Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1844-02-13

of Madison and Jefferson resor!ed to those
high duties; and their doing So gave weight to the
ques,on-was this protective system legitimate under
any principle The honorable chairman OF The cor
mttee had quoted Dr. Franklin in support OF his
views: now he wanted 10 read from ID. fronshh ;
works sufficient to prove that he entertained entirely
different opinions from those attributed 10 MN oy Thai
honorable gentleman.
Here Mr. w. read several extracts from the writings
of Dr. franklin all favorable free trade, and strongly
dePrecailng the opposite policy.
| THIS principle of taxing tie whole community Tor
the special benefit OF lew individuals never was b.
fore tolerated in any country, acting upon primer
pies oil equal rights. The Senator who contends thit
the act of l5I2 is revenue act, and not for Pro'ec-
ton
| Mr.. EVANS observed that, in answering The Sena.
tor from South Carolina, who maintained that the act
Of 1872 destructive 10 revenue he had shown m
creased revenue but did not say exclusively an
act for
| Mr. WOODBURY. continued He VS. happy to
ud the gentleman ready to admit that 1t al &c. lor
protection. The charges against the act were, TIA. II
was for The protection of the manufacturers Other
gentlemen, however, had contendcd that II was re-
venue measure. On that point the present issue was
taken. Now his position was, that 1t was not Tor Pu'-
poses of revenue, but snbvrsve Of revenue, and
tend t. benefit class, and much The snallt 81
class. al the expense Of all other classes lie denied
that IL yielded revenue, revenue act ought to yield
it, 1t would do to take effects Of other causes, and
atrbut them the act for the purpose oil making !;
appear that alone had accomplished that which, from
its nature, 1t was calculated 10 Illustrate. 1t goes
IL or ~ per beyond the point The re-
venue act Of 1916 did not 70 beyond Ia! per cent
and many articles considerably under that rate
The trainers of the Constitution never looked 10 M
ports tor more than duty for revenue. They calcu-
lated should b. necessary ar the Government
than duties at the revenue point from Imports would
Weld that ether of taxation should be rcsored
cd inrt ia IN n K
alton in order that The point OF duty imports
should not be transcribed. No Government IN the
world undertakes 10 get all It's revenue from customs,
but this France takes but one eighth of lis revenue
from customs; Englan about third little over.
But, even if we include The whole taxation Of our
Sates-as it said by the Senator from Name We
ought to do, in contrasting this country with others
il will be found that derive more than halt oil the
whole taxes paid in the Union from customs. II was
very well known that the State and local taxes did not
come up 10 81 per head the population, Gncludng
and childfen3 but the duty on imports exceeds
81 per head of the whole population. Now, he held
that this Government had not even right, according
TO the spirit of the Constitution, and The intention OF
lis trainers, TO get, from customs alone even enough
for It's expenses II found when duties OF the re-
venue point would not yield enough, to 90 10 those
other modes of taxation provided for in the Consll,u
ton. lie objected 10 the mode OF sustaining this Ia
riff law, by nconclusive calculations made of the pro-
ceeds Of The revenue by single month quarter; be-
~
that the revenue would be forty millions for the year
although the whole, it mi ght fall short of onethrd
Of that amount.
MIR EVANS observed, that he made no calculations
on month receipts had he estimated that the re-
venue would be forty millions What he had SAID was,
that there was prospect II would be from twenty-five
to twen,v-three millions this year.
MIR. WOODBURY. remarked that the Senator had
referred TO the receipts Of New York; and he, (lr
WI was going on to say that taking single month S
No Nny- (,o;n and tbrpa oua
ters und supposng he other ports as much, would
be three and half millions for The month, or, over
forty Millions at that rate, for the year; showing that
such calculations, whether for months or quarters were
exceedingly inconcluslve. But The Senator had SAID
that high duties always produced an increase OF revenue
and decrease of prices Now, duties IN 1875, were only
Ia per cent yet the revenue was thlry-sx millions;
he would presently show that when Inc tariffs OF
lS24 and ISIS were LAID the revenue instead oil IN
creusing diminished. In 1877, the revenue was TWEEN
tv-siy and a quarter Millions rs the act of 1916, had
added ~ per cent to duties causing reduction OF ten
millions Of la ISIS, the revenue was further
reduced nine millions In 1872 it was twenty and a
quarter millions 1870, only fifteen millions and 10
1871 thirteen millions Yet are told the revenue
always rnsa with the increase OF duties. Then came
the net of 1924 increasing dues and the act OF lo2o,
afterwards also increasing them but not as high as
they were in lcl1.
Mr.. W. quoted variety Of tables 10 show that re
fell off in consequence oil each addition oil duty
ana accounted lOf ltfeHus oH ethti nA"
different grounds than those Of high duties showing
that The treasury filed, by them, but from 9TH
er causes, and in spite of high duties.
Mr. W next showed, from the statistical tables tlat
of the population Of the United States, only one
elev enth was engaged in manufactures, or became
beneicares of the protective system while ten-ee
yenths had pay the bounty imposed by the protective
olicy of the one -venth Now,
he asked would this be tolerated one moment, only Tor
The dcusons with which the system was yeled from
the comprehen Of the mass OF The people: IL was
held out them that they were made better aoe 10 pay
these duties by the increased prosperity which the pro-
tectye system gave 10 the country III nothin9 OUT me
plain simple truth told to them and particularly TO
the armers-that by the imposition OF these duties oil
1912 they had pay 40 per cent more Tor what they
| huy and sell the produce of their farms SO much
less, than if no duty existed, the protective system
| would not be tolerated single day. The Senator
former assertion, that high duties always reduced
prices lie seemed TO admit that there were cases III
which such might not be the fact But it was strange
that he did not how inconsistent It was to man,
tain contrary to the experience oil the world ana All
the doctrines of political economy tina, duty instead
of increasing prices, diminished them tor, II such
were the nct, why would the manufacturers be SO
an xious for high dntes or why would there even pe
necessity TO ask Congress for drawbacks No max
ter what the theory mig be, the iac's were papa
.ha, il was because the importation of foreign goods
int, our market lowered the profits of cur own manu-
facturers that they sough, protection by the poso
of proh,bory or protective duties Ii such were mol
the fact, what would they have to object to- but the TEN
porary GIN, in the market md that they could aVoo
by restraining their supply and making only equal
to the demand, including their own goods and those
imported Their opposition 10 imported goods was on
that very ground that their prices would be reduced
and because they want 10 keep up the prices, no" 10
reduce the m as the Senator from Maine contends, they
have ,mporuncd Congress 10 carry out The protective
system hy the position Of the excessive drtes o' W
set of 1912. ..:,;o, oe IN.
The Senator had contended that the imposition OF ou
ties had always lowered prices 1t might 50 happen
that at the tine duties laid prices were iai'ns
from other causes and the prices OF many af'ces WIZ
in the last quarter OF century had ialieh 81 apu
and so much that it evident the great oec"e nus
| he owino to other, and much more extensive causes
than could be produced by mere act Of iessi.non
Look at the reduction in the prices OIL
cotton goods, since Waits improved ana apPieu s'ean
mower 10 the useful arts, and since the
in machinery made by Arkwrght The vast 'ac''''ipS
thus afforded of producing, by the art OIL haGne'
what used to be produced by manual ab1r' haa c'pse"
The reduction of prices in America, as WEI Us '" nns
land and all over the world YET II prices "elt laP.,y
canning down from such causes was u not mann.
absurd to atelbue the decl ne to taf'' ae'' " '9 y
| which that downward course continued, - :,
Mr. W referred to the writings oil Aua,' o""' iT
CnIloch Huskisson, &C. to show tia II was wei
established principle in political economy thnl me ~
| d,,;as enhanced lie hiso duo'cH