Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1844-04-27


Ways and Means are wholly unintellpible
to me-precisey the same measure is bro.
posed at one time TO reduce, and at another
time to increase, the revenue; whether
there be too much or too little revenue,
the same remedy is recommended, a "re.
duction Of the tarif--down with the tariff"
So these political doctors have, il seems,
the same remedy for all diseases. In 1882,
when we had a surplus revenue of up
wards of Sl7,OOOOOO, to relieve the treas.
ury, Mr.. McDuffie, then chairman of the
Ways and Means, reported just such bill
as this reducing duties, and it was then sup
ported by the present chair (Mr. MCKAY,
of n. C) as a measure calculated to re-
duce the revenue. Now that honorable
gentleman reports similar bill reducing
the duties for the contrary purpose, the
increase OF the revenue; how the same
measure is to have opposite effects at diff
ferent times, | am at loss to discover,
perhaps the honorable chairman can ex.
plain il. This bill proposes to reduce the
duties TO about what they were in ls4O
and Al, when the revenue from imports
was about fourteen millions of dollars.
Now, under the present law, uhc act of '42)
the revenue would probably be about dou.
Die that amount, yet the Committee Of
ways and Means propose 10 repeal the act
of AZ, and reduce the duties 10 about
what they were in 1910 and al for the
avowed purpose of increasing the revenue.
This surely requires explanation; | cannot
understand it, nor do see how any body
else can. But how, ask, is a general re-
duction Of duties to increase the revcnue7
Clearly this could only be done tv a cor
responding increase of imports If you
reduce your duties one-half, you must GER
tainly double your imports to get the same
amount of revenue. The Secretary OF
the Treasury says we will have twenty
millions of revenue under the existing law.
and he wants five millions more, and the
Committee of Ways and Means to accom-
plish this object, instead of increasing the
duties one-tourth, reduce them one-fourth;
clearly then they must increase imports
one-haIf. Our imports have averaged for
some years past about one hundred mil
lions; on this, with the present tariff, the
Secretary says we will this year have
twenty millions of revenue; reduce it one
fourth and we will have but fifteen. To
make up this loss, we must import twenty
five millions more goods; and 10 add five
millions, the required amount TO the reve.
nue., we must import twenty-five millions
additional, making an increased importa-
ton of fifty millions, 10 get five millions of
revenue which is not wanted, and would
never be acquired by this measure if ii
were.
Effects on Farmers and Mechanics.
But our present amount of foreign i'm
ports, viz, one hundred millions, is sufficien,
| TO supply the demand; how then are YOU to
make room for fifty millions more! this
can only DE done by destroying fifty mil
lions of dollars of our own domestic pro-
ductions, 10 make way for that amount of
the productions Of foreign industry. We
must, according to this financial scheme
not only destroy fifty millions of dollars
worth annually of our productive industry
but we must send fifty millions of dollars OF
hard cash TO foreign countries. TO purchase
what we now do produce, can produce, and
ought TO produce at home; and for what
TO raise five millions of revenue by taxa
ton, which is not wanted! Now, sir, sub
NIT, is this wise, is it an American policy
Is it not rather a British policy,a plan &c
reduce the duties and open our ports to the
importation Of British goods, to the sacri
flee and destruction Of our own mechanics
farmers, and manufacturers! Yes, sir, and
this is to be done by an American Congress
and by the representatives of the American
people! Can such an anti American-sucl
a British system as this, stand for a mo-
ment before this free and enlightened pco.
! pie! Pass this bill sir take five dollars of
bar iron, and still more off iron in all it.
other forms, and sir, you will go far to ex
tinguish the fires Of every furnace and o.
every forge in Pennsylvania. BY this bill
you will strike down your own mechanics
your hatters, your shoemakers, your black
smiths, your taiors, your saddlers; il
short all your mechanics; you will paralyzt
and PROSTATE your glass works, paper mills
tanneries, salt works, collieries. lead mines
your woollen and cotton factories; bu
above ALL you aim a death blow at tht
American farmers, not only by destroyin!
their home markets, almost the only mark
cts they now have, but what is still worse
you will convert the mechanics and manu-
facturers thus thrown out of employment
into agriculturists, into producers instea,
Of consumers of agricultural productions
When you double production and dimi
nish consumption one-half do you not ruil
and destroy the farmers of this country
And, sir, allow me to say, that in countr,
like this, where seven-eights of the entir
population is engaged in agriculture, whel
agriculture is destroyed, the country itsel
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