The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-10-18
COMMUNICATIONs.
For the Union.
TARIFF-No. 4.

For the Union
| TARIFF-No. 4.
The present tarG eonsdsrsdhis protective faB N
all its Jsat,ves.-Dsiss I'D palorens, minimum, and
specific. Those terms erpiainsd- Injustice and OPP
preston praetissd under the minimum and specific du-
Illustrations By facts.
| In my last communication, ATTEMPTED to explain
the principles which mark and distinguish tariff
for revesue from for protection, defining what
deemed revenue and what protective tariff.
In this number propose to consider the fundamen-
tai principles and the peculiar characteristics of the
existing tariff, which is the only surviving monu-
ment Of the nglorious and disastrous reign of whg-
cry ip l642.
In the first place, it is, in all its leading features,
protective tariff. Deducing conclusion from iti
most important provisions, il was enacted mainly
for the express purpose Of bene6tng and enrichine
the manufacturing capitalists of the country at the
expense of all other classes of our citizens. II is
MANUFACTURERS TARIFF-devised by the
manufacturers, voted for in Congress by manu-
facturers, and designed to benefit manufactu-
ring capital and other capital at the expense OF con-
sumption and labor. II discrminates in favor Of
the manufacturer, against the producer of the raw
material, who is the farmer. II also dscriminates
in favor of the rich against the poor consul
mer. Its whole tendency is to build up and for
tfy capital in this country thus establishing the
basest sordid most groveling of all aristocra-
cies-a moneyed aristocracy-at the expense of the
impoverishment and degradation of the of the
people, This is its character and this its tendency,
careful and thorough analysis Of all its provs-
ions will most clearly prove 1t is my purpose, now,
| to go into this analysis, and to demonstrate the
propositions have laid down.
Admitting, duty free, articles imported for the
benefit of the United States,
for schools and colleges certain articles used by the
manufacturers in their business, tea and coffee, Jim
properly exempted from duty, in consequence of tho
injudcious appeals, perhaps, of partisans of both
parties to the prejudices of the people) gold and
silver, and few minor articles, it imposes on all
other articles rates of duty reduced to ad yalore,
ranging from about per cent. to 300 per cent?
as appears from actual importations since its pas
sage.
The duties which il imposes of three descrip-
tons, viz: ad valorem, minimum, and specific. In
order to enable those not convcrsant with the pre-
else meaning of these TERMS it is necessary that
should go into a brief explanation of them, illus
trating by the way, the justice of the first and the
injustice and enormity Of the two last.
!. The ad palorem duty. The term lad valorem'
is Latin term, which means IN proportion 10 the pal
ne. Thus, when commodity is charged with a
duty of 30 per cent ad valorem the importer has to
pay at the custom house $50 for every 800 of its
value If the duty is 20 per cent, he pays $40 for
every 500; and if 40 per cent, $40 for every 800
in value of the article imported. Thus it is evident
that this description of duty is just and hon.
duty. If the articles Of cheap description,
they of less value and of COURSE pay less duty
If they valuable and costly, they pay higher
duty in proportion. Each person who purchases
the articles imported, whether cheap dear, pays
duty only in proportion to its value. To illustrate
more clearly: Suppose that silks were charged with
duty Of 30 per cent. ad vaorem, and that two
pieces were imported--one valued at so cents per
yard the other at 81. Under this description of
duty, the person who purchased yard of the
cheap silk would have to pay only is cents duty;
while the person who bought the dear silk would
have to pay 30 cents-just double the amount-be-
only duty Of 80 per cent. ad valorem. Thus an
adpalorem duty, whatever may be the rate, falls
equally and impartially upon all communicable high
and The lo,o the rich and the poor. It is the only
kind of duty which an honest, republican people
should ever submit to, or tolerate.
2. The minimum duty. This, in the language of
the trainers of the tariff Of ls42, is also called an
ud linz tof oh
acter it is mendacious fraudulent and cheat
ing Legislative device to collect duty, in some in
stances four FIVE times higher than it processes to
collect. It is also Latin word, which means hs
smallest quantity possible In the present tariff, it
applies only to cotton fabrics and yarns. There are
three minimums which apply to fabrics, all or a
part Of which are cotton--viz the 20-cents, 30
cents, and 35-ccnts ninimums; and two which APP
ply to cotton yarns-viz the 60-cents and 75-cents
minimums.
The following is the mode in which these mini
mum duties are levied. To explain the method, |
will take, for instance coarse cotton shirtings which
cost cents per yard in England. The present tar
if processes to levy on all cotton manufactures,
coarse well as fine, imported into this country,
only duty of 80 per cent. ad valorem-that is, $50
for every Sl00 of value imported. If, however,
that the actual duty levied manufactures of
cotton, the cloth above mentioned, costing in Eng
land 3 cents yard, would pay duty Of but mills.
But, when the importer enters the cloth at the GUS
tom-house, and offers to pay the duty Of mills per
yard, which would be 80 per cent 'ad vaorem, the
collector tells him he must pay cents, instead of
mills. The importer asks him why he demands 6
cents per yard duty, when the law says it shall be
taxed only 30 per cent. ad valorem, which is 9
mills' The collector replies ''True, the law says
also saysfor the purpose Of protecting Abbott Law
renee who is worth million Of dollars; Nathan APP
pleton, worth another Million Samuel Appleton,
worth another million; and numerous others, worth
hundreds of thousands each manufacturers of cot.