New-York daily tribune., 1844-08-02
u Serious Blundel..

We have already stated that h;r BIB, our
80 much Of ;he present Tariff as imposes duty
Of sixty cents per gailon on Madeira and other
Vines Is ro;d, being opposed 10 general stipu.
iation in our Treaty with Portugal that the pro.
ducts of that country shall be admitted into cur
own on as favorable terms Us those OF any other
nation. Now the cheap, poor wines OF France,
Austria, &c. are admitted at seven and hall
cents per gallon, whercupon Mr. Bib decides
that 10 higher duty can be imposed On Madeira
worth SIX times as much per gallon and 60 all
The excess OF duties hitherto paid since August,
Io42, is to be paid back 10 the importers, (who
have sold those very wines at prices based on the
high duty taking 100000 out Of the Treasury
and puttingit into thcir pockets gratuitously.-
The Boston Duly Advertiser thus exposes this
most unrighteous decision:
MADEIRA AND PoRT WIyEs.-A correspondent
has called our attention 10 tie late Circular OF the
Secretary OF The Treasury in which he directs that
MADEIRA vine Imported from Portugal and lis pos
sessions shall be admitted 10 entry payment oi
duty of cents il in casks and ID cents il IN bottles,
and Port wine from the same countries at cents if
II
;ircular the Secretary directs that in in which
higher duties than those have been paid on MADEIRA
and Port wines from the domnions Of Portugal
since the Tariff Of 1912 went into operation, they
shall be refunded.
We incline TO the opinion, that the Secretary in
this decision has mada pretty gross mistake, which
will cost the United States some hundreds OF thou
sands Of dollars. This mistake is no nor less
,han supposiDg that Madeira wine and Por. wine
are like articles" TO the white and red wines OF
France, Austria, Prussia. and Sardinia" Every
one who has tasted the articles knows that they are
hardly more like 10 another, than either is like
TO hard cider, than brosdclo!h is like flannel,
Cashmere shawl is like bedbenket. They are
unlike II IN name, IN character and III price. They
are so unlike in their sensible properes that they
can hardly be mistaken for another. The cost
of Madeira wine impaired from Portugal and Ma
deira we find on turning al random 10 one oflhe an
nual reports OF Commerce and Navigation, averages
81 II per gallon and the average Of white wine
was in The same year ron Austria ~ cents per gall
lon, Italy IL cents, Spain % cents, and France -
cents. From Prussia none imported. There
i similar difference In the cost Of the Port wine OF
Portugal, and the red wines of France and SPAIN
From the other countries above named, no red wine
is imported.
The difference between the cost of the different
descriptions OF wine, indicate sufficiently the ground
Of the different rates Of duty established by The Ia
rid Of 1872, well as in all preceding Tariffs. On
this principle, Madeira, as the valuable wine,
has always been charged at higher rate OF duty
than the Lisbon of Portugal, Us well as higher
rate than the white wines ofo,her countries. Sher-
~. tor the reason, is charged with big her du
ty than other wines OF Spain: Burgundy higher
duty than the red wines of Marseiiles; Bordeaux,
aId Sicily Madeira, higher duty than other Sicily
wines. Madeira wine Is classed Tor purposes OF du-
~ not with other wines "of like kind for there
such, but with those Of Ike cost; and
Port, with the red wines OF Spain but with the
burgundy Of France which is nearer 10 il in cost
and value. Thus we find that by the Tariff Of 1916
the rates Of duty were, on oladeiru, Burgun |
Champagne, Rhenish and Tokay, one dollar per
gallon on Sherry and ST. Lucer, 90 cents on Lis
bon, Oporro, and other wines OF Portugal, and those
OF Sicily, so cents; on Tenerifie Faya, and other
wines ofIhe Western Islands, 40 cents; and on all
other wines, when imported otherwise than n cases
and in bottles, > cents per gallon.
This classification, well as that observed in |
the existing Tariff and in all other Tariff laws,
is entirely inconsistent with the idea that these
IN the highest class and those inthe lowest |
are 10 be regarded as like articles. They are in |
fact unlike, and have been always regarded
in our Legislation Us unlike. The Tariffs vary ma /
terally, but they all make marked distinction be-
tween Madeira and PORT Wines, and other Wines. |
How then can the Secretary OF The Treasury, by an
Instruction To the Collectors, repeal the Guty I'M
posed by law the highest class, by rating II with
The lowest, when The iwo cannot b- conounded, as /
bearing any ether resemblance than exists between |
all wines !! We fear, in,imgted IN the outset I
OF these remarks, that the Secretary has made a |
great mistake, in deciding refund to the importers
Of these two classes OF costly wines, seven eightbs
OF the duty which they have paid according TO law.