The North-Carolina standard., 1845-04-16

seeks a market in another quarter, or employs hie
capital and labor IN other pursuits. Twill state
an example to illustrate the nqaity Of the prescns
tariff Under that act, undyed cotton goods, costr
ing under 20 cents per yard, are valued at 20
lceR,s per yard, and duty on goods costing 10
cents per yard'is cents per yard or 60 per cent.
| It will be seen that he who consumes the cOGraer
article is taxed 60 per centl while. he who con-
sumes the fper article is taxed 80 per cenLl But
the injustice does not stop here. Suppose the fat.
mer goes to the MERCHANT and buys dollars
worth of this foreign goods in this case he pays
81 l.2 cents OF Il 70 the treasury But suppose
he then buys a dollars worth Of the same kind
Of goods, differing in no respect except Ihal i s
| Of domestic manufacture, for which he pays the
same price. Now upon this purchase he pays
the tax of 81 l-2 cents, or s cents per yard, as
we'll as on the other bat with this important diff.
ference that in the former the 81 I2 cents
tax was paid to the treasury; in the latter, goes
into the pocket of the manufactures. I do not
pfetend to assert that upon every domestic article
consumed, the price is enhanced the amount Of
the duty the foreign article, for the duty, in
many instances, greatly exceeds the value of the
article, and in those cases it cannot be imported.
When this is the case, the treasury derives no
revenue from the article; and if the tariff affords
It any protection, whatever It amounts to IS all
paid by the consumer to the manufacturer But,
as general rule, where the duty is not so high
the amount of the duty is the amount Of the tax
paid by the consumer; and when paid on the
foreign article it goes into the treasury; but when
paid on the domestic article it goes TO the manu-.
facturer. In the case 1 have put if there was
no duty on the article, the foreigner would be
able to sell his goods at 10 cents per yard just
he now does; and to enable the American manu-
facturer to sell goods, he would have to put them
at the same price. But when the duty of6 cents
per yard is laid it raises the price of the foreign
article upto l6 cents, and that enables the A
merican manufacturer, who pays no duty on his
goods, 10 raise his price up to l6 cents which he
compels the consumer to pay. Thus it will be
seen that the farmer the planter, and the aborer,
being the consumers, are not only made to bear
the principal burden of supporting the govern
ment, but are also compelled to contribute mil
lions as bounty to the manufacturer. l will
here remark, that entertain no unjust hostility to-
wards the manufacturing interest. On the con-
trary, desire to see it left free to prosper and
flourish with the other great interests of the coun.
try. But when it demands exclusive privileges,
and exacts unjust contributions from the agricul.
turai and laboring classes it shall not receive my
countenance or support to enable it to perpetFate
such iniquity 1t is a matter Of some astonish.
ment to see the mechanics in our southern towns
and villages supporting the protective policy, and
declaiming gainst those who oppose It, and aleg.
| ing that the low price of foreign goods prevents
them from selling their own manufactures, when
if they would but take the pains to inquire, they
would ascertain the fact that in nine cases out Of
ten, the Article with which the merchant Under
sells them IS manufactured not in Europe, but in
the northern and eastern States and by the very
men whom they seek TO protect, and upon whom
they endeavor to bestow additional bounties. The
Secretary of the Treasury, in his last annual re-
port to Congress. says: ...
"The existing rates of duties on imports and
tonnage with the other sources of revenue, would
according TO the best estimates after keeping down
their interest until the 1st of july in the year 1859,
and after paying the ordinary annual expenditures
for the support of government, and after discharg
ing the loan of $7,o00000, redeemable 1st July,
1853, leave accumulated surplus of not less than
$50, ,000, 900; and the same rates and sources Of
revenue, if continued until the year 1863, would
after defraYing the ordinary expenditures for the
support of government, and dischaTging the prIn-
cipal and interest upon the debt then redeemable
leave an accumulated surplus in the treasury Of
not less than ST. IL 100000.
Thus it will be seen, in addition 10 the objec-
lions already urged against the system, that a
large surplus of revenue is anticipated; and this
will have tendency to produce corruption and
extravaganza in the expenditures of government.
Before dismissing this subject, will allude to a
vote which gave shortly after the bill to modify
the tariff was defeated. When that clause of the
civil and diplomatic appropriation bill which made
IOI StAO putSLIuSC Vi StoblObCIy lOL
the use Of the House of Representatives was under
consideration a tariff member offered an amend
ment, requiring the stationery purchased 70 be of
the growth and manufacture of the United States,
provided the quality and terms were equal to that
Of the foreign article. It being the duty ofthe
clerk topurchase the stationery ofsuitable quality,
and at the lowest price, saw no necessity for tho
amendment, and voted against it. ... ,..s
After my return home last summer, found
that for this vote, myself and about twenty others
were denounced in a pamphlet, written at the
North, called =" The Wig Te1t Book" as being
inimical to American interests, and disposed TO
favor British poIcyt This denunciation was
reiterated by some whig newspaper scribblers in
my own State, who appeared to be regardless Of
every other consideration except that of pulling
others down the level of their own political de-
pravity, Under the whig tariff act of 1912, the
paper maker has protection Of from 80 to 90
per cent, while the article out of which paper is
manufactured has protection of only 6 per centl
then thought, and still believe, that it, after re.
ceiving this protection, the paper maker could
not successfully manufacture the article, it was
high time to stop legislating for his benefit, till
we had done something for the other interests Of
the country. The amount ofrhe purchase was in
considerable; but il was the principle to which 1
objected. But few of my constituents are paper
makers they all paper buyers; and as their
representative, 1 take this ground .f one Of nv
constituents carries abroad, sends, by his agent
or merchant, (which amounts to the same,) his TO.