Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1845-01-03


of the present. Government, a very prominent
one was the desire 10 establish uniform dulles
and ilnposis through the several St.tes, and, by
means of such uniform duties and mposts, 10
enable the country 10 provide for the payment Oh
the Revolutionary debt
"Nol 10 dwell, however longer on this part 0.
the subject he wished TO call the attcr.ion OF the
meeting TO the immediate effects, should The pro-
posed duties be laid And, in The first place, il is
admitted that great falling of of revenue mus!
be expected No one, as far as he knew, had
computed this loss OF revenue at less Than hve
millions year. How is this loss TO be supplied
That inquiry was very natural 10 the Gofeininehl,
as well as 10 the people
"lH truth, every man in the community, Eot I'm.
medately benefited by the new duties, would SUI
fer double loss. In the FIRST place, by shutting
Quit the former commodity, the price OF the doines-
tic manufacture would be raised The consumer,
therefore, must pay more for it. And, IN SO much
as Government will have lost The duty on the i'm
ported article, a tax equal TO that duty must be
paid to Government The real amount, then, OF
this bounty, on given article, will be precisely
the amount OF the present duty added 10 the amount
of the proposed duty; at least, so it appeared 10
him, (Mr wy and, if any calculation could
make it otherwise he would be glad 10 see it
Again: II is proposed 10 raise the duties on salt
raj consumption, and the duty on them is raised
probably with view of supplying, in some de-
gree, the loss OF the Treasury, arising from ex-
Guiding other articles. This is the tax then, i'm
posed, To enable the Treasury, in some measure,
10 hear It's other losses. In other words, sugar
and salt are taxed, because cotton and woollen
cloths are 10 be taxed 50 high as 10 prevent their
importation-ihere is 4 tax on toOd in order that
there may be tax on dloihing.
"And, after all how few of all the members of
society are 10 be benefited by this sysIem 50 ari
fcialy and deliberately constructed. Certainly
not all manufacturers; nor all mechanicS-but
particular class only.
"All those manufacturers who have now the
home market in their possession and export more
or less Of their warcs--lhe manufacturers, for
instance, of shoes, nails, cabinet furniture, car
riages, &C.; all these are injured not benefited.
They feel the burden, without partaking the pro-
fil We might add 10 these al once the numerous
classes whose occupations are connected, directly
or indirectly, with navigation and commerce. II
is said 10 lul the alarms i'll The Treasury, that the
deficit of five millions in the revenue, may be
made up by an excise OH domestic manuiac-
lures, when The foreign article should he c1-
cludcd. But on what manufactures On cotton
and woollen alone, or principally? Certainly
not On others, as much or more, than on them.
On carriages, for example, among the first
This is tax, which, like Tany others, always
diminishes The demand for the article. II takes
away then. at once, the employment OF the artist
who works in this line. He is a manufacturer,
therefore, mol benefited, but likely i'll the end 10
be ruined
"And vel he (Mr wy had understood that, in
maxim. out the new census, coachmal:ers, and all
other 6and:crafts men or traGcSmen, were demo-
minated NAM ue'weH; and this would show
great number of manufacturers IN The census
appearing 10 be benefited By protecting manu-
lacturcs. The case he had alluded 10, might SUI
fee for an instance or example Of many, and
when the whole should be Investigated, il would
be found that the sorts Of manufactures TO be be-
ncfued, BY the proposed measures were very few
"Anappcal had been made 10 The patriotic feel
inss Of The nation.
at has been said, we are not INDEPENDENT SO
long as We receive these commodities from other
nations. He could not see The force OF this ap-
peal. He did not perceive how The exchange OF
commodities between nations, when mutually and
equally advantageous, rendered one dependent on
the ollie. in any manner deroga,ory TO lis ine-
resi- or dignity. ii dependence Of Ibis sort exists
every where al M iaGiri&n0ls as well as IA
tions. Indeed. the whole fabric Of civilization,
all The Improvements which Distinguish cultivat-
cd society from savage lille, rest on u dependence
Of this kind. He thought The argum-a, drawn
f.om TIE necessity Of providing means CT dei'nc"
in war, had beef, pressed quite TOO far. II was
enough that we had capacity 10 produce such
means, when occasion should call The reason
ing assumes, that, in war; no means oil defence
or annoyance ear " probably obtained, or mol
withnu. great difficulty, except .om our own ma
ierials CT manufactures. He doubled whether
there was much ground Tor that assumption
Nations had hitherto obtained military means, in
the midst of war, from commerce. But, at any
rate, a. il was acknowledged on all hands that
the country possessed the Capacity Of supplying
itself whenever it saw fit 10 make The sacrifice
md he did not see why the necessity OF ma ing
i; sho,.d he an,cipa,ed-why should We pow
change our habits and occupations, with great
los and Inconvenience. merely because II IS pos
sibc some change may hereafter become neces-
sary? We should act equally wisely, ne thought
if We were 10 decide that, although we are quite
well. ard with very good appetes, yet. as il was
possible we might one day be sick, we would,
therefore, now sell all our food, and lay up ply
sic.
"There was, however, Mr.. w. Observed one
part Of our national defence which The advocates
of the new measures appeared TO have qnlte
overlooked or forgotten. He meant the Navy
If The commerce oithe country should cease, the
plain 10 he questioned A country with pow
erlul navy, and little or no commerce, would be
an anomaly in history. The great object aimed
al seemed to lie, either 10 annihilaie or greatly
diminish our foreign trade. Where then are our
seameE TO come from, for the navy? BY refe-
renee 10 the amount of American tonnage in 1917,
the year when lis amount was greatest It VIII
be seen that there were employed in the TO-
reign trade, 9Si 900 tons; in the coastins trade
37l,000. The. proportion Of seauen TO ton
mage is, of course, greater in the larger vessels
so that probably three-iourhs OF The seamen oil
the United States were employed in the foreign
trade. The coasting trade itself would be i'm
medaely diminished BY the curtailment OF The
foreign lradc-and if it should aiterward revive,
and be even increased and extended, there was no
reason TO suppose that it would supply seamen,
in sufficient numbers, for The Navy. Besides the
seamcn ordinarily engaged in the coaslins trade,
are not class Of seamen the most fiji for naval
service In this trade, the voyages are short; the
number of hands small-not always exclusively
seamen. There are not the habits of suboJdina-
ton, the attention to selfprescrvation, The expo
sure 10 danger and 10 hardship, which form The
value of the character of good scamen. No part
OF national defence is SO impossible TO be sud-
denly procured as good seamcn. Yet, without
them, all attempts towards establishing com
mandlnS naval power arc entirely VAN, as me
history Of more than one modern nation has
shown.
ale, those then who would abridge commerce
on The ground ola more independent provision for
nat;ona' defence declare whether they esteem Il
navy 10 be among our means o. eience. Itlhcy
do not, their argument may be conssient if lhcy
do, il is iallacy.
"Ar. w. said he would add few observations
upon more general view Of the subject. We
must regard the proposed measures either as IN
tended 10 be temporary, or as intended TO be per,
mancnt If they were 10 be but temporary
the manufacturers would be ruined By their
rereal. We must look upon the proposed
duties therefore, as intended 10 be perma
ncnt; if not permanent at The same rates, ye
permanent at such rates as shall preserve The sys
ZEN OF manufacturing for ourselves. We are
hound, therefore 10 regard future consequence.
and The state Of things which may ul!imalel,
arise, If this system should be adopted and cslab
lshed 1t was The part of true wisdom 10 look Il
The end.