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

Bib. Secretary Of the Treasury. But the table
above win suffice for the purpose of illustrating the
injustice and oppression of specific duties AZ
before remarked, the table exhibts-lst, the articles
taxed; 3D. tho specific duty per square yard, pound,
bushsl, or gallon; Sd, the same duty reduced to
average ad valorem the quantities Of the arucies
a. made up at the Treasury Department 4th' the
duties, according to the ad-valorem standard seua'-
" paid by the merchants under the form Of the spe-
ciic duties mentioned in the second column.
Il would seem that specific duty which would
be equal to 30 per cent would be enough, in all con-
science, to satisfy the manufacturers ron-masters,
sugar-planters, and Stockholders to raise revenue
for the government But instead of that reasonable
amount, on some of the articles aforementioned
the duty ranges from 80 to over 800 per cent ad va
loren.
On aannels, for instance, the merchant, when he
enters them at the custom-house, pays IA cents per
square yard Some of those fannels cost in Eng
land but Ia cents 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 fannes. The best and most
costly aannels 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 81 cents per
pound on ssad irons"-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 30 to $50 per cent. reduced to
the ad-valorcm standard.
The tariff imposes upon brown sugar specific
duty of 81 cents per pound. Brown sugar costs in
Cuba from less than TO about 3 cents pound The
duty of q cents therefore reduced to ad vaore, is
either little more or 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-va-
loren standard.
The same astounding results are exhibited by the
table, in relation to molasscs, salt, and numerous
other things which are among the prime necessares
Of life.
The specific duty does not, like the minimum,
state positive falsehood, by assuming that an ar
tice which costs but cents, for the purpose Of i'm
posing the tax, costs 20 cents. But what makes it
ssnoxous, is, that the consumer cannot kno,o hesc
much duty he pays upon the article on Thich Is laid
in proportion to its value, because he has not the
means of knowing how much the article cost in the
country whence it was imported. Like the mini
mum, the specific duty deceives him, and exacts
from him an amount of tax on the article which he
buys, altogether disproportonate to its cost, and
exact amount. Like the minimum, it is cheating
device, resorted to in order to accomplish the pur
poses of protective tariff.
On account of this fraudulent and deceptive char
acter Of the specific duty it should no longer dis
grace the revenue system ola free people, who have
a right to know precisely what they pay for thegov-
eminent which they have instituted for their own
benefit and protection; and also what they have to
pay to the large capitalists engaged in the manufac-
ture Of cotton, woollen, iron, sugar, salt, &C., &c
shall now proceed TO show that the present tariff
discriminaes intaUor Of the manufacturer, against the
producer of The MATERIAL ioho is the agricul,uis
In the first place. it admits, duty free, or with very
light dutes large class of articles used in manufac
tures while il imposes very heavy duties on all Art
cles consumed by the agriculturist, which come in
competition with the articles produced by the man
ufacturer
II admits all berries, nuts, and vegetables; and in
dying, all dye-woods in the stick, barilla, Brazil
wood, kelp, lac dye, madden, madder-root crude salt
petre shellac, sumac, turmerc, and numerous other
articles entering into manufactures, duty free In
digo 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,
admitted without any or with very slight Duties
in order to benefit or protect" the manufacturer.
While we have seen that the agriculturists, and
others who purchase them, taxed all articles
tic articles of the same kind, from 80 to 800 per
cent.
To benefit the manufacturer, the low-priced wool
the only wool which comes-in competition with
that raised by the American wool-grower--s ad-
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, fax is admitted at a
specific duty Of $40 per ton, which is equal to per
cent ad valorem; while the consumer is taxed 25
per cent. on all articles into which it is manufac-
tured.
Raw hides, which come in competition with the
farmer, are admitted at the trifilng duty OF per
cent. ad vaorem; while the sole leather, into which
they are manufactured, pays specific duty Of
cents per pound-equal to an ad-valorcm duty, ac-
cording to the Treasury returns, of So per cent.
Brstles pay specific duty Of per cent, equal
to per cent ad valorem; while the brushes, into
which they are manufactured, pay 80 per cent.
Linseed pays duty Of only 5 per cent; while
linseed oil, into which it is manufactured, pays IS
cents per galon-equal to l3 per cent. ad valorem.
Rags pay specific duty Of Of a cent per pound
equal to per cent. ad valorem; 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 conclusvely to the most unprejudiced mind,
that the main object of the present tariff is to pamper
and enrich the manufacturers at the expense of all
other classes of the community. But to stamp this
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