Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1846-01-16

petition with the pauppr labor OF Europe
but our own hardy sons Of toll must be i'm.
poverished and ground down so long as the
wretched beggars under foreign govern
mrnt were compelled, by their necessities,
To labor at lower rates than freeborn Ameri-
cans. Such were the doctrines distinctly
promulgated by the President in his message,
AID especially by his Secretary of,he Treas
ury. Well might they be called cxtraordi-
nary, for such they certainly were. Were
the American people prepared to sustain
opinions like these? Would they subscribe
to the dogma tina, their own Government had
no power TO protect ihem2 That was the
doctrine-thcrc was no evadng it, and Mr..
s. desired 10 know whether this House was
prepared to give it the impress of its sane
ton
THIS, however, was but one Of the extra
ordinary doctrines in this most extraordinary
production. 1t contained others equally
strange, equally new, equally pernicious in
tendency, equally destructive in practical
operation. Would the people believe it r
This document from the Secretary recon-
mended the imposition Of an excise on
American manufactures-to take the duties
of British goods, and put themon the Amer.
lean.
Mr. Johnson. of Tennessee, here inter.
posed, and desired to ask him question. -
When the Government protected these man.
ufactures, who paid the duties !?
Mr. STEWART disiked these inter. options
bit since the question was put, he would an.
swer it. The gentleman asked him who
paid The gentleman and his friends hclC
the doctrine that the consumer always pait
the duty, and the Secretary told the nation
that the poor man was taxed eighty two pei
cent. on cotton goods over the rich man
Yes. this poor man, seemed special favor
lite OF the honorable Secretary. lie had in.
troduced him ten times in the course of two
was greatly excited that this unhappy "poo,
man" was taxed one hundred and fifty PEI
cent. on his cotton shirt, because there was
a specific duty on imported cotton goods Of
nine cents IA yard. Now if this specific du-
~ Of nine cents amounted to hundred and
fifty per cent. ad raldrem, and fixed the
price OF the cotton to the poor man" al
but SIX cents per yard, for nine cents wa.
Just one hundred and fifty per cent. on six
cents. So the practical effect of this horrld
tax was, that this "poor man got good
shirt at sixPence yard. And Mr.. S. would
tell the gentleman another thing; wien those
most abominabe minimnms, whicl, so excl.
ted the wrath Of the Secretary had first beer
introduced. in 1876, Ivy William Lownde!
one oflhe pnrest patriots and most en-
lightened statesmen that had ever Cracet
these legislative halls, and sustained too b,
. John G. Calhoun, scarcely less distinguish,
ed-lndia cotton goods of the coarsest quail
. ity. known to every lady at the time by th
/. name OF hum-hums. cost thIrty-three cent
a yard: so that the "poor man" Woud the
\ have had to pay four dollars for twelve yds
Of il, and the effect of the Infamous mini
NUNS had heen that every poor man IN tn
J., country could now get better article 70
y six and quarter cents. That was the wa
e the people were taxed and oppressed by tn
}. protective system; and this was the man
d ner in which the "poor man twas grount
!. down TO the dust to benefit the rich monop
Al ollsi The Secretary persuaded this poo
man that he was taxed eighty-two per cen
g more than the rich man, and this was quit
,c Insullerable, yet he paid only six cents f
E what formerly cost him lhirty-sx cents, an
y of an inferior quality at that. On that thin
}. ty-six cents, the tariff of 1916 laid a duty
.; nine cents, which was then but tweniy-fv
per cent. adDalOrem; il is now one hundre
> and fifty per Cent, and why? because Il
j. price is reduced from thrly-six cents p,
e yard.
"a These dreadful minimums had, in the
y practical consequences, given the farmers
!" market given their children employment
'' made their land profitable, illed the cuuntr
10 with the hum o. cOntcnlrd industry, ana H.,
70 brought down the price of the poor man
I. clothing from lhrly-slx cents a yard. dow
-down- the system proceeded, ill
:! last II gave II 10 linn at six cents a var
u o. Nav the Secretary cried ont that the d,
" " on these coltons was a hundred and fifi
'e per cent. ad valorem! Enormous Horrid
" Aud why! The duty had not changed, b.
~ the price had. AS the price went dow
y the duty went up. At lhirly.six cents Il,
III yard, nine cents duty would te.twenty.f,
y per cent and if the price descended 10 OF
a. cent yard, then the duty would be nil
n hundred per cent The poor man robbie,
~ plundered, and oppressed by duty of mn
=" hundred per cent, simply because he e.
~ yard of cotton goods for one cent yart
as Let the manufacturer run up the price
" thiry-six cents again, aud the oppression
IL all over the duty Of nine cents IA yard ia
Sc instantly to twenty-five per cent, a mode
~ ate revenue duty. No more complain
:, these friends of the "poor man" are perfet
ny y satisfied.
10, Such was the practical operations of the
raj Odious minimums which had reduced ,
,nd poor mans cotton goods from twenty f
raj and thirty GEMS per yard to six and eig
ing cents. Yet this was the system which M
civ sIh, be given up; this was the operation viii
The was so oppressive and SO unconstitufion
nd, that il must be suffered to exist no long
EN- EN- upon our statute book The duty was
red be taken of the foreign goods, and pu, up
m 10, American manufactures; such was the de
ely irine of this report and message, viii
hus says
30 OF Mr.. Johnson, of Tennessee, here ap,
by asked Mr.. Stewart, if the tariff brought do
on, the prices Of articles, why did the manufi
uhy iurer want it, aud what was il that brou
,ui. down the price Of other goods in prop
ing tionl
. Mr.. Stewart replied that such was not
me fact. Other goods not manufactured he
'ey silks, velvets, &c., had not declined in
ec' same ratio, nor had wages nor sgricult,