The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-10-29

THE TARIFF-No. 6.

Explanation The present tariff further CONSIDERABLE
adds humbuggery to injustice. The enormous amount
eompels the people TO pay IN the shape ofreverus 10
the government, and bounty TO the manufacturer.
Before proceeding to the topics which propose
to discuss in this communication, feel bound, IN
justice to myself, to pay passing notice to short
communication which appeared in the "unlon" OF
Monday evening, over the signature of "Verity,''
and which purported to come from some one residing
in Boston.
was rejoiced to have it in my power to welcome
fellow-aborer hailing from that quarter, and pro-
Tossing the great truths which have been attempt
ing to sustain. Concurring in sentiment and opln-
ion do, in relation to the operation and effects
cism in which he was pleased to indulge upon my
feeble efforts although it was entirely unfounded,
as will now proceed to show.
The writer alleges that in treating Of the mini
mum duties, ''assumed the postulate" that the
coarse goods are imported under the minimums;
whereas, in truth, they are not, but are prohibit
ed by the operation of the minimum duty. And
the effect of this prohibition is to give to the manu-
facturer monopoly of the sale Of the cheaper
fabrics, and to enable him to increase their price to
any amount he pleases, always taking care not to
raise it SO high as to enable the foreign manufac-
turer to introduce his fabrics, and thus compete with
him in the American market at remunerating
profit In other words, the effect of the minimum
duty coarse and cheap fabrics is to gpe bounty
to the manufacturer while it adds not one cent to the
revenues of the government.
If "verity" had carefully read my commune
cations, he would have seen that assumed no such
'postulate." But, the contrary, ! expressly
stated twice at eas in general terms, that the effect
of the minimum duty was to prohibit the importa-
ton of the cheaper cotton fabrics on which it OPP
Grated, thus enabling the manufacturer to increase
the price Of the domestic article, without contribute
ing at all to the revenue of the government.
In my third number, after explaining what
understood to be a protective tariff, added: SIN
some instances, the duties imposed by the existing
tariff amount to total prohibition. l refer to the
kinds Of cotton cloths of which the manufac
turers of this country now produce an ample sup
ply BY this prohibitive duty, imposed through the
aid Of the fraudulent and cheating device of the
minimum principle, the manufacturer is enabled to
fix his own price upon the coarse fabrics, actually
charging his own countrymen more for them than
he sells them for in foreign markets. Thus respect
to this article, all revenue is defeated"
Again, in my fourth number, after explaining the
manner in which the minimum duty operates,
added "The effect of this enormous duty is to err
cluds the coarse cottons from our market, and to
leave the American manufacturer of those articles
a complete monopoly of their SALE"
1t appears, therefore, that l assumed no such
"postulate" that minimum duties were not prohibi-
tive, (although the tariff assumes such postuate;)
but, the contrary, that they were, in respect to
the coarser and cheaper manufactures of cotton,
proibitire thus defeating all from those de-
scriptions of manufactures, and operating only to
give bounty to the manufacturer All high duties
operate in the same way. The ad vaorem, as well
as the specific and minimum, il sufficiently high
upon the articles on which they are imposed, will
prohibit or prevent their importation. The cheaper
woollen fabrics, which are worn by the middling
classes and the poor, are undoubtedly, to some ex-
tent, prohibited by the exorbitant advalorem duty
Of 40per cent. imposed upon them. Therefore, am
happy to say, that there is perfect concurrence Of
views between "Verity'' and myself on this point,
and that we both assume the same "postulate" in
reference to the effects of high duties. He will see,
in the course of this article, that understand the
manner in which high and prohibitory duties ope-
rate to defeat revenue, and to give bounty to the
manufacturer; thus, in fact, taxing the people enor
mously for the benefit of the manufacturer, and not
for the support of the government But, as pre-
liminary topic, or rather cognate to those have
already discussed, must proceed to show the hum
b,ggey Of the present tariff.
1t would seem to have been sufficient for the fra
Of the present tariff to hoodwink and delude the
great mass Of consumers out of enormous duties on
articles consumed by them, through the aid Of the
fraudulent and cheating devices Of the minimum
and specific duties. But those were not suffi-
cient. The people must not only be deceived and
cheated, but they must be humbuggsd. The trainers
of the tariff were conscious, if some expedient were
not resored to in order to divert the attention Of the
people from the enormous taxes which it imposed
upon them, that they would not long submit to its
oppressive exactions. but would speedily demand
its repeal. And hence they--the agricultural por-
ton Of them, at least--must be humbugged with
little pretended protection on the articles produced
by them. Therefore, we find in the present tariff a
duty of rs cents per bushel imposed upon wheat,
20 cents per busheI barley, Is cents per bushel
on rye, 10 cents per bushe on oats, 10 cents per
bushel on Indian corn 20 cents per huadredweight
on Indian meal, 70 cents per hundredweight on
wheat -four, 10 cents per bushel potatoes, cents
per pound on cotton, &C., &c.
In order to exhibit this peculiar feature of the
tariff of 1s42 in more striking light, have pre-
pared table Of the articles on which these humbug
duties are imposed, exhibiting the quantity ex-
ported from this country, and the quantity imported
during the year ending June 80, 1914 1t will show
the farmers and planters the precise amount Of
protection which they derive from the husbug duties
imposed by the existing tariff pretendedly for their
benefit:
TABLE.
Articles. Quantity Quantity Rate OF
exported imported duty.