The northern galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1844-1848, 1844-07-03

revenue duties, he cOnSluereu PeIteS' 'nu un-
questionable. He did not admit the rghtlui
exercise of the power, beyond the revenue
limit, for any object; and within that Emit,
he admitted it for all objects, within the reach
OF legislative discretion.
II is the moderate. reasonable, revenue sys-
tenn alone, which can be stable. BASED upon
the wants of treasury. and wisely and justly
arranged, with reference TO all the great IN
terests of the country, there is no reason why,
in time of peace, such system should not be
stable; because the wants of that treasury
are not subject, at such periods, to material
changes. The incidental protection afforded,
by such system, to one interest, and the IN
cidental burden thrown upon another, would
form no just subject of complaint to eiIher.-
The tax would be necessary for the support
of the government, and all would concede the
Justice and wisdom Of so distributing the tax
alton, as to make it the least burdensome TO
all, as one entire whole. Not so when the
| tax is imposed for protection, and not for rev.
enue Then it is burden imposed upon one
interest. solely for the benefit of another; the
supply of the common treasury ceasing 10 be
the repulstor of the tax. Under such a sys-
fem. conteptment cannot be expected, or
even hoped for, and, under a government
resting upon the popular will, constant chang
rs. and extreme fluctuations, must and will
/ be lis fruit.
His examinations had satisfied him that a
range of duties from 25 to 33 per cent. were
| as high as most articles OF import would bear
/ consistently with the revenue principle
| There might be exceptions, and he thought
if there were, that iron and sugar were the
principal articles. These had, for a long
/ time, under our legislation, borne very heavy
duties, and continued to be largely imported
! and to be very prolific of revenue. Still he
thought the examinations he had made hat
conclusively shown that the rates of duty, I'M
der the present law, were too prohibltory up
on these important articles for revenue du
ties.
Loss OF APPROPRIATIONS. 1t is indeed ;
sorry business that American Manufacturer
should pocket 90 millions formerly paid Il
the laborers of Europe, and thus be enabled
to purchase the farmers produce at fair and
steady prices. Agriculture and manufacture:
are Siamese Twins. Death TO both will b.
! the consequence of disunion. Mr.. Virgil
would protect British labor and not our own
With these limitations kept constantly il
view, he was now prepared to enter upon al
examination of the present tariff law, in it
practical action upon the foreign commerc
Of the country, as shown by the custom-hous
returns made 10 the Treasury Department
and the tables Of commerce and navigation
for some years past. In the statements b.
proposed to make, and the results he had ar
rived at, he had depended mainly upon tn
documents he had found appended to re
port Of the Committee of Ways and Mean
of the iIo use of Representatives. made to tn
House on the 18th of March last.
The present tariff law was approved by tn,
President on the Both of August, 1912: 81
that the year above given is the first and onl,
one in which its practical operation upon th,
trade of the country can be tested by the re
turns.
A comparison of this years business witt
the total and dutiable importations of the 81,
previous years viii give general view Of th
diniuution Of our trade under this law. Tn
importaticns of those six years were as fol
lows: