Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1846-08-25

RICHMOND

war upon the vital interests ui the North. And
pray, what inducements were offered 10 North
Carolina, BY this experiment, that her Senators
should help 10 carry on The unnatural conflict =
What, bul The naked desire for an apparent party
unity where there was really no party concord :
For North Carolina had no local or Stale interest
which will be served or elevated by it-none
whatever.
The limits Of this address will not allow OF IL
Illustrations by tedious detail OF enumerated al
ticles. | reserve that for more suab BILE occa-
sion, only remarking, for the present, thai should
any be disngenuous enough 10 deny this cha
racteristic OF the new Tariff, no one, who re-
regards his reputation, will venture TO contradict
the fact that the experimental tariff does not dis
criminste in farm Of American manufactures;
and not 10 discriminate in their favor, moderate
II and reasonably, b. 'ive and let live" law OF
love amongst brethren Of common country, is
The same thing in principle, though not in degree,
as to discriminate against them. Verify, il APP
peared 10 me that its passage would be substilut-
ing he theories Of yesterday learned in The law
office for the experience Of fifty years OF our
own Government, and the practice Of all civil
liZed nations, Tor The sake of perpetratng an ex-
pertinent upon The people Of The United States.
Filth. The last objection | shall trouble you
with is 10 The new principle, that all "dues are
10 be laid ad vaorem." Ii is not the least re-
narkable circumstance, connected with the pass
age Of The act, that this new Qd raloyem article in
the Democratic creed was supported by The sane
ton Of no distinguished name bnt Henry Claws
and Mr.. Clays friends say, that even lie has
been misreprescn;ed, 10 furnish The authority.
| Another moi unimporant circumstance is that
the people Of my Stale have been commanded TO
| dshonor me- as one not tue 10 The doctrine Of a
parry tariff Of 'ad yaloIem duties" and therefore
\ ont. han / ia
science that there arc thousands and tens OF thou
sands Of good North Carolina Democrats who,
50 far from having adopted it in their political
creed, did never so much as hear OF it until long
since my election 10 The Senate. Let each one
answer for himself Did you ever understand il
teiorel In sincerity, declare that until after
my election 10 The Senate did moi, and presume
you did not. But think ! understand il now,
my counlrymen, and venture 10 guess thai the
more you know Of il, and the longer il shall be
tried, the less you will like II.
But lei me tell you what il is. II is 10 lay du-
lies OF taxes upon goods imported from foreign
4 countries, accodn. TO the value Of thu goods al
! the market from whence they come-lhe faw fix
ina the per cent and the collector Of il ascertain
! ing the foreign value II whatever is taxed, viz
The UNI u the tax--ior which he is not Tespon-
sible 10 you, but 10 The Treasury Department.
| And specific duty is The same lax imposed upon
the same arice-the Lav ITSELF however, dis
,insuishing The values, by establishing The part-
| cuar sum of taxation, and leaving nothing for
the collector 10 do but 10 weigh Or measure Ihe
ouanlily; wherein il he he guilty Of fraud, ne
may probably be convicted, or if disposed 10 OPP
press the merchant, he can be prevented. 10
| short where III" lax l. sp'ciNc, The collector only
weighs or measures the quantity; where il is al
| raOysas he mol only measures or weighs The
\ h.,st
Judgment, the foreign value ri The things lmpofi-
ed. The uniform rnlc, as approved hy Your Co
yeinmenl has been heretofore that OF making all
| the culies specific which can lie made So and lie.
the others be AL vdorem hut 10 reduce Tie list OF
al raortm duties, lrcm time 10 time, By adding 70
The lis, OF sp:ufc The experimental tariff con-
demns and repudia,es this policy altogether, and
preserfbes new one, of having oil The duties ad
valorem, and none Of them specific. With this
| explanation, you can have no difficulty in com
pretending my objections 10 The new principle O.
| The experimental Tariff.
IL was a maxim of the Revolution, that "repre-
s.n'a,ion and taxation should 60 together" Now,
This is great principle OF liberty, never 10 be des-
pisei; and The abrugaiion CT II canno; be neces-
~, 1. - -r..ii:- Ia. Il inca rs
j nMhing, unless il creates the duty oi laying taxes
| by the lar, and mol BY Ihr ebicefs who collect Ill 20
| that the citizen who reads The law may, as Tar as
practicable, see in what j! taxes him. oilsers 100,
whom The people have no agency in appointing,
| and cannot remoge-otficers who, in assessing
values, exercise their own discretion and whose
individual judgment, in this country, as 10
| The market value OF property IN all TO-
reign lands, cannot be successfully impcach-
ed because The witnesses 10 do il live abroad, and
canno, be 90, here and il they could il would
sill be almost nnposs BILE to convict tie officer OF
Intentional iaisehood. Il must be proved that hr
was wrong and knew iloo. Is moi This new doc
time then, more ihan light departure from THIS
maxim OF the Republic? Shall il he approved,
mon he notion that This great principle 81 re-
| piesenla,ive Democracy has become Impractical
ble9 Shall we sanction The preisnce that the
monies representatives will cheat them in adopting
I The sp-c,fc duties, AMI assume at the same time
that cusiom-huuse officers will be more scrupu
!ous and more just 10 you 10 fixing the values IN
der system OF al ualorem duties? Ought such
departure from 4 great and fundamental doc
trine oil representative government 10 be tolerated.
much less engraed permanently into The laws
| of tree people, without unavoidable necessity,
an sancfed rs part of our Democratic faith
without notice 10 The people7 A step or Two fur
iher, and we shall be carried 10 point where
! Congress can do nothing hui declare The aggre-
gale revenues which may be levied for the Gov
| eminent, and leave the Treasury Department 10
according 10 iis rules.
| | come now TO show that what the experiment.
al tariff makes the rg!e oil taxation The fathers OF
! The Republic made the exception. What they de-
! cared was fruitful mother of frauds il has
adopted as the only paren, Of our revenues!
In 1875, when Washington was President,
| Alexander Hamilton, his Secretary OIL Trea-
sury, in a report 10 the House OF Representatives,
used The following words, viz:
"According 10 the present laws imposing du-
! ties on articles irponea INTO The United States,
no, much short oil one.lhird ofthe whole amount
of the duties is derived from articles rated al ia
| loren.
ain o,hcr nations, where this branch Of reve-
nue.. As with US, is Of principal or very consider
able consequence, and where no peculiarly OF Sit
ualiun has tented TO keep the rates OF duty low,
experience has lei 10 contract more and more The
number Of articles rated ad :Lrcm, and oil course
10 extend The number of those rated specifically,
that is, according 10 weight, measure, or other
fulss Of quantity
aThe reason of this is obvious: il is to guard
against evasions, which inlaby happen in
greater or less degree where duties are high. II
IS impossible for the merchants OF any country 10
have manifested more rrobity than those OF the
United States on this subject; and it is firmly be-
leycd that there never was one in which Illicit
purchases 10 The disadvantage Of The revenue
have obtained so lille as hitherto in this. Yet
would il be delusive expectation that, with du-
ties so considerable as those which now exist, a
disposition will rot be experienced in some indi-
viuals, who carry on our import trade, 10 evate
the payment OF them, and this 10 an extent suffi'
Gent 10 make II prudent 10 guard with crcnm-
speclion, and by every reasonable precaaIion,
against the success Of such attempts. II IS need
less 10 repeat that this will contribute as much 10
the interest OF The fair trader as 10 that OF The re-
venue.
at is believed that in our system the method OF
rating ad palerem could with convenience be
brought within a much maryotceT compass, and il
is evident that TO do so will contribute materially
10 the security nj The rerenne"-(ses American
Stale Papers, Finance, vol. i, page 34S)
In 1901, under Jederson's Administration, Al
Der, Galatn. Secretary OF the Treasury, in re-
port TO the Senate. said:
an order 10 guard, as far as possible, against
the value of goods being undeTIaed IN The in
voices. il wou1 he eligible 10 lay sp-e.fe duties on
all such articles now paying duties ad valorem
as may be susceptible Of that al'era'ion."-lSee
American Stale Papers. Finance, vol. l, p 7O2
= ,otc ,nJar Siadicon's Administration. a.