The Somerset herald and farmers' and mechanics' register. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 183?-1852, 1845-12-30

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boud of peace with foreign nations, con
situting a stronger preventive -oi wa
nan armies OF nayies. forts or aTJnaments.
At present prices, our cotton crop VIII
Weld an annual ProdTct Of 's32,5oo'VOo'
and ire manufactured fabric S504,CG0'9Go.
furnishing profits abroad to thousands ol
capitalists, and wages to hundreds OF thou
sands of TIE working classes-all oi
vhorn would be deeply injured by any
disturbance, growing ont of state OF war,
70 the direct and adequate supply to raw
material. ff our manufactures consume
400 eco bales, il would cost them Si2,-
600. .0Oe, whilst selling the manufactured
fabric for SSi,O00,000; and they should
be the last TO unite in imposing heavy
saxes upon that interest which supplies
them with the raw material out OF which
1hey realize such immense profits Ac-
companving the drawback of the duty ON
ro,ten-barging should be the repeal of the
duty on foreign cotton, which is inopera-
ave and delusiye, and not desired by the
domestic produce
The condition OF our foreign relations,
Il is said, should suspend the reduction OF
ahe tariff. No American patriot can de-
sire 10 arrest cur onward career in peace
and prosperity; but if unhappily, such
should be the result, il would create an
increased necessity for reducing CIR pre-
sent hgh dates, liz order 10 obtain suffi-
cient revenue 10 meet increased expendl-
cures. The duties for the quarter, end
the 30th September, 1874, yielded So
oil 1856 90 mere OF revenue than the
quarter ending Both September, 1875
showing a very considerable decline Of
the revenue, growing ont of q diminished
importation Of the higliy-prctected arti-
cles and progressive substitution OF their
domestic rivals. Indeed, many of these
duties are becoming dead letters, except
for prohibition, and, if not reduced,
will ultimately compel fheir advocates to
resort to direct taxation to support the 60
Vernmen. In the event Of war, nearly
al the hiyh duties would become prohiBi-
torv, from the increased risk and cost of
amGcrtations; and il there be, indeed, in
.,ae opinion of any, a serious danger of
such an occurrence, II appeals most stron-
.gly TO their patriotism TO impose the low
est revenue duties on all articles, as the
only means Of securing, al such ! period,
any considerable income from the tariff.
The Secretary here recommends that
she rate of duty on luxuries be fixed at the
highest revenue standard. He alleges
that the protective system does not IN
crease the wages of labor-that the sys-
ten is to augment fhe profit Of capital. and
not the WAGES Of labor-and that the re-
suk OF the system must be, in a series of
years, as the power Of manufacturing ca
p1al is augmented from time to time, to
bring the wages of labor under It's control,
and ultimately to reduce those wages, so
as TO increase the poft of capital. The
report continues:
Mnimums are fictitious value, assn;
med by law, instead OF the real value; and
operation Of Ill minimums may be Illus
7rated by single example Thus by the
tariff Of 1912, duty of 30 per cent. ad-
valorcm is elcyied on ali manufactures Of
cotton; but the law further provides that
Gotten goods ';not dyed. colored, printed,
or stained, not exceeding IN value twenly
cents per square yard, shall be valued al
twenty cents per square yard" If, then,
the real value of the cheapest cotton
goods is bat four cents a square ward, it is
placed By the Law at the false value of
twenty cents per square yard, and the du-
dy levied on the fictitious value raising
1t FIVE times higher on the cheap article
consumed by the peor, than upon the fine
article purchased by the more wealthy
Indeed, the House document No. 306, of
She Isl session ef the 2Sth Congress, this
difference, by actual iEAPortation, was Go
per cent. between the cheaper and the f.
psr articles of the 20 per cent. minimum,
l3l per cent on the 30 per cent. mini
mum, on the 60 per cent minimum, and |
81 per cent. on the rs per cent. minimum. |
This difference is founded on actual I'M |
portaton, and shows an average discrimi- |
nstieR against the poor on cotton imports |
of So per cent beyond what the tax
would be if assessed Gpop the actual val
ne. The operation Of the specific duty |
presents a similar discrimination against |
the poor and in favor Of the rich. Thus, |
alpon salt, the duty Is not upon the value,
but eight cents bushel, whether the arti- |
Gle be coarse or Gne-showing, by the
same document, from actual importation, |
a discrimination of 81 per cent. against
the cheap, and in favor OF the finer arti-
scle: and this, TO greater. or less extent, is
the effect Of all specific duties. When
we consider that S2,S92,92 II of the
revenue last year was collected by mimi
mum duties, and Sl3,31l ,G65 46 by spe.
cific duties, discrimination against the
cheaper article must amount, by estimates
founded on the same document, 10 tax
sOf $5.1 10S. .422. cxaoled bv minir1uuss 3s.d