The Northern galaxy, and Middlebury people's press. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1843-1844, 1843-12-06
ASHLAND, 2Sth July, ls43.


GENTLEMEN Il duly received your IA
vor of the 18th inst. in which you inform
me that conflicting opinions prevail in your
State in regard TO my opinions on the pol
icy of protecting Domestic manufacturers,
and YOU request of me information in re-
lation 10 them. take pleasure in CON-
plying with your request.
Nv opinion is that the revenue neces.
sarv TO an economical administration of
The General Government ought TO be de-
rived, in a season of peace, exclusively
from duties imposed on our foreign imports,
and that Tariff for that purpose ought
TO be so adjusted as to afford reasonable
encouragement TO our domestic manufac>
turers. am opposed to direct taxes and
internal duties except in time Of wal, when
they may be necessary to give vigor and
success TO arms. am opposed to the doc
trines of free trade with foreign powers,all
of whom subject Our commerce with them
to restriction, often very great and burden
some.
These opinions | have always entertain
ed and still entertain. | never was in ia
vor of duties being so high as to amount to
Il prohibition of articles on which they
were laid. have thought it best for all
interests that there should be competition.
think il of great Importance that tariff
should possess stability, as frequent chan>
ges affect iniurously all our great interests.
To impart 10 it that character il should be
moderate, reasonable and certain.
voted for the Tariff of 1916. 1924
md 1892. think they were all reason
able and moderate. at the times they were
respectively passed. In the infancy of
manufactures, the object being TO acquire
The skill and accumulate the capital neces-
sarv 10 their successful establishment, n
greater degree of protection is expedient
than is requisite after they have made a
considerable progress. The difficulty lies
in fixing that degree. In 1916, we were
without much experience, and failed TO
make, in all cases. proper adjustment of
the measure of protection. Eight year
experience in 1924 enabled Congress TO
fix with more equity and precision
Eight years of progress in our manufac-
turics in 1892 justified some reduction in
the amount of duties, and generally the
Tariff of 1912 is more moderate than that
of 1892. As our manufactures advance
and become perfected. less aud less pro-
lection will be needed, until many articles
will be able TO compete with the foreign
rival articles, without any protection at all
IN the form Of duties.
| was not in Congress in 1926, and there.
fore did not vote for The Tariff of that year.
The duties in many instances imposed by
that Tariff were eX,ravagantly high, and,
in others, duties were imposed which were
not called for by any interest. That Ia
riff was a fraudulent production. 1t was
framed by combination of some members
fiom the South, and some from the North,
who were afraid openly TO vote against a
Tariff. and vet wished 10 obtain credit for
being favorable 10 supposed Southern in.
tcrests. 1t was so shaped, with the design
of defeating the passage Of any tariff; be.
cause it was believed, that it was SO inJu.
riuus TO the manufacturing interest in ma>
nv respects, that the honest and true
friends of that interest would not vote for
it. Had it been defeated, those Northern
members, who united in connecting It,wol'd
have returned home and asserted that they
were the true friends of protection, and
that its really honest friends were inimical
TO it. Bat il was not defeated. The gen.
uine friends of man liacturies resolved not
10 be cheated by such combination. and
determined TO tax. the bill for the sake of
the GOOD that was in it, Notwithstanding
the bad, which was put there against their
cons, Mt. The scheme not having sue
ceedcd as was designed, the Southern