Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1843-11-21

,ec,;on "a the manufsc ureis: II wall &c SEEM d .
rlance. that this question calls upon u " an =
and mos, important step in the Legislation Oh ~ -
,ry l. vii be admitted, on all hands, that ootiof ~
H. =, tho manufacturers Of woollens, cottons, anu
;ran 80 dutes on these ariiclts would no" De
duced to fifteen per cent and II tiey are y = VI ~. r.,
nm 70 fry. sixty, or one hundred per cent II WIN ~
he bec,uss the public want the money, out because ="
introduer9n OF The foreign articles, al a io@ ,"e y
du,r ,,onld interfere with, or, as gentlemen WIN "a''
il. n,ostratc This branch OF cur domestic ,ncnst'y-.
TIE standard which gentlemen propose on ''s suoje..,
40, H.. wants of ihe Treasury, but what thev are
,Ia...j T., call. adequate protection 10 the snahu.ac-
,nrors Il must be obvious, therefore, that TO aolu''
the Tar.f on the plan new proposed, rs d's'ihcly
IN recornise the priuciple of protection as inc SCI,
tied noIIcy of the country-a principle 10 w"'s"1
mo, On this point, be misunderstood. | am no
enom, 10 the manufacturers. | would not Destroy
ibem could. Or this, think, have gwen
abundant evidence, in the plan proposeu a. ~
becinntnr OF the session, for the settlement IL t''s
a-ea, ouesticn. The resolution which | hd Tue hoho'
70 srhn;t. rs an amendment TO that ofthe Senator from
Kentucky, (Mr. Clay,) was, in substance d pioposi.
liz, 10 reduce the revenue, after the payment o '"s
nnbIic debt, 20 the wants OF The country. 1 P'"Poseu
10 do this on principles of perfect justice ana equa''y'
and IN Guard against any shock TO the manufacturers,
by q sudden reduction OF the duties 10 the lowest re-
venue standard. | declared my entire WILLINGNESS 'ia
this reduction should be gradual, and spread over se-
veral years. | was perfectly willing, provided the o".
les nJltu ne iildi
standard. that gentlemen should almost lake thelr own
time for the accomplishment of the object. Nor dd
this proposilion involve The slightest sacriice OF pr'n,
lciple, for, 1t entered into my plan, that the dent snou'u
spread over So yeral years, so that the duties shouia DC
brough; down TO the proper point on the final e1'ihc-
non OF that debt. SIR, according 10 this plan, the ma
nufac,urers would have enjoyed an incidental p'o'ec'
ton equa! TO the amount OF duties necessary lot reve'
nue.. am not prepared to say how lar The reduction
on the protected articles would, under tins system,
t.,n neon c,rrtpn nfpsume thai iltpcil or twenty
per cent. ad yalurem would have been found, eventual
", sufficient for all purposes ms, as lseenis u "'e'
would, with charges, freight, aud insurance. nave
amounted to a protection oil at least thirty tn'ee u"u
a third per cent; and il has always appeared TO me,
that, ii, with a permanent protection OF onethiro oil Tue
cost OF the article IN the home market, our mahuiac-
turers cannot enter into successful competition WIN
the foreign, they must be engaged IN q pursuit most
Improbable 10 The country; and the sooner IL is apan-
doned, the better for all parties concerned.
Ny next objection 10 this bill IS, that 1t retains the
ninimunls and the specific duties. ! have already
stated at large my objection TO this feature IN the Dill,
and will not Nv repeat what | then said. Will only
here add as an additional objection, that the miniinums
and specific duties create II perpetually increasing tax
on the articles embraced by them. 1t requires no ar
sument 10 show that 4 tax oil eight cents a yaiu on
cottons costing sixteen cents, (Which IS q tax oil only
fifty per cent } becomes one hundred per cent. when
the article IS reduced 20 eight cents and such reduc
tons have for years past, been gong on, as we all
know, IN relation 10 every article included under The
minimum principle. | regard the reorganization OF thus
odious principle in The bill now before The Senate as a
lasting establishment OF the prohibi,ory system IN TINS
country. The minimu:ns on cottoDs were at first IN
troduced for the purpose of encouraging the production
of coarse co,ions. We are told that 1t has been com
pletely successful; that It Is no longer necessary 10 pro-
lection; and yet the system IS maintained inviolate,
because, a gentlemen INSIST, 1t has no operation. Inc
mlnimums, then, are 10 be introduced To build up a ma
nuiacture, aod are 10 be retained 10 establish a monopoly;
tor # gentlemen refuse to abolish them IN relation to
coarse cot.ous, we can never, hereafter, expect TO have
them abolished IN any case whatever.
Another, and most insu cradle objection TO this bill
is, that i, raises an amount of revenue greatly exceed
ing the wants of The Government This fact shall
fully establish in another part OF my argument; but,
for the present, assuming 1t 10 be incontrovertible, i
object 10 the scheme, because ii necessarily leads to
ex!ravagent ex pendiiures; TO appropriations for rncon-
stItutional purposes; 10 a disgrace!ui scramble Tor the
pubic money; and to an INJURIOUS depe ndence, on the
part IS well O! the States as of the people, on the re.
deral Government. II violates the cardinal principles
of our system; and must, in The end, corrupt the whole
country, and e~ndaager cur free Institutions.
Another, and one OF my strongest objections 10 this
bill is, that IL increases the evils Of the existing system,
by nggrayatlng rs inequality and injustice. The great
pom. Of distinction between the friends OF the Tree
trade and the advocates Of the protective system, arises
from the different views as 10 the policy TO be pursued
in relation 20 the protected and unprotected articles
The gentleman fran Kentucky, (Mr Clay and myself,
at the commencement OF the session, differed lfrecoh.
cilably on this subject. The advocates of The American
system INSIST that the only proper subjects for Federal
taxation are those foreign articles which enter into
competition with similar articles made or produced
within the u S; while we at The South contend there
is neither reason nor justice IN subjecting 'oexoroitant
taxation every article winch we receive from abroad
in exchange for our productions. The ground OF
our complaint IS. that wc obtain wooilens, co,'ons,
and IRON from Europe, IN exchange for oar cotton, rice
and tobacco; and when We hing them into our own
uiarkets 70. sale, in competition with similar articles,
the fruits Of our labor and capital are subjected 10 a
discriminating tax OF from forty to fifty per cent Tor
the benef. OF the labor and capital OF our Northern
brethren. This we believe 10 be substantially a tax OH
the industry Of the South, and a bounty to the indus.
try Of The North. 1t IS not my present purpose, SIR,
(said Mr.. ii } toenlarge on this topic, which have en-
deavored, on n former occasion, TO e4 plain and enforce;
but, if there be any truth in the argument, 1t furnishes
an masquerade objection TO this bill, which IS so ar
ranged as TO throw tte entire burden of taxation on
the protected articles, while the unprotected articles
are 10 be admitted duty free. We have always in
sisted, that, while duties on the unprotected articles,
being generally articles of luxury, operate with perfect
equality on al! parts of the country, the duties on the
protected articles MT only operate most %unequally up
on the different sections and different interests, but that
they are also of the nature Of n double taX-hrst on
the imported article, and next By enhancing the price
of To domestic article. We have heard a good deal Of
the Forts hat have been made to relieve the com
plants OF he South. The gentleman from Kentucky
(1r. Clay declares, that no man would go further
IMAM ne @uut1 10 remove iOOsC COtDplilnts, lioi5H 'e
believes them to be wholly groundless. SIR, the gen.
,le:nan has frequently made similar declarations during
'hr 7-es-"t session. As 10 the gen'leman's friendly
disposition, ] have nothing 10 say nut l am bound 10
say TO him, IN perfect caador, that ! haze no ertdenee
Of such disposition IN his acts Hon far he may b.
disPosed 10 20, I knoo net hit he certainty has not
adcaaced orc step-ao, not ore iHch-in tnrtherance q
his deeartd oject
SIR, t,,s bill holds out no relief 10 the South. We
haze never uttered one word cf complaint against the
duties On the unprotected articles They were imposed
for r'"enae; and 10 any fair and equal revenue system
we 10 not object. Our complaints have been levelled
agains; The duties imposed, not for revenue, but for
protection. And gentlemen gravely propose to redress
our grievances by taking off all the revenue duties,
and leaving the projecting duties untouched. Sir, as
10 Tie mighty boon conferred, torsooth, by a low duty
on negro cloth and coarse blankets, | have only to say,
that gentlemen seem entirely to misunderstood the cha
rac;eT of The Southern people; they treat US like spoil
ed children, to be bebed with sugar plans, pleased
with a rattle, tickled with q straw. Gu. what are the
grounds of our complaints Is it that we paw a high
- mon n frw articles of Dearo clnthiD1 No. SIR