Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1844-12-27
THE ENQUIRER.
Richmond, December ~.
THE TARIFF.

a sound and conciliaory and gradual scheme for
adjusting the tariff. We shall comply with our
engagement early next week. Mean time We
prefer to bring forward some elementary princi-
piles calculated to show the impolicy and injus-
lice of high protective tariff We shall draw
these illustrations from foreign as well as do
mestic source They will strengthen the positions
which we lately brought forward from McCul-
loch
We have before us 'the report Of the Select
Committee of the House of Commons on Import
Duties, with the principal Evidence" submitted
by The English Board of Trade, in 1910. We
submit some extracts from the large volume Of
Evidence before us, as published by the House OF
Commons. We leave the commentaries to the
sagacity Of our readers
The following is a part OF the report OF The
Committee:
"Your Committee cannot refrain from impress
sing strongly on the attention OF The House
that the effect Of prohbtory duties, while they
are Of course wholly unproductive 10 The revenue
is 10 impose an indirect tax on The consumer Of
ten equal TO the whole difference off price between
the British article and the foreign article which
the prohibition excludes This fact has been
strongly and emphatically urged on your Com
mitlee by several witnesses; and The enormous
extent OF taxation 90 levied cannot iail 10 awaken
The attention of the House. On the articles oil
food alone, il is averred, according to the tesimo-
ny laid before the Committee, that The ainoun,
taken from the consumer exceeds the amount Oh
all the other taxes which are levied by the Go
yernment And the witnesses concur in The oPin-
ion that the sacrifices of the community are not
confined 10 the loss of revenue, but that they are
accompanied BY injurious effects upon wages
and capital; they diminish greatly The produc-
tive powers Of the country, and limit our active
trading relations.
Somewhat similar is the action OF high and
protective duties. These impose upon me Gus
toner a tax equal 10 the amount o! The duties lc-
We'd upon the foreign article, whilst il also IN
creases the price Of all the competing home pro
duced articles 10 the same amount as The duty
but that increased price goes, not 10 The lreasi-
rs, but to the protected manufacturer IL - Cd
vious that high protective duties check lmporta-
ton, and consequently are unprodnclive 10 the
revenue; and experience shows that the profit TO
the trader, the benefit to the consumer, and the
fiscal Interests Of the country, arc all sacrificed
when heavy import duties impede The interchange
Of commodities with other nations
The following is an extract from the teslimo-
nv OF Mr.. McGresor, a witness before the Com
mi,tee who was sent by the Board OF Trade 10
the Continent for information:
aJIr. ViAier Is il net The fact that the duties
levied upon the Prussian Tariff have not been
levied quite as we expected
under the Prussian Tariff the belief general
" was, that the new Tariff had been adopted, Tor
the first time, BY the whole population OF The
Union, amounting to about 21,00O,00O OF people
but previously 10 the Germanic Union. with re-
gard To the customs, there had been for long
time in Prussia higher Tariff OF duties upon
woollen cloths, ard some other articles, than The
existing Tariff And in other States. As in Ba-
varia, with population of nearly 5000, 600, and
Wunemburg with population OF l,1o00oI
Hesse Electorate with population OF 100 ,Ooo
and the Dulchy of HeSse, with population OF
100000, all these, with Prussia, having popula-
ton OF %, 100 000 had duties nearly as high, ard
in some instances higher, than The existing Iarli.
In the other States, having in all the remaining
population of 100000, the duties were less than
at present; in the Dnichy of Baden and Nassau
much less and in The free town ot Frankfort there
were no duties except Town dues. In Saxony, with
population OF more than million and hall,
the import duties were very trifinS; and Il IS
valuable fact in commercial legislation. that III
Saxony, country By no means naturally rich,
vet there without any protection whatever, mani-
features Of every description have thIiren more
than in any other part of the Continent OF Europe.
"Chairman. You mean to say .ha, Sa1ony, OF
all the German States now in the Union had a
lower rate of import duty on manufactured artl-
Giles than any other, and that its manufactures
nourshed better!
"Saxony alone had mere nominal duty. no
protective duty whatever; and yet the wcollen
manufacture, cotton manufacture, and linen ma
nulacture, had arrived in Saxony al degree OF
perfection unknown in any other part oil the
Continent of Europe.
"Chairmam. Can you explain why Saxony,
without protection TO her manufactures, was al
the time of the Union in better state than any
olher2
"The reason given to me- both in SaSony and
Switzerland, was simply this, and the same rea-
sons were given to me in Bohemia: the Saxon
and Swiss manufacturers stated5 not only them
selves but others that metwith in those countries,
that they considered all manufactures which were
established, or had grown up BY protection, were
generally in an unsound state, inasmuch as they
were supported BY fictitious protection. which
placed them out of the natural position which
ihey would have taken if they had commenced as
they did in Switzerland, merely BY producing az
chcaply as they could by industry and by an eco
nonical system Of living. The Swiss and The
Saaons both went upon the principle, that If we
can manufacture without any protection, we can
then send our commodities, as we have done, to
other markets in the world and Saxony has al
all times been enabled in spite OF the prohlbltory
system Of Austria, 10 send her surplus nanulac,
lures into Bohemia, and from Bohemia they find
their way into Hungary, TO Vienna, and TO the
Italian States.
"You have mentioned Switzerland as a country
that has acted On the principle of Saxonv: were
there any protective duties in Switzerland!
"None whatever.
aWhat has been the effect Of that on the ma
nufac,ures of Switzerland: what has been their
state under that system
"'The manufactures of Switzerland can only be
said to be established since the peace OF 1915 the
country during The French war, and previously,
had been so disturbed, that il was impossible TO
establish any manufactures except mere coarse
spinning and weaving, within the houses of the
peasantrv: they never turned their minds TO ma
nufacturing upon an extensive scale till after the
year 1914 they never had any protection, bnt they
went upon the system, which they perfectly I'M
derstood, that il they could not manufacture
cheaply and sen cheaply, they could never export
their manufactures.
"Do YOU think il is an honest policy towards the
laboring people ofthis country 10 allow their en-
ployment TO be taken from them and sent 10 To-
reign counriesl
GYou cannot prevent it.
"WiIl you explain why you think il is not pos
sible 10 prevent it?
"IOu cannot prevent Tie uetHdHu ioi snC hu"
of the artisan Of this country being transferred 10
another country, by any possible duty or resiric,
lion which you can place upon the admission Of
those articles coming into this country for con-
sumption; you cannot prevent foreign countries
from sending their productions 10 such other TO-
reign countries as will take their productions from
them. and especially when the condition OF those
manufacturers has become so fiourishing as to
cause apprehension as 10 the admission OF those
goods into this country for consumption; it is i'm
possible for us to prevent other nations going. 10
purchase those manufactures at cheaper price
than they can get ours for; in the next place, we
cannot prevent our manufacturers losing their
employment by any prohihitory or protective
duty, because, whatever that duty may be, il it
tends to keep up the price of manufactures in
this country, it is at the expense OF every person
who consumes the manufactures produced; con-
sequently, that being tax upon the general rich
es Of the country, you will limit the quantity that
will be consumed. If am not able to wear two
,f,< 1;,,a.f