The northern galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1844-1848, 1846-08-11
SKETCH OF MIR. WEBSTER.S

SPEECH.
The Washington correspondent of m.
New \ ork Journal of Commerce. gives the
following brief sketch of Mr.. Webster in ,ba
United States Senate on Saturday last tho
10Th inst, on the New Tariff Bill.
ne Senate Chamber has been crowded
All day. Mr. Webster took The floor nj 10
ociock and commenced his speech az aims,
The Tariff Bill. He never commanded NOR.
attention on any former occasion.
Mr. w, considered the Bill in reference to
Its hearing on revenue. on manufacturss
commerce, navigation, aud all The ioteres,.
oil Inc country, and condemned il in every
respect lie was very successful in showips
mat apart iiom its principle it was crude and
lnconsIstant IN It's provisions. Who. he asked
was responsible Tor the bill! II was said ia
be framed by Custom House officers. Who
mad asked Tor II! Not the manufacturers,
nor the importers, nor the met hanics. por IN.
farmers. Who devised it? No one here ar
elsewhere. The shame here was conraoio,s
for it prevailed out of this Chamber As we'll
as here.
In treating OF the effect of the bill on IN.
revenue, he mentioned that the bill womb
take three millions and a half ont of The
treasury, IN drawbacks Of the hish duties
paid on brandies, pimento, spices. S,r. in
store. Mr.. Webster read letters, which he
SAID were IRON merchants of the FIST STAN
ding IN New ork. asserting this fact.
lie treaied, al length. the subject Of cd RI.
loren duties and the arguments which had
induced tina trainers to adopt them. The au
horiIy on one side was the opinion of some
Custom House Officers. With entire RS
pect to the Department, he must be perui,tsa
To say that the balance Of au,horify'Svns
greatly the other way. -
The great danger of the ad raIorpu svs,ez,
was IN differentiation. in FOREIGN n,,rkets
whether Fraudulent OF otherwise. If tb.rs
be IN differentiation now, tbero was = rso,o.
dy Tor II, but he went on TO show that under
TINS BIN mere was no check whatever to tho
fraudulent valuation. lie read the 9th Sec
Ton 10 Show that il offered 4 premium on
fraud. The fraudulent importer mig hr come
10 Inc Collector, have his goods sold. and take
'he value oil the invoice and per cent, in
addition and let him make The most Of il.
That was the plain and inevitable corStruc,ion
OF the bill. The bill repealed and aoruIIed
all provisions of previous laws regulating The
, manner in Wh;ch fraudulent valuation shall he
dealt with. Willany gentlemen here permit
the bill TO pass!
, Thus, said Mr.. W, man NAV have hrs
: goods sold by The Collectors UrtIer. lie NAV
buy them at halfIhe invoice at the sale. The
Coiector VIII then he obliged to paw him tho
iuii amount OF the value Of the goods as de-
ciared III the entry, and five per centum in
Sudhlon lGreat sensation vas manifested
every one saw that the bill must be amen
ded. But MIR. Webster went on 10 nroyo
that tins bill left no law in force that couId
correct the evil. The 9Th section. he observed
was also formed he did not say intentionally
by the custom house officers sn as TO pro-
mote and encourage fraudulent importation.
II required no invoice at all and 10 OATH
The importer, &c. might take his case ont
oil lie rule, present a valuation but very lew,
and add something TO it. lie must bring il
up TO Ten per cent. within the actual value. or
The goods would be assessed, But he NAV
bring II to nine and three quarters per cent.
below The value, and he is liable TO no penalty.
AS soon as the system was understood, all
foreign imports would avail themselves OF il.
The p,rcenage was larger than that out Of
when DerJdInIn Marshall made his million
Of dollars.
lie went on TO point out other nfrmilirs.
or perhaps Inteninnal otlIquities Of this bill.
An importer might offer one invoice upou
importation. and iiihai did not pass. he couId
by the next packet have another one rcady.
in order TO save himself from any penalry.
All men disposed to enter their goods at
low rate cou'G do it under the S.h section.
lie might receive, if he pleased half. dozsn
invoices. and if one did not pass he ouid
oher anoiber-iake care that be should not
fall more than nine per cent. below the vsua-
lion.
There was On entire want Of safety in that
part OF our system that relied on ad volorcrn
duties. The courts presented many proofs
oil this. CONVICTIONS were frequent. noIwiIh-
standing the extreme difficulty Of detection.
In behalf Of every American and every res
Peciabe resident foreign importer. he protes-
ted against he features Of the bill. He pro-
tested in behalf Of the revenue, against this
sudden resort TO untried experiment.
n He should not ask whether the govern
ment had pledged itself to Insiniain the policy
OF encouraging and protecting domestic in
eus'ry. by long course o! policy since 17S9-
Attempts had oeen made TO place him in a
position OF inconsistency in regard to this
subject. IL II was Inconsistency 10 hold one
position as TO aquesiion Of public policy to-
day, under certain circumstances, and diff
errnt opinion of the same subject Tomorrow,
under different circumstances, he would not
shrink from The impnIarion.
Even If IL was inconsistent TO change views
after twenty five years Of observation and ex-
perience. he would accept that impulstion-
But there was one species OF inconsistency
which was culPsble-he meni the incons,ien-
cy between his convictions and his vote,-his
conscience and his conduct No one should
accuse him Of such Inconsistency as that
New England was addicted 10 commercs.
tie opposed that policy which compelled New
England 10 go into manufactures for a iiVeli-
hood. Massachusetts gave but one vote for
the law Of 1872. He opposed the law. But
as it was forced on Massachusetts, he conten-
ded thatIhe government was bound to protect
The interests which had arisen under its poll
cy.
Bur he would prove that this bill was franz
ed to give an advantage to foreign over do
nestle industry. This being SO, hsw could
any gentlemen here vote for IL IL was called
bill of peace. IL would be productive Of
any thing but peace. 1t would produce a
feeling of resentment in the hearts not Of