The Arkansas banner., 1845-11-12

present condition ot our country, the gener- al.gorernment ough, mot to exact of the peo- pie, for It's ordinary expenditures, more than S20,000,000 at the outside. It should not exact so much. Extraordinary eircumstan- ces-such, for instance. as have grown out 1 of the annexation of Texas-mav increase its expenditures, and compelitto exact more. But, whatever the amount may be, 1t must 1 (with the exception of the revenue accru- ing from the sales of the public land) be raised by duties upon foreign impor!ations- III other words, bg q tariff.
 How shall these duties be lev:eds The democratic party contends that they should be levied eof ly 1cH pjew 10 repenue, leGr- i4g protection ds aa dccidcatal consequence of C ferenae dttfy. The constitution per mits duties to be levied For no other purpose. t does not say that Congress shall have power '.to lay and collect taxes, duties, inl- posts, and exclses, to pay the debts and pro- vide for the common defence and general welfare of the United Slatcs,p and to protcct the mcatacttrcrs They arc 10 be laid and collected only for the benefit of the corpo- rate body of the United States, represented by their government.
 Now, it has been found, in the experience of nat.ons. that if duty be imposed upon an article too high in p .oporlion to it's value, il will have two-lold cdtct-viz: first, to eacca fhe importation of Me article; and. se- eondl.. 10 dgleat, CT efeatig 10 dtmiaish ids aa,opat of reUeHne to De derived from Ii, if the daty were lower l. is evident, there lore, that when the rate of duty $ % high as to prohibit its introduction into the eoun- try, or greatly 10 diminish il. it defeats the revenue, which, With more moderate dE- ", would be derived from it. t therefore ceases 10 be 2 revenue duty, and becomes prohihitive--in other words, ..pr6tcciirc"
 l. has also been found, in lhe experience of nations, that Here js q Hiaa of da'g a8Hjch miH aeiihef Treteat Ae iapoJiafion of ihe coalaodiy on 1cItich it fjs imposed, nor di- miaisb tbe recente 10 be defired from Us ja,- portaitoa This limit may be higher, or lower, according to the nature of the com modify on which t is imposed. If the com modity be of small bulk aud great value, il will not bear so high rate 5i duty us com modiae' of greater ulk and lesser value; particularly if the latter have become real or iancied necessary Of life. And the reason IS obvious; il too high duty is imposed up. en the commodity of small bulk and greai value, ilst stead oI being entered at the custom house, 1t will be smugelcd. and thus the go- Vernment will derive litle or nn revenue from 1t. might instance diamonds. as commodity from N hich, on account of their small bulk and great value, litte CT no reve- nue would be derived, if too high duty were imposed upon them.
 On the contrary, iron, sugar, and salt, three of the prime neeessaries of life, and their great bulk in proportion to their value rend- ering it almost an mpossbility to ssanggle them, will bear comparatively much high CT duty. But duty may he imposed upon those articles so high as to even prohibit their importation. The duty notwilhstand- ing the idle and abeurd assertions of certain shabby theorists of the ''proteciive" school, increasing the price, (if t be very sensib.y ncreased,) the less will be tie quantity con sumed, and, of course, the less will be the quantity ly.imporled. The quantity imported may be sensibly diminished, before the reYe- nue derived from 1t decreases in amount But the moment the duty rises so high as to check the importation of the commodity, il becomes pro tdnto prohibitive, and conse- quently s.profeciiec."
 The purpose of inc democratic party is not to lay on any commodity duty so high as to defeat its purpose of raising the highest amount of revenue from Il which can he raised, without sensibly diminishing it's intro duction into the country; and this is reve- nue duty.
 On an article of common use, (not 10 call il necessaIy,) such as sugar or coffee, il would not impose duty so high as senslbly to diminish it's importation, and thus deprive ihe poorer classes of the people of the com fort of enjoying them-thus making those articles luxuries, to be enjoyed only by fhe rich, even if it would increase the amount of revenue to be derived from them. A revenue duty. therefore, should be limited by i've principles: first, it sdould not bc so high aa 10 efcat Me o3jcct of raising rereGae; secon- dly,a shoa7d moi De so high as seasibly 10 di- minish Me importation of The commodities on which .t is imposed. A departure from these two principles makes the duty prohibitiUe and proiectlue.
 On articles not of necessity, bat of luxury such as wines, distilled spirits, &c.-the duty may go up to its higest limit, short oi defeating the amount of revenue to be derived ltom it. ln relation to this subject, he moral question is the same, whether foreign spirits are introduced, or. by their exclusion, domes. tic manufacturers are encouraged to make spirils Foreign and domestic spirits art equally the enemies of,the temperance relor mef.
 Such Jas above explaind) are the principles on which retenue iorig should be con structed. They will admit of duty on most commodities as high as 20 per cent. on some as high as 90 per cent; and even higher, may be imposed. But an average duty of 20 pc cent on the annual importation of one hun dred millions. will raise and ample revenue f for the use ofthe government. By average de not mean horizontal duty. The ide; of horizontal tarif-a tariff imposing tft f same rate of duty on all arteles-is entertain ed by very few, if any, (at this perlod,) 0 i the democratic party.
 The theory of a profcciice fGr.g admits tli' same general principle of raising evenne D, imports, or duties on foreign imporlallons | which is recognised by revenue tariff. But in laying these duties, its next great aim ls t l protect the manufacturers of articles comin,