Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1844-06-08
THE TARIFFS oFFoRElGN NATIONS
COMMERCIAL RECIPROCITY.

The TAKlBFS OF FOkElGN ma IiOVG
COMMERCIAL RECIPROCITY.
We ask the attention Of Free Trade men
to the following statement Of facts ~ the Mon
ey article Of the Herald, itself a leading organ
Of the Free Trade school. Whom the jour.
nails Of that side talk like this, how can their
confederates contend that our preBont Tariff
is e&orbitant or prohibitory, and ought to be
modified Hear the Herald;
France, Great Britain, Russia and Spain
enforce a duty nearly amounting TO prohibition
on these three product, viz Tobacco. Rice aud
Wheat, Russia places a duty Of Sl DO on 30
pounds Of Tobacco, in the leaf, and S9 on the
same quantity Of stemmed while we only place
a duty Of twenty-five per cent on her gh@ ct
ings, Hemp and Iron. There 10 very little
reciprocity in this. France prohibits the i'm
p~ortatton Of Tobacco otherwise than for the
Government manufactures. Her sliding scale
Of duties on Wheat amounts to A prohibition,
and the duty on Rice reaches nearly one hun.
dred per cent on the cost at the place Of i'm.
portation. In return for these restrictions on
our products we enforce a duty Of from tweii-
ty to forty per cent on all silks and manufac.
lures Of silk /; from thirty TO forty per cent on
all her woollen and worsted manufactures, and
from twenty to forty on her Boot, Shoe and
Glove manufactures. Great Britain enforees
a duty Of seventy two cents on every pound
of unmannfacturad and two dollars sixteen
cents on every pound of manufactured Tobao-
co entering her dominions from the u. States;
her sliding scale on our grain amounts to a
prohibition a duty of three cents per pound
amounting 10 one hundred per cenl--is pla-
ced on our Rice. All tie restrictions of other
powers will compare in the same unfavorabie
light. The utmost importance is placed be
all the nations of Europe on their commerce
with the United States. Our tariff lave are
watched very narrowly, and any modification
made from time to time, in their favor, Nv hail.
ed as an impetus 10 their trade. Concessions
are expected from the United States, without
granting an equivalent in return. Great Bri.
tain has very recently granted a more liberal
scale on duties regulating the Importation of
American provisions, for which q he expects
something in return, forgetting the existing
difference between the tariffs of the fw1 mn.
tons, so much in their favor, and which will
require further concessions on their part 10
e~qualize. The principal cause Of the liherali-
ty shown in our tariff laws, compared with
that of every other power, is the numerous in
'erests at work within ourselves. No other
country in the world has such a variety of
interests striving 10 work out their own adj
vancement. The effect Of this is that com.
promises are resorted 10 and tariffs perfected,
meeting, as near as possible. the views of the
parties. Foreign governments scent To be we'll
acquainted with this fact, and leave Us to tho
influences at work internally 10 bring about
changes in Our commercial system meeting
their expectations and wishes. The late de-.
cision in the lower house of Congress In re1a-
lion TO the present tariff laws, will undoubt-
eddy create much disappointment throughout
Europe, as the different foreign manufacturers
have looked for notifications and alterations
in the existing scale or duties that would tend
to an extension Of their trade and an increase
of their profits"