Independent Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1842-1844, 1843-08-19


bounty into the pockets Of third, or the
manufacturing class. The man who buys
en- imported article on which there is a
duty Of so per cent pays nearly if not al
together as per cent. more than he who
buys another article On which there is only
a duty of per cent. The imports do not
always, but often rise, the entire amount of
tae duty in price. The amount which
they rise is the amount which the consul
mer pays to The government. Some class,
es OF persons may only want, and may be
compelled TO buy only protected articles,
consequently, pay an undue proportion to
the government. But if the duty does moi
raise the price of the imported article its
own amount, it still affects the consumer
TO that amount. The lar greater part OF
foreign trade is carried on by means OF
barter; if the duty cornpe's the importer to
lessen the value to him of the article he
offers for sale; that is, if he cannot raise
1t the whole amount Of the duty, he cannot
afford 10 give so much for what he takes
in exchange Tor it. So that the citizen of
that government which imposes the tax
has to pay it at last. The government
gets, Of course, the amount which it impo.
ses, and the home manufacturer get the
rise in price. Suppose cotton raiser to
exchange his cotton abroad for cotton
goods,--the tariff on which is from GO to
$50 per cent.,--but we'll say 60 per cent,
the tax increases the price, say, 40 per
cent, which the consumer or cotton plant
er loses, and the foreign manufacturer of
the cotton good, loses 20 per cent, but in
consequence ofthe loss Of this, he cannot
afford to give by 20 per cent as much for
The cotton as he formerly did The pro-
cess Of barter may not he, and seldom is,
carried on in this direct and simple way,
tut let it be complicated as you will, lei
The links in the chain be multiplied an
hundred fold, yet tho thread OF the tangled
process,when unravelled from is labyrinth.
inc folds, will be found 10 result at last in
what has been stated. The buyer here
will lose 60 per cent, the government will
get that amount, and the home manufac-
'urer will get 40 per cent, or the amount
the article is raised in price. If the TO-
reign government should impose like
tax under the preposterous notion Of retail
lation, trade would be interrupted, COM
merce crippled, and all parties injured, ex-
cept few manufacturers.
If the government has a right to discrim-
male between the different kinds of i'm.
ports, and to make the duties higher, upon
hose, which come into competition with
products Of this country, why not make
he duties prohibitory, and exclude the
oreign article al oncc9 If the principle
If protection can be recognized to the
lmount of one per cent, it of course can
re entertained to the extent of prohibition.
f the government then could raise reve-
Tue sufficient, it would be good policy to
AIRY the system to this extent. Our
rade then, would be confined to those urt.
les not produced, OF manufactured in this
ountsy, If i, wou''5 &c an expedient poll
y for this country, it would bs for all
'thers; and as We, by our policy, would
ave prohibited certain products Of differ.
mt nations which they had been in the
,oblt OF bringing us, they, in turn, would
prohibit certain exports of ours, which
came in contact with their "home indus
ry," and going round the whole circle, we
would find ourselves excluded from every
port in the known world. 1t must end in
his, that wall, thousand times more i'm
oregnable than that of China, will be raised
between oil the nations OF the earth, and
zach must become commercial anchor
lie. III every aspect it can be taken, and
" whatever specious name it may be call
ID. "Americaa SYSTEM" stair protection
0 home industry" or "incidental protec-
ion," this selfish and grasping policy is
Unjust, wicked, and suicidal, and has the
injurious effect of bene6tting the few at
he expense of the many. If the govern
nent attempts any discrimination it should
'e strictly and for the sole purpose of rails
ng greater amount OF revenue, and any
ADVANCE beyond that will eventuate In
respass upon the uadoubtet rights OF