New-York daily tribune., 1844-03-16
The German 'ZolI yerein,' and the Effects
OF Protection.

The last Edinburgh Review has an article on
Commercial Tariffs, especially that of Germany,
from which we CLEAN some valuable facts not SO
generally or precisely known on this side OF the
water as they should be.
The German sZoll Verein,' or Customs Union,
is an association Of German States to secure en-
tire freedom of commercial intercourse with each
other. and uniform imposition Of duties on i'm
ports from abroad. Formerly each kingdom elect
ate, free state or petty principaity imposed such
imposts as it saw fit, if any, and surrounded
itself with a Gordon of custom-house officers on
the inside Of its frontier, paralleled by another
line of smucglers on the outside Of course,
goods imported had often to pay duties to two or
three Governments, before reaching their ultimate
destination, while the greater quantity came IN
through the commercial ports on the ocean ana
were spirited to their several points OF consump-
ton without paying any duties at all. Some
States inclined to Free Trade, others to Protec-
ton. according as their interests were supposed
TO be Commercial or Manufacturing; but the
country enjoyed the advantages of neither, Tor
neither was possible A Protective duty LEVIED
BY any State was nulliied by the contrary policy
Of ncighborng States, the multiplicity of SNUG
glers and the extent of its exposed frontier !;
while the great advantages of internal Free
dom of Trade were forbidden by the frequency
and compexity of custoln-house cxactions'-
Thus crippled by her own divisions, Germa-
nv was sluttod and impoverished by the pro-
fusion of British Manufactures poured INTO her
every market, while her staple products-Gran
and Timber-werc refused and shut out OF the
British markets by the stern policy OF those grasp
ing islanders England throvc on German
market for her manufactures to the extent OF
some Thirty or Forty Millions Of Dollars per an
nun, while Germany was impoverished by the
constant drain OF specie to pay tor products
which her own were not allowed to balance In
short, the condition OF Germany before 1853 was
essentially that of our own States before the aaop-
ton of our Federal Constitution.
To remedy this state of things, the 'Zol
Verein' was established by Prussia and some
other Northern States on the 22d OF March, 1898
nearly eleven years since. 1t abolished all
SuslOl-fiOUSeS anu uulcS do oStNSSAA S-o
States entering the Union, established uniform
rate Of duties on all imports, with an exterior ie
only of collection The total proceeds OF Inns
Tariff are divided among the several States IN
proportion to their respective populations whue
each of them, large and small, has one vote only
and no more, in the Congress or Diet which deter
mines and from time to time readlusts the rates
of duties This union, at first formed by lew
States, and regarded with distrust even by many
OF these, has grown popular and been e1'ehoea
f'om practical experience of its benefits until"
now includes Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, WIZ
semberg, Baden, Hesse-C -Cassel, Hesse-Darmstao''
Nassau, the Thuringian States, Frankfort Bruins
wich, Lppe. Schaumburg and Luxemburg, with a
population Of nearly Thirty Millions, while' apart
from Austria, which, from her great extent and
power, prefers to stand alone, all the German
States which now stand aloof from the Vereih
are Hanover, Oldcnburg, Hostein, the two NECK
ienburgs and the Hanse-towns, with totai popu
lahon of only Three Millions. OF these the PIN