The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-10-22

quadrupled from that and the late report OF Mr..
Bib, Secretary of The Treasury. But the table
above will suffice for the purpose Of illustrating The
injustice and oppression of specific duties. AS
before remarked, the table exhbitsls, the artices
taxed; 3D. the specific duty per square yard, pound
bushel, or gallon; 3D., the same duty reduced 70
average ad valorem on the quantities of the articles
as made up at the Treasury Department; 4th, the
duties, according to the ad-valorem standard, actual
" paid by the merchants under the form OF the spe
ciic duties mentioned in the second column
II would seem that specific duty which would
be equal to 30 per cent would be enough in alt con-
science, to satisfy the manufacturers, iron-masters
planters and salt-boiers to raise revenue
for the government But instead Of that reasonable
amount, on some Of the articles aforementioned
the duty ranges from 30 to 800 per cent ad va
loren.
On fannes, for instance the merchant, when he
enters them at the cus,om-house, pays IA cents per
square yard. Some Of those Aannels cost IN Eng
land but Ia ceEts per square yard. Consequently,
the merchant has to pay 100 per cent duty, all Of
which comes out of the person who wears them
the mddling classes and the poor--for they are the
| ones who wear cheap fannels The best and most
costly fannes pay but just IA cents per square yard,
and some of them come in at duty even as low as
40 per cent.
The tariff imposes specific duty of p cents per
pound on "sad ironsr--irons used by poor washer
women for smoothing clothes; and under that duty
the importer is obliged to pay on that useful article
duty ranging from 80 to $50 per cent reduced to
| the ad-ya)orem standard.
The tariff imposes upon brown sugar specific
duty of 81 cents per pound Brown sugar costs in
Cuba from less than 2 to about cents pound. The
duty Of cents therefore reduced to ad valorem Is
either little more or a little less than 100 per cent.
The payment Of duty on actual importations ranges
from 65 to 100 per cent when reduced to the ad-ya-
lorem standard.
The same astounding results are exhibited by the
table, in relation to molasses, salt, and numerous
other things which are among the prime necessaries
of life.
The specific duty does, not, like the minimum,
state positive falsehood, by assuming that an ar
ticls which costs but cents for the purpose Of m-
posing the tax, costs 90 cents. But what makes it
obnoxious, is, that The consumer ainnoi kaoo ho,o
much duty he pays upon tn article on ,chieh is laid,
in proportion 10 ,ls value, because he has not the
mems of knowing how much the article cost in the
country whence it was imported. Like the mimi
mum, the specific duty deceives him, and exacts
from him an anount of tax on the article which he
buys, altogether disproportonate to its cost, and
which he would never consent to pay if he knew its
exact amount. Like the minimum, it is a cheating
device, resorted to in order to accomplish the pur-
poses ola protective tariff
On account of this fraudulent and deceptive char
Acer Of the specific duty, it should no longer dis
grace the revenue system ola free people, who have
rghlto know precisely what they pay for the gov
eminent which they have instituted for their OWE
benefit and protection; and also what they have to
pay the large capitalists engaged in the manufac-
ture Of cotton, wooen, iron, sugar, salt, &c, &c
l shall now proceed to show that the present tariff
discrmnates in apor Of the manufacturer, against the
producer Of the ra,o material, ,oho is the agrculrisi
In the first place, it admits, duty free, with very
light duties large class of articles used in manufac
lures; while il imposes very heavy duties on all arti-
ces consumed by the ngricuturist, which come in
competition with the articles produced by the man
ufacturer.
1t admits all berries, nuts, and vegetables; and in
dying all dye-woods in the stick, barilla, Brazil
wood kelp, lac dye madden, madderroot crude salt
petre, shellac, sumnc, turmerc, and numerous other
articles entering into manufactures, duty free In
dgo pays specific duty of cents per pound,
which is equal only to an ad-valorem duty per
cent. And bleaching powder pays duty of cent
per pound
The articles above enumerated, and many others,
are admitted without any or with very slight duties,
in order to benefit or "proiect" the manufacturer.
While we have seen that the agriculturists, and
others who purchase them, taxed on all articles
| Of manufacture coming in competition with domes-
tic articles of the same kind, from 80 to 300 per
cent.
To benefit the manufacturer, the low-prced wool
the only wool which comes in competition with
that raised by the American woolgrower--is adj
mitted at per cent ad valorem. While the FARM
er, who raises wool, has to pay for the cloth into
which it is manufactured, 40 per cent.
| To benefit the manufacturer, flax is admitted at a
specific duty of $40 per ton, which is equal to per
cent ad valorem; while the consumer is taxed Is
per cent on all articles into which it is manufac-
tured.
| Raw hides which come in competition with the
farmer, are admitted at the trfng duty of per
cent ad valorem while the sole leather, into which
they are manufactured, pays specific duty of 6
cents per pound-equal to an ad-valorem duty, ac-
cording to the Treasury returns, of So per cent.
Brstles pay specific duty of l per cent, equal
to 3 per cent. ad valorem; while the brushes, into
which they are manufactured, pay 80 per cent
| Linseed pays duty of only 5Per cent; while
linseed oil, into which it is manufactured, pays Is
| cents per gaon-equa to 40 per cent al vaorem.
Rngs pay specific duty of of cent per pound
equal to 6 per cent. ad vaorem; while the paper
into which they are manufactured pays from cents
to II cents specifc--equal to an ad-valorem duty
ranging from l6 to 81 per cent.
These examples would seem TO be sufficient to
prove coBclusvely to the most unprejudiced mind,
IL IL ,Gt tariff