly only SiI,oGo,-
600 or about hail shat lie expects, In times Ike
these, viii prov" noeasy matter to obtain quite 3ooo
~ . hprp
! Smuggling on orr many thousand miles OF frontier
seahoard ana iniand-not separated from all other ma
tons by an Atlantic ocean, as has been stated, but
often by mere or log sence-will multiply the
difficulties III realizing an increase o! revenue nnuer
such high duties Ii does not answer to talk oil an es-
can. from such const quences, when the scenes near
Casline and Canadian frontier, before and during
the late war, recalled 10 memory and when we
know, in the example OF Other NATIONS, That even
ROYALTY has indulge freely IN The use OF whlskey,
,rb;cI u,r,r sa;r nc face oj geugoT ladies' OF
The cour, have often deemed II fashionable TO wear
smugsled gloves and laces In fact, more than halt
the silks now exported from France 10 England are
ccrtaiEed get into the latter kingdom without pay
ing TIC duty--su comparatively iow-of only 30 per
cent The custom house force in France amounts 10
several thousands; and in Spain constant warfare,
even of force, under her high duties, s obliged TO he
wagcd against tie brigend ro!anrs OF such MUD CT
Gus laws.
All these circumstances combine TO show that max
ing duties high when seeking revenue alone, is, as
general rule, nudic;ors and suicidal. This position is
Strengthened by analogy in the fact, that often, when
duties are high, YOU increase the revenue 10y lowering
them. Hence, Lord John Russell observes:
"But upon careful view Of our commercInli mpcs,s
we came 10 the conclusion that, by removing prohibit
tons ard esscnng restrc'"ns ii was possible 10 epe
nisI, the Treasury, and at the umc 10 secU.e 10
the working classes greater command oil the neccssa
ries Of life at steady and moderate prices
Without OBTAINING The Senate ny specifying numc.
rcus successful experiments OF this kind, @oald
call to your memories that, in England about bali a
century ago, the increased nearly two
millions and half of dollars, by reducing The duty
spiriis nearly fifty per cent And, hya reduction OF
the duty coffee there from Is. Cd per Id. to only Cd,
the aggregate revenue from il trobled A large
increase of revenue is also anticipated there from
ducton OF tho duty sugar and has actually
Cured bv such course IN Austria.
The effect of such reduction here 10 increase i'm