Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1844-02-27
on The coast Of Barbarv. Those were truly revenue

OF INDUSTRY rom ilpOst,
on RIVAL imports from abroad But The donDie duties
for revenue, during the var with the increased ii'.
Gully in obtaining supplies from other counlr!es' had
given new impulse 10 several domest manufactures,
and when peace arrived those engaged IN them oepfe.
Gated the injury likely TO flow from The large import and
consumption of foreign articles similar TO their own
Accordingly to protect hem and them alone, and That
bu, temporarily the addition of near AZ per cent was
made several Of the duties as before graduated on
the peace standard for revenue; and fa from It's be-
ing pretended that this addition, deliberately placed on
rival productions only was solely with view to reve-
nue., ii admitted and proposed 10 be done, directly
for the purpose Of protection and that chiefly to The
manufacturing interest alone. Before me is Mr.. Dali
lass report, in February, 1916 formally declaring that
snch protection desirable, and selecting the articles
which most needed It, and recommending the amounts
OF duty each, which he considered likely 10 yield
til Sec , State Papers fin0ace, p. ..
What class after years tria b; came dissatisfied
with this amount of direct protection, and asked for and
obtained more in 1921 Who again in lc25? and who
again in lS42,
There is no preence, that the further increase of
duty in 1884, and lc2S, the former protected art-
Giles, was demanded, or imposed, Tor the purposes OF
revenue One Of the supporters OF the bill OF les
now a member of this body, (Alr Wrghi,) frankly
admitted in July, lS42 ''that the Tariff Of lo2s was
avowedly passed for protection, and, 1t considerations
Of had any connection whit, they were only
incidental to the main obi ect OF protection -(APpen-
dix 10 Giobe, p O1J, Tor lci>)
As little it be pretended that similar provisions,
asked by similar persons, and for similar objects, i'll
1872 not cast INTO their present unequal, high,
and oppressive FORM for the same objects as before
the direct protection OE the single class oil hanuac-
turers | admit tina; needed more revenue IN loi2
But it is manifest, that we could easily have obtained
as much as now, from duty on foreign imports, not
averaging over twenty or twenty-five per cent; or, il
obliged to 90 higher any case, under tue impress
son usually erroneous, that by gong higher larger
aggregate amount can be Obtained II IS equally mani
fest that ought to have gone higher on luxuries,
rather than necessafes aud on suck articles, as would
throw the tax according 10 the ability to pay on pro-
pcry rather than the person, and not make taxation
Gouhly odlous and oppressive, is done by this Tariff
through lis operation, almost Is poll taA making the
poor pay per capita nearly as much to TIE support OF
the General Government as the wealthy Such OPP
pressIre provisions were, therefore, not designed TOR
fair fiscal purposes, but for protection TO iaVorite
class, possessed Of great enterprise, and political m
huence admit, and equal rights with others; but no
moral useful, patriotic, than most other classes
of the American people; and having very small pro.
portion onumbers and capital to be protected, compared
with the whole Union. AS the mere revenue standard
in some countries has not exceeded ten per cent and
in others fifteen twenty, and we did not exceed the
latter during quarter Of century, propose to
show by figures that the present duties are, IN many
vital respects, far above that Standard hold IN my
hand statement Of the rate nov imposed on several
articles, above not only twenty, but thirty per cent
Aud an The more anxious that the Senate should
note the numerous and great excuses into winch the
act runs from the circumstance that some ceny the
gh protective character oil any part OF the present a.
riii and many who doubt IT. are unable to veriy their
apprehensons with accuracy, because, most OF the du-
being specific, and the cost oil the articles abroad
not known, the real per cenage oil the tax on their
value concealed and not able TO be ascertaned eX-
cept at the Treasury
But fortunately, in lo40, q document was obtained
from the Treasury Department, which gave the cost
and charges and quantities of all important articles
imported in that year. Thus every body can reduce
the specific rate to one ad ratorsm for that year. and
are since enabled 10 do the same, where the cost OF
the article has mol materially changed IN orler, now
ever, to verify my own computations, and correct
any changes IN The value since, have compared my
statement with one which has been obtained officially
from the Treasury Department. aud II 's in this way
rendered rs accurate as is possible in the nature Of
things. Table No. >
What, Mr.. President, do you believe has been The
general result Only four or five, at most, dozen
articles which the community are taxed over the
highest revenue standard oil 80 per cent? No, Sir /;
but forty. articles And that without including
seventeen varieties of iron manufacture, and many
more of cotton These fortyo include most, if not
ALL of those great necessares Of life which import
and among them seven, which so burdened US to
pay over fourteen and half millions of dollars out Of
twenty one that would accrue imports no larger
Does the Senate suppose, however, that the duty
imposed in these merely crossed the line OF
revenue few cents or fractions and therefore not
enough to change the leading features Of revenue
bill, If so, they must be surprised to learn that some
descriptions of them reach 80 80, 100 and le per
cent Thus, boots and shoes pay from 20 to 10 per
cent
What was the duty, also, on coal, used largely on
the seaboad by all classes, and especially in the freez
ing inclemencies of weather now agonlzlng the poor
and distressed of cities Quite 81 per CENT 10y
the official computation of the DEPARTMENT. or more
than double the highest true revenue rate. The duties
on cordape-an article of universal use, in form
or other from the ST. Croix the Sabine and
Oregon-rnged from II 10 ISIS per centum. Cottons-
which, more less, helped To clohe ali casses-pald
from 40 to 90 per cent. Woollens rose still higher
Supar-whIch sweetens the cup of all-swelled TO II
and lOl per cent Salt-which gloriousy free in
that country oitsned sneered at by deeply OPP
pressed-pad, by this Tariff, near 90 per centum and
some kinds still more while iron-one OF the great
instruments to vanquish the earth rs well our
miles, and carry whole domestic and foreign
merce-s from 45 to II per cent Indeed, the hammer
and the anvil of every blacksmith shop in every vii
age of the Union are loaded with Of the highes.
of these duties and the oppression from them, in q
thousand other FORMS carried into every kitchen and
farm yard OF The whole republic,
Again If this tariff was not intended for direct pro-
lection to manufacturers rather than for revenue why
were not It's highest duties and greatest collections
from luxuries and The eegances OF e rather than
cessaries? This is the elsewhere In England,
for instance tobacco is made to yield near seventeen
millions OF revenue yeavly, and spirits about thirteen
millions by customs, and twenty five millions
more by excise-sums ranging not far from whole
income on imports. But We burden highest The prime
necessaes of life and collect from sugar. iron, wool
lens cottons, linens, moasses and silks-most of them
pensabe every cottage and every degree of ati
tude and longitude over wide domain-ihe great
mass of our whole revenue on foreign merchandise
Here is detailed statement, computed on The latest
data accessible and showing that those articles alone
probably pay more than threefourths of the whole
(See No 81 challenge any plausible reason to be as
signed for this odous and oppressive discrimination,
except tina, every of these articles has rival pro-
duc,ions here oil manufactured character, intended
THIS TO be directly protected.
Should doubt remain that the present tariil vas mo
delled to accomplish that avorte object to manuiactu
rers and to aid at The tme by like and equal
protection the interests of agriculture, manufactures,
and commerce, (Which is frequently pretended,l let
him listen moment to fact two more, which alone
are sufficient, 10 silence forever any such preience
What, sir. Tell the hard fsted farmer that he Is
equally watched over and protected BY the bill, when
almost every production, agricultural and otherwise.
which is the raw material for manufacture here, is
unprotected exonerated from any but small duty,
and made entirely Free and when al the sane moment,
the manufacture from that Production IS protected
highly and often oppressvely Mt the expense OF the
okacn a. nj 10 ia