Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1844-02-27

1Sht those WHO from udFe
ty; and while cheap wool was long free and now had
but i've per cent protection, the farmer obliged TO
go AID pay Tor protection TO the manufacturer making
carpets and cloths Tor him from the wool, sixty
per cent He was assisted TO his hides, (of which al
most every agricuust raised sone, but five per cent;
while the manufacture OF leather from them which the
farmer was compelled to buy Cor his family, received
thrty-hye per cent. protection.
Some Senators here smiled, and said not his
hde.l
No, sir, 10 that, he has been skinned often, and
so patiently, the high protectIonlss 10 imagine
tnat Ike The boys eels he will continue to bear It
without complaint, because lie used TO it. No,
sr, they are the hides of the herds that Craze his
verdan pastures which thus Disseminated against;
and though the hemp which may grow in the fields,
contiguous IN Maine and Vermont we'll as in Ken
lucky and Missouri, is better protected, and high
as to burden much the shp-buder; yet the manufac-
tureEs using up that very hemp, obtain for their cord
age and cotton bagglng over hundred, and in
cases, over two hundred per cent than the
on the raw material Agan-the maker of brass ket
tes-and article SO widely used-obtains from every
purchaser the benefit Of duty Of twelve cents a
pound, while the raw material is imported free. The
boosted protection to the silkgrowe of the
character, when in household economy the aged and
young may economically raise cocoons, and receive
fifty cents pound protective duty, but are
obliged TO pay the manufacturer the very article
made from those cocoons, and bought for their
wear protective duty Of FIVE times that amount
81 %. The specifications might be much farther
tended did time permit but the table itself is at the
service OF any gentleman who wishes 10 all the
cases; and there is annexed list of articles,
admitted entirely Free for the benefit of the manufac-
turer (See No. A. What has been the way in
which the farmer deluded 10 overlook this system
oil direct partiay against him and his great interests
IL has been by keeping these unjust determinations in
the back ground, and pushing forward of agrcul
ural productions, on which the duty was high, but
which, as the Chairman, (alr. Evans) admitted, were
articles abundant here, that they needed proec
tive dutes-no, Sir, more than The ice and granite
of New Hampshire. Hence, when the producer of
the raw material here, (as in the former cases) finds it
more difficult to grow and compete with the producer
abroad he receives less aid, none but when he
easily and abundanty grow an article, and compete
with whole world, without artificial protection the
friends OF the American system offer to him very high
duties. They sefnly withhold what he wants, but
kindly bestow what lie does not want. 1t is curious
circumstance, aso that the agricultural articles favor-
ed with higher duty, all those from which little
or nothing is manufactured here; and hence the friends
of the American system have interest against their
being high, nor are the duties in this last class Of
cases made high for revenue any more than for real
and needed protection Because the aggregate imports
of the whole eleven articles in 1910 but ST.
o47, yielding revenue of not over one-third that
sum, while the aggregate imports of only three of the
fifteen other artsles not protected fully equally,
were fifty seven tunes larger than all of these. The
tendency then, if not the object of the duties which
are high agricultural products, is show, or
visionary 1t has been to throw dust IN the eyes Of
the community this subject, and sustain Of the
decisions which has msled so many farmers into the
erroneous belief, that their interests in reality
protected much those of the manufacturers
In order that Senators may see the particulars in which
my remarks to this last point grounded, here is
schedule of these articles, the duty each, and tho
whole imports of them in ls4O-some reaching only
the paltry sum of seven dollars and some nothing
(No. 81 Now, Sir, if, as q matter OF fact, have
proved this bill to be shaped on system of high dis
eliminating duties, for the direct protection Of manu-
tacturers, rather than all classes, and in many
specs for that, and not for revenue, follows, even If
it be within the purvew of any technical words used
in the great charter of berties that it is hostile 10
the spirit and the compromises which created, and
which alone can sustain that charlottesville 10 the
equal interests and claims Of great sections, classes
and industrial pursuits-hostle the true welfare of
the majority OF the whole, as whole-and hostile to
their harmony and peace, as we'll as the perpeluy Of
the Union itself
am aware that the preamble of the act of 1870 has
been cited as evidence that the direct encourage
ment OF manufactures was of the objects of that
act. But when the rate OF duties contained in it is ad
vcrted 10, IA skeleton of which he held in his hand
table No o. it would be that none Of them
was higher than moderate revenue Standard
Most Of them did not exceed and 10 per cent and
consequently nothing could have been intended by
them beyond that incidental encouragement to manu-
features which all revenue Tariffs must yield when
founded on pure revenue principles. Our fathers
cuded 10 encourage manufactures, by collecting large
portion OF their from Imports rather than der;
wing II all from drec, taxes and internal duties In
deed, their rule, like mlnc 10 collect if needed,
all the revenue from imports which they will yield
without going higher in the rates than stand
ard, and what is consistent with the preservation in
full vgor of our foreign commerce. But all wanted
beyond that should be obtained from other Sources and
happily, our lands will usually, with that, yield suif
dent for all the expenses of economical government
in time of peace It is not inconsistent with free trade
that the imports help, in due proportion with other
property, to pay the public expenses.
But when, in 1874 and 1898 and 1872 our fathers
needed more revenue than could be obtained from mo
derate dues-no higher than revenue standard
they resored for the rest 10 taxes land and excise
Their actions spoke louder than any words-especaly
when the latter are open 10 misconstrucon-a they
deemed proper, under the spirit Of the const,-
tuton TO encourage manufactures by express prohbi,
tons of foreign articles, by implied prohibitions
through exorbltant mpcsts of a prohbitory tendency
On the contrary in all the pressure Of heavy revou
tonary debt-the large expenses Of quasi with
France-and our controversies with the Barbary
powers, we'll our Indian border foes-they
never, as general rule, though needing more
venue, increased the rates Of duty beyond fifteen
per cenium seventeen and half including the Me-
dlterranenn fund Here is the evidence of the fact,
liable No IT,; and it conclusive proof that such
restrictive system for manufacturers like the act of
1912, deemed within the true spirit and po-
Icy oil the Government Ii is not little curious,
that, when annoyed by foreign prohibitory imposts,
and with their own tonnage also comparatively small,
neither MIR. Jefferson, in his able report in 1894 on
foreign commerce, Mr.. Madison, in his cele-
brated resolutions founded thereon ever proposed any
higher duties than ten fifteen per cent, except az
measure of retaliation and that, never in
fact, till itself in 1879, with all its burdens
and horrors, and the American protective system fol-
lowed, in l8l6-ageravaed again. till it became, in
1923, little, if any, less burdensome and terrific than
war tsef-dd any of the Revolutionary school of
statesmen think proper TO impose duties higher than
fair revenue ones, which tended, except incident.
ally, protect any branch of national industry,
at the expense of the rest, 1T is still curious,
that Hamilton-so much relied on by the manu-
facturers advocate oftber system-argues strong
ly in the Federalis (page 204) that the power given
in the Constitution collect from other sources
than imports meant TO prevent such high duties
imports alone would yield direct encouragement
to manufactures and in ure commerce and agriculture,
as we'll as revenue, and was with view TO enable
Congress- rather than do that, to keep the duties at
revenue standard, and resort for additional means, if
needed, to taxes Of different character. His words
are these, (Federalist, page 204)
"Suppose, has been commended for, the federal
power of taxation 10 be confined to the duties
ports it is evident that the government for want Of
able 10 command other resources would frequent