Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1844-03-29

,r,al ssole in an important section oil the On'on, y"
dd,ton 10 the extensive manufacturing establishments
connected with il in other sections, as TO have exced
the same desire, and perhaps led the committee INTO
error Suli, independent of the compromises OF opt
nion unavoidable in flaming bill, the object oil wheh
"a 10 lower the rates of duty, and to increase Tue
amount of revenue, the committee believe there are no
two Of the protected articles which VIII bear an equai
amount of duty without decrease IN revenue a.
sugar and iron. The committee have examined me
tables Of importations the rates OF duty uhuet "e
former Tariff laws, and the Information lhey nave pee
able TO colec, from the Importing merchants, WIN ali
,h. care and attention thew are capable OF oestowing
upon them, and have acted according 10 III 1T pest
judgments formed upon such Iniormaton'
n NAV be expected Of the committee that they VIII
mako an estimate OF the to be realized under
,he -.es nc duty lhcy propose to establish but they
feel themselves wholly incompetent 10 DO %, 10 any
useful purpose They have looked over some OF these
estimates made by their predecessors upon occasions
like the present. aad compared them with the facts sub
seoueny ascertaned from the practical operation OF the
laws in reference to which they were made Inc !;
have also examined estimates OF revenue mace oy
gacious and able and experienced Secretaries OF .he
HTreasury-and that not under new, out uncna"g'ng
esislaton-and compared hem with the revenue ac-
uaIlv realized and in both cases, they have found the
variations wde the diseppontments 30 great, and
directions various ana opposite, that any detaeo
estimate they could form, reference to The new rates
Of duty they PROPOSE would not with themselves, ha We
the least authority, and should no., with the House
pass for anything more than vague CONJECTURE Inc
imporlations since the esent law entHto operation
compared with the importatons OF several previous
years. satisfy the committee that is provisions must De
extensively prohbtory and the rates OF duty they pro
pose compared with the under former Tariff laws
and with the realized under those laws nave
produced the belief in their minds that the present
law, modified they recommend, VIII, even IN the
present state Of trade (now only gradually rising from
the most severe depression0 when it shall have had
time for fair action yield sufficient revenue, together
with that to be derived from the lands and m'sceane
Gus sources, 10 meet the ordinary expenses OF me
Government and gradually 10 extingnlsh The public
debt.
The prominent facts upon which the committee have
based their acton and formed the opinion last express
ed they placed 10 tabular FORM far as that was
susceptible Of beng done within moderately narrow
compass; aud those tables and statements they annex
10 this report.
1t NAV be believed-as indeed the fact may turn out
10 be-that the revival Of trade will be vigorous As
even under the existing law, to furnish the requisite
amount of for the present and The next nsca
year. other than for the ayment OF those portions OF
the principal of the national debt which Will become
payable within those years Information which nus
reached the committee they have had this subject
under consideration and which Is reaching them al the
present time, tends to this conclusion
IT. however, it shall be supposed that this more pro-
missing condition of the revenues, under the present
law supersedes the duty of notifications OF that law
the committee able TO draw no such inference from
the premises On the contrary, il The fact shall turn
TO be- that trade far force itself up, against
the excessive duties imposed by this law, as to supply
the treasury with revenue, 1t VIII the more suonsy
prove to them the mi justice OF the law and the I'M
perative character Of the duty of its prompt modhcu-
ton. The comparative import table annexed 10 TINS
report will illustrate the prohbitory character OF the
present duties much strongly than can be done
by words and for that reason alone the duties should
be reduced because is pabe that, upon many arti-
ces they above the revenue Standard and the re-
venue will be more than compensated for dminu,ion
of the rates. the increase Of trade end, consequently,
IN the amounts OF revenue from 1t.
Again: if it shall be contended that trade has la
gushed under these very high duties, unil the wants
Of the country will force impor.sons 10 the ORDINARY
and usual amount irrespective OF the duties this ar
gumen will 60 too far, and prove too much At wei
founded, it will prove that surplus oil revenue must
be the speedy and unayod abe consequence {" retan-
ing the present rates OF duty; add that MODIFICATION
of them is az mperous!y necessary, as it IS to avoid
repetition of The evils consequent upon excess oil
revenue-evis, as the recent experience OF the coun-
try proves, not surpassed By any other which unwse,
unjust and excessive legislation has visited upon an
enterprising people.
Indeed in this aspect Of the case every interest but
that Of manufactures must demand modification OF the
existing rates Of duty. Commerce must demand II;
that relieved from its too heavy letters, it may again
start into heahfu and steady and prosperous lite and
action. Agriculture must demand it; that, commerce
being again revived, it may find market for its sur
plus beyond the domestic consumption. And, IN the
deliberate judgment of the committee, manufactures
reduction Of these duties Many OF them conessedly
far higher Than any manufacturing interest demands;
while the duties which the committee propose to retain
upon the protected articles they believe abundant
" sufficient for any OF those already established IN the
country. That branch of manufacture which cannot
sustain itself against foreign competition under pro-
lection Of from to thirty dollars upon every
one hundred dollars value Of its production must be
very scky-ulnost sckly 10 authorize higher tax
alton upon industrious people 10 sustain It,
The committee proceed TO explain the tables ana
statements annexed. The first is n statement OF
the Register Of the Treasury, taken from Senate
document Number 10 Of the present ssss :"n, snow
ing the ports and exports nf the year enotng on 'e
Both September la A. made FROM returns received at the
Treasury, far such returns had been received Oh
the 18th Of January last when the document pears u1e
and from estimate of the Register, where the returns
for the last quarter Of the covered by the state
ment had not been received That the Register cons
sdered the statement substantially accurate, the
committee inf.rs from The language he uses ana they
suppose, therefore, that no very important returns
behind. This statement the committee marx
A, and it shows that the whole amount OF I'M
ports upon which duties chargenble for the year
ending the 3Oth day Of September last was but S4S
49, 934; Of winch 50 1868 440 in value was reexported
with drawback of the duties, leaving but S44, 40
494 10 pay duties TO the treasury The second table
(marked BIZ is comparative table of imports. The
first column shows the average importatons OF Inc
three years 1887, 1888, and 1889, the values are
given in the import tables prepared at The Treasury
following, as nearly us it has been possible the orde
of the bill, and the designation OF articles named IN II
The results placed in The first column Of figures ore
obtained by taking the value Of imports oil the article
named in the margin, fer each of the three years named
adding them together, and dividing the amount by
three thus obtaining the average imports for the three
years. The second column of figures composed IN the
same way, from the mportatons Of the three years
Is40 lS4l, end 1912 and shows the average import o
The article named for those hree years The third CO
iumn Of figures shows The actnI imports oil The sa'nt
articles for three-quarers of year commencing OF
the lst of October, 1912. and ending on the 3otL o
june 1913 The Of the imports of the fourth
quarter of that year had been received at the Irea
sury Department when this statement was called so
by the The OBJECT Of combining the call tc
late period, will be seen TO have been TO ee
The actual importaons under the present tariff law
The committee would have preferred the lmpotia
tons for one whole year, because the comparison
would then have been direct and simple But 1t WI
be recollecied, that the present law was approved or
the Goth of August, 1872 that the period between
that time and the 30h of Septen after, would be
included in The of n'porations of the quar-
Al