Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-12-13

when the duties levied sufficient for the purposes
venue Mr. in favor Of adding other duties for the pu
pose OF protection al5t.faEA 6l.N a
Mr. STEWART was understood to say in reply that he
would attend to that question directly but did wish to be
interrupted He would proceed to read paragraph from
the message Of President Jackson by way Of refreshing gem
emens recollection what had been the opinions this
subject avowed by that distinguished Mr. s. consider
ed the passage he about TO quote containing Of
the ceare and strongest indications of the constitutional
power lay duties for the purpose OF protection that had
ever been put forth TO the world Here il is
"The power impose duties upon imports originally be-
longed to the several States The right adjust these duties
with view to the encouragement Of domestic branches OF In
dusy completely identical with that power that il is
difficult suppose the existence Of the without the other
The States have delegated their whole authority imports
to the General Government without limitation or restriction
saving the very uncomfortable reservation relating the in
specon laws This authority having thus entirely passed
from the States the right to exercise for the purpose
lection does not exist in hem and consequently II it be
by the General il must be extinct Our
political would thus the anomaly Of people
stripped OF the right foster their industry and to
teract the selfish and destructive policy which might be
adopted by foreign nations This surely cannot be the
be within the scope Of authority the subject expressly dele
gated TO Congress. In this conclusion confirmed, well
by the opinions Of Presidents Washington Jefferson Madison,
right under the Constitution as BY the uniform practice Of
Congress- the continued acquescence of the States and the
general understanding of the people acksons second IN
Yet Congress learn for the first time by Ex-
ecutive instruction that they possessed po,o
TO protect home industry-no power
vail the injurious regulations of other power
protect the labor Of citizens from the destruction
which must be brought upon by unrestricted competition
with the pauper labor of Europe but hardy Of
toll must be impoverished and ground down long the
wretched beggars under foreign Government compel
led by their necessities labor lower than eeborn
Americans Such the doctrines distinctly promulgated
by the President his Message, and especially by his
Secretary Of the Treasury Well might they be called ex
aorjnary, for such they certainly Were the Anne
can people prepared to sustain npnions like these Would
they subscribe the dogma that their Government had
power to protect them That was the doctrinethere
evadng and Mr. s. desired TO know whether this
committee prepared to give it the impress Of their
sanction .4gs
This however, but Of the extraordinary doctrines
in this most extraordinary production. II contained others
equally strange, equally equally perncous in tendency
equally destructive practical operation Would the peo
pie believe it This document from the Secretary recon-
mended the imposition OF excise American manufac
turesto take the dues off British goods, and put the
American.
Mr.. JOHNSON, Of Tennessee, here again interposed
and the gentleman speaking great deal about the
protection Of home industry and domestic manufactures
Mr. desired ask him another question. When the Go
protected these manufactures, who paid And
all were protected alike what benefit was there in the
lection
. Mr.. STEWART resumed. The gentleman asked him who
paid The gentleman and his friends held the doctrine that the
always paid the duty, and the Secretary told the
ton that the poor taxed per cotton
goods the rich Yes, this poor seemed
duced him times in the of two paragraphs of the
report His sympathy greatly excited that this unhappy
poor man. taxed hundred and fifty per cent on
MS cotton shirt, because there specific duty onimpoted
cotton goods of nine cents yard Now, this specific duty
Of nine cents amounted to hundred and fifty per cent dd
carem that fixed the price Of the cotton to the poor man.
At but six cents yard for nine cents just hundred and
fifty per So the practical effect of the
horrid tax was that this poor man" got a good shirt
at sixpence a yard. And Mr. s. would tell the gen /
teman another thing. When those most abomnable mini
NUNS which excited the wrath Of the Secretary had first
been introduced in 1916 by William Lowndesone of the
pure patriots and most intelligent statesmen that had
gaced these Legislative halls and sustained too by John c.
Calhoun scarcely less distngushendn cotton goods of the
coarsest quality known to every lady at the time by the
of humhums thirty three yard; that the
poor man" would then have had pay four dollars for
twelve yards Of and the effect Of the infamous minmums
had been that every poor in the country could
better article for six and quarter cents That the
the people taxed and oppressed by the protective
system and this the in which the s'poor man.
ground down to the dust to benefit his rich monopost
The Secretary persuaded this poor that he ared
eightywo per than the rich man, and this
quite nsusrabe yet paid only six cents for what formerly
cost him thirysx cents and of inferior quality at that
On that thysx cents protection laid duty of nine cents
which was but twenty five per cent adj paLorem.
These dreadful minmums had, in their practical conse
Iuences given the farmers market given their children
ooyment made their cattle profitable filled the country with
he hum of contented industry and had brought down
price of the poor mans clothing from thirtys cents yard
owndown-down, the system proceeded, till at last
gave to him six yard Now the Secretary cried
that the duty these cottons hundred and fifty
Der cent. ad paloren Enormous! Honid And why ! |
The duty had changed but the price had As the price
vent down the duty went up AT cents per yard
cents duty would be twenty per cent at six cents
ard the duty would be hundred and fifty per cent and
the price descended cent yard then the duty would
hundred per cent The poor robbed pundered
nd oppressed by duty Of hundred per cent simply be
he gets yard goods for yard Let the
manufacturer the price to thirty six cents again. and the
oppression il all the duty of nine cents yard falls in
family twenty-five per cent moderate duty No
complaint these friends of the poor man. perfect
V satisfied.
Such the practical operation of these odous mnmums
which had reduced the poor mans cotton goods from twenty
i've and thirty cents per yard to six and eight cents Yet
his the system which must be given up this was the
peraon which oppressive and unconstitutional
hat must be suffered exist longer upon statute
ook The duty be taken off the foreign goods and
nut upon American manufactures such the doctrine Of
his report.
Mr.. JOHNSON OF Tennessee, here again asked Mr.
STEWART, if the tariff brought down the prices Of articles
axed what that brought down the price of other goods
n the same proportion
Mr.. STEWART replied that such not the fact Other
foods not manufactured here silks, vees &c. had not de-
lined in the ratio, had wages agricultural pro-
uce because the protective tariff had increased the supply
domestic goods by increasing competition and had sustained
and agricultural produce by creating increased de-
nahd for both If the gentleman could comprehend that de-
and and supply regulate price, it would be all plain.
When interrupted, he had been controverng the doctrines
ut forth by the Secretary in his report He had referred to
table which had been reported the House last session by
he Committee of Ways and Means for the purpose Of show
ng the tax which imposed by the system Of
but when the Secretary by the assistance Of the
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