Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1843-01-17

The Constitution of the United States was establish
ed. as its Preamble declares Sin order to form more
perfect uaiOn establish Justice domestic tran
guilty. provide for The common defence, promote the
general welfare, and the blessings Of liberty
" TO ourselves and our postery" To obtain those i'm
porlant ends It's trainers thought it necessary, they
stated in their letter of September 7lh, 1859, 10 the
President of the Congress of The old Confederation
accompanying the Constitution which they had agreed
upon, "that the powcr Of making war; peace and trea-
ties that OF levying money and regulating commerce.
'' and the corresponding Executive and Judicial all
thorities, should be fully and efrctually vested in
the General Government OF The ua.'- In The
same letter. they state how difficult they found ii "io
- dra with precision, the line between those rights
which must be surrendered and those which may be
't reserved, and how much that "dliiculiy in
creased by difference among the several States, as
TO their situation, extent, habits and particular tne
rests and, moreover, that the "Conslitution which
they presented, "ihe result Of spr, of amity,
and of that mutual Difference and concession, which
the peculiarly Of our political situation rendered IN
dispensabe.
In framing the clauses of the Constitution by which
they " vested in the General Government Of the
regulating commerce., we find that whilst they con
ferred upon ''the Congress the "power to lay and
collect taxes, duties, imposs and cxcises, they pro
vided that call duties, imposs, and excuses shall be
Uniform throughout the United States; and that they
also gave The "pnwer 10 regulate commerce with 10.
reign nations, and among the several States, aud
with the Indian Tribes, with the express res;rlc
,ion that no preference shall be given, by any egu
laton of commerce or revenue, 10 the ports OF one
g State those OF another
Now, in view of these facts and of all the facts and
considerations that belong 10 the subject, it is plain
That the trainers of the Constitution intended, and SC
duously labored 10 TO all aud every OF the
States and people of the United States equal and
impartial distribution OF the benefits and burthens vi
the General Government OF the Union. They aimed
ITO Iis
be guided by he same spirit of amity and of mutual
" Difference and concession, which tlr peculiarly oil
political situation rendered so indispensable, IN
their view; and that lis administration should be regu
lated, rs lis formation had been, BY careful and de
lcate regard 10 the difference among the several
6 States TO their situation, habits and particular
interests Thus, when they provided That all
du'ies imposs, ard excuses shall he Uniform
throughout the United 5 ates, they contemplated not
merely nominal uniformity but. "such arrangement
and dIsposilnn of duties, &c, should be uDIrm III
its exacons from the States and people Of the Union
and when they provided that "n, preference shall be
gven by any regulation Of commerce revenue, toI
the ports of one State those Of another their
obvious intention was, not simply TO secure The IN
teress OF the commercial cities and merchants OF the
several States from partial and ust legislation, but
to to the people Of those States and to their bu
sincss interests, certainty Of mpataty and fairness
the and CONNIE rcal regulations of Congress
But, lest the wise providence of the trainers Of the
Constitution might, after all, be defeated by the in
genuy of selfish cunning the clear sighted forecast
OF the State Conventions, by which the Constitution OF
the U. S ratified and adopted, provided number
Of amendments still further TO guard and the
rights OF the people, and to proven, apprehended usnr
paiions and abuses. The ninth Of those amendments
declares and determines, that sihe enumeration in the
Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed
TO deny or dsparage others retained by the people,
and the tenth provides and settles that he powers mol
delegated to the U. s. by the Constitution, pr"il-
bited by 10 The States, reserved to the States re-
spectively, or To the people.
Thus IL would seem, that every restraint that the
most ''abundant caution could have supposed ncces
sary, was imposed upon interested and unjust rsis
ailon. But the repeated and perseverng efforts made
to engraft The "Protrctive Policy upon the CONNER
cia and revenue system Of the u ST. prove how readI.
ly The paines declarations be dsregarded and the
most express stpn!aons set at naught by over
grasplng and selfish interest. We had hoped that the
Compromise act of 1913 had made end of the contro
versy on that poentons subject but the Tariff act oil
the last session proves that mistaken. Just at
the close of the nine years of certain protection for
which MIR. Clay had stipulated, the price and condi
ton of deferred but ultimate justice to other interests
we have found the paInpered phalanx OF manuiactu
rers as clamorous ever for renewed exacons from
the great body Of the people.
We cannot forbear here the expression Of our sur.
prise at that obquity of moral plon-whch the
deuson of self interest alone could produce-that fails
TO perceive the iniquy and injustice Of system, that
leves exacon from portion of the people in order
to put money into the pockets of another portion. All
such e1action is, view, oppressive as 1t IS un
Jus and the power that fnac,s and eDiaces H. however
constituted, and by whatever called an opprcs
sion. Suc oppression must ever feel called upon,
BY every consideration of just regard TO our rights AND
of duty ourselves AM to fellow citizens at large
10 unite with them in resisting, by all constitutional
means in our power. Nor forbear the express
sion Of our decided conformation OF the drvlce oil
minmums which forms part of the snid Tariff act-a
device, which seeks to conceal rate Of duty actually
prohbitory under the guse Of rateable nd vaiorem
duty. We constrained to regard all such devices as
Of deceptive and fraudulent intent, and utterly ncon.
sstenl with the dignity and fairness and justice which
should characterize the Legislation of cnlighen
ed nation.
We can but take time to glance at the injurious in
huerce of the policy of heavy protective duties upon
our commerce and ne Vigaon, and upon the interests
of agriculture, &c.-a which must suffer together I'M
der The operation If the system. It's advocates have,
for twenty years, been promising advantages more
than equivalent to the burthcns they impose, by the
great and certain "home market, which their Wanted
system TO provide for all productions. We ere
enabled, by The returns Of tile late census, and by the
ports from the Treasury Department. TO form an OPT
for ourselves upon that matter From these, We
learn that manufactures amount TO abcu. four
hundred millions of dollars worth Of the protected ar
tices, Of which the imports furnish only forty five
millions, or less than one nlneth part The friends oil
protection eagerly solci:ous 10 furnish us these
forty five millions worth aso which they premise to-
do in very few years but il is the onerous terms
Of paying tor the whole four hundred and forty five
millions, from thirty five 10 one hundred per cent more
than we can obtain them for from other nations In
the meantime, however, paid 4 surplus product,
chiefly agricultural, which must find market abroad,
or nowhere ; and that surplus amounts 10 hundred
millions Of dollars WORTH as the last winters report
from the Treasury Department will show Does any
one believe, that export that produce, and find
market for without taking the productions Of other
nations, chiefly manufactures, in return: Wepresume
the most ultra friends Of the protective system ""rt
MT quito sof enough far that" But we cannot pur-
sue the subject and must lu bear.
we canno however, close, without ad7ertng To The
complaints made of the langnishing state OF mann
featuring industry ana interest, reason Tor taang
every species Of industry and Interest, ~ order To
the profits and put money into Tie pockets OF
capitalists. Those complaints We may
fairly offset By the nc known 10 every man, that never
since The close Of the late war, have The interests Of
agriculture been angushing and PROSTATE as a. pre-
sent But, upon wha, principle of right can they
claim TO add The difficulties Of condition, IN order
10 improve their ITO cuftai already siinted
means, in order TO increase their profits We can
conceive of On The contrary, were our interests
yer so ourjsbinp we should still regard IL gross