The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1843-05-22

skill TO the state Of things be il what will Cool as
warm US, freeze u.s. seorch us-do what YOU please,
bat let know what you intend 10 do, aud aiek 10
Laughter and applause) Nov ana OF oPinion 'bsl
IL there any policy capable OF combining Inc Noih
aud South and East and West stamp that Win per
manence for twenty years and II would be better and
better every year, and the country would be more
prosperous than il has been for years past
Now gentlemen, we have fallen into some errors
ia the course of treaty arrangements, not more
| in our country than IN Others but in all we
have dealt too much IN generaties in the terms oil
our treaties-as when We speak Of placing nation
terms OF the most favored nation. la my opinion,
whatever treaty stipulation should enter into, II
is always best that it should be specific indsputable,
precise In making treaty with another nation We
| say that will place her upon the same footing
| with the most favored nations. What does that
meant Ii has no practical meaning to IL, because II
becomes necessary deal with all sorts OF generality
| there is no common standard We make treaty
with Russia, for example, and sipuate that the duty
on ton Of iron shall be so much and no more that
the duty hundred of hemp shall be so much
| Well, we go 10 make treaty with the Celestial EN-
pre that deals only in silks and teas. We tell her
she shall be placed footing with the most IA
vored nations How shall we give tariff for Rus
STA which shall have any application TO the case OF
China All history shows that these generalising
treaties productive of nothing but discord and
| confusion We have treaties with France, Portugal
and Belgium and the moment Congress passes an
act laying duty we have complaints from one or all
of these States, of nfractions Of their treaty. and
these complaints are not always easily answered or
reconcled. In all such the stipulaons should
be specific.
| will add that il does not follow that because one
nation enters into stipulaons with another il becomes
the duty Of any to associate In league against The IN
terest of other States Mutual slipuations may GER
tainy be made without doing injury to other States.
For example put the case not as one in which
| should choose to make practical experiment; but
simply as an illustration of the general principle Let
advert to the state of trade between this country
and Brazil TO ii the interests of both countries
would not require Justify some stipulation for the
mutual advantage of the two. What is the state OF
trade between Brazil and the United States ought
to take shame to myself FOR assuming to speak OF
such subject here, before gentlemen most Of whom
know more of it than do. But | use it to illustrate
the general character of all such treaties.
There is no more unequal trade in the world than
that b, tween the United States and Brazil 1t is al
together on side. The United States take some
five millions Il believe trhe more,) of Brazilian
products untared and half million slightly taxed
mean her sugar. And what do they receive from
us untaxed Nothing al all Their taxes on CON-
modities from the United States excessively high
They tax the products of the labor and land Of this
country and sea 80, 40, and AZ per cent We take
five millions untaxed and half million slightly
taxed
How did they stand with England under the late
treaty between that country and England Her slip
ulation by tr aty-whch still exists-was that Eng
sh commodities should not be taxed more than Is
per cent. English cotton, clothing, &C., is taxed only
IS per cent, and ours from 80 to so per cent Yet
England taxes them 100 per cent. commodi-
ties. We take Brazil coffee free, and England taxes
it TO IL cents per 10. Is that equal treaty. Ac-
cording to the English interpretation the treaty be-
tween England and Brazil does not terminate till
: 1874. Brazil insists that IT expired in l642. OF
course Brazil is DESTROYS TO get rid of it. But she
was forced to yield TO the English construction, so
that the treaty was declared TO remain in force TIL
1874. Mean time distinguished person was sent
from England to renew the treaty and | must say
that think the Brazilian Government manifested no
little address on that occasion. Brazil insisted that
the treaty expired in lS42-Engand that it lasted
till lS44-Brazi yields, and then says to the Eng
sh Minister, sent to renew the treaty"lf the treaty
last TILL lo44 as you say, and submit to what you
say-we will take till 1874 to consider what new
treaty we will make" You will take ii Tor granted
that our government is not so inatentive to the in
erests OF the country not 10 that in proper
time a treaty may be concluded between the United
States and Brazil.
We have great advantage over England that
we have no Colonial interest To protect This is an
advantage oil our situation to which fully en-
titled. The British Government says, too il is true
the United States take good deal Of Brazilian cof-
fee; we take as much or MORE and paw too, not on
" for our own but for good deal Of what they take.
There Is something approaching to arrogance in this
Ii is true we do import from Brazil merchandise TO a
greater amount than is paid by expectations and
the difference we pay usually by bills of exchange
draw from other sources Of industry. Now il
we entered the Brazilian markets on as good terms
as the English, might hope pay our debts on the
spot by the products OF our labor and not ask Eng
land to pay ouSdebis to the Brazilian merchants.
But here perceive that ! am going too far with
tins matter and have alluded to it only because in a
Government like ours an enlightened public opinion
must precede such action of the Government and
because the full time seems to have come when the
interests oil the country required that the pubic OPT.
mon should be formed and expressed way. or an.
other
have said, gentlemen, that these two States are
| Instances OF the usefulness of Commerce-the use
iulness OF Exchanges We are very reno from
Brazil none the worse Tor that. They have a very
different climate different products, different habits
SO much the better for all that IL has been sand
that 1t is all Natures difference that keeps all Ma
lures peace )" and IL may be said W it'll as much
truth, that IN matters OF commercial intercourse il
IS differences Of character differences of soil differ
ences OF products, and different habits which give
TO different States an identity Of interest in one res
pect-that Is, IN the mutual exchanges Of CONNER ia
| products.
Well, gentlemen, parting from this subject, will
conclude with few remarks on another.
IL so happened that very after entered upon
the duties of the Office which lately held II was the
pleasure Of Congress TO call upon the Departm ent for
reports on The Tariff and Commercial regulations of
other countries, and the effects Of the " Reciprocity
Treaties" as they are called, into which the Govern.
ment entered with various countries at various times
from 1895 TO late period. I do, gentlemen, enter.
tain the strongest belief that all this princpe of re-
! ciprocity acted upon by the Government Is wrong
mistake from the beginning, and injurious to the
great interests Of the country. What is in
| by every reciprocity treaty we give 20 the nation
with which II is concluded right 10 frads b,,re,n "a,
aud other nations he terms as te trade o,ys,lr,s
We give to the ranse Towns and the other States
OF the same class the right to fetch and carry be-
tseen Us and all the nations Of the world, on the
same terms as we do and practically they can do il
much more probably.
In my opinion the true principleihe philosophy Of
politics on this subject, is exhibited in the old Nay
CATION Law of England introduced by some Of the
old geniuses Of Cromwells time and acted upon ever
since The principle IS this'tbe rule is this any
nation may bring commodities TO us H., her own YES