The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-08-01

must be excused for repeating what said then
| We do not wish 10 destroy the manufactures, no
do we believe that the passage Of the bill before tn
committee will do il. The average rate Of duty un
der 1t Is 70 per cent? upon most OF The protected ar
cles il is 80 per cent. This rate of duty affords
larger extent of protection than is generally sup
posed. The memorial of the New York merchants
presented TO Congress at the extra session, says
"fwenty per cent. duty is protection Of no es'
than forty per cent 10 domestic manufactures, be
cause, in addition to the duty, the expenses OF i'm
portailon about u per cent, and the prohtsS0
the importer are probably about l2l per cent" Thu
statement shows that the bill before the committed
will afford incidental protection to the extent Of from
Is TO so per cent = .H.. .....a. F.
Will not this afford protection enough Are there
any manufactures for which the country is ripe, thai
cannot prosper under protection OF 5O per cent
They fourIshed and made larger dividends, even
during the latter period of the compromise act, than
any other pursuit in the country
Il This showed from the publications Of the man.
ufacturers themselves. showed by their own
statements that at that period the Lowell msnutac
turers made on an average 10 per cent At this time
their profits are much greater.
| The truth u.s. the conduct Of the manufacturers
themselves shows that they do not require the NOR
dinate projection conferred by the tariff Of 1912
This showed also in the speech referred TO. In
March, 1888, the tariff compromise was adopted
Under its provisions the duties were gradually re-
dueed until June, 1912, after which the highest rate
| of duty was TO be 20 per cent When Il was adopt
| ed, and for years afterwards, II was regarded as
| solemn covenant Of peace, which was never to be
disturbed. Mr. Clay, IN advocating the eompro.
mise, when asked what security the country would
have against the violation Of its provisions, said:
What man who Is entitled to the character Of Ameri
statesman would stand up In his place In either house
Of Congress and disturb this treaty Of peace and amity
| Governor DAVIS, of Massachusetts, who voted
against the compromise, was equally explicit. lie
| said, '...r
Suppose that South Carolina should abide by the com
promise while she supposes beneficial 10 the tariff States
and Injurious 70 herr and when that period shall close, the
friends Of protection shall then propose TO establish the
system what honorable who for this hill could
| sustain such messuTeP ...
The SOUTH from the beginning, showed its deter
mination to stand by the compromise in all its pro-
visions. From the first, she refused to disturb its
provisions, when brought forward in the insd-
ous form Of propositions from the north TO reduce
| some Of the duties.
In addition to this, NEST Of the State legislatures
at different times declared that the compromise
ought to be held sacred and inyiolae. The legisa-
ture of Virginia so declared, almost by unanimous
| vote, the wings voting for it, In the presidential
contests Of 1886 and 1910, the candidates on both
les were pledged to the compromise, Under these
| circumstances the great mass of the people, who
could not conceive Of the perfdy which afterwards
sanctioned its violation, must have regarded II as
the settled policy of the country. Nevertheless,
WIN tnS apparent HlOrh certainty lnht h1tef lo4z,
| the duties not to exceed twenty per cent,
manufacturing establishments sprung up all over the
country. The census returns show hat from 1880
to 1910 the rate of increase of manufacturing esab-
ishmenls was very great. In the table presented
of the Lowell mills, II was seen that more than one
half Of them established after the adoption OF
the compromise act | recolIect that in Virginia
most Of the factories were started after that time.
With what face, then, can persons engaged IN
those establishments come before the nation and IN
that they will be wronged by the bill before the
committee which gives from to IL, per cent. high
protection than they could have calculated upon
! when they went into the business'
| do not doubt, Mr.. Chairman, that many Of the
manufacturers sincere IN the apprehenslons they
express OF the effect of the bill we have passed But
do not think they ought to condemn Il in advance.
| They ought to give il fair trial. My decided
opinion is they will find they have greatly magnihed
the injury it will inhict upon them. Such has been
| the experience in England, as the Right Hon. W. E.
Gladstone most conclusivey shows in his very able
review Of the effects of the late changes IN the Eng
| Iish commercial policy. He gives many instances
where persons proved, apparently inconrestaby, on
paper, that the changes proposed wonlaTuin them,
who afterwards admitted that they either had not
teen affected at all, or benefciaIly. And in this
country have no doubt the better market at home
| that the increased prosperity which will result from
a greater freedom Of commerce will produce, will
| more than compensate them for the protection
which will be Withdrawn. Greater prosperity in
| the agricultural and commercial pursuits always
has, and always WILL add greatly TO the consump-
ton Of manufactured articles
There are two modes by which market may be
| improved-one by increasing the demand without
decreasing the supply; the other by decreasing the
| supply without decreasing the demand. And ifyou
do not in any case increase the supply more than
you increase the demand you do not R jure the
ket. Aud here is the whole answer to the argu-
ment which is so much harped upon here, that you
cannot increase the import Of foreign fabrics without
dspiaclng an equal amount Of American. main
tain it is entirely practicable to do the former with
out the LATTER and the whole secret is in increased
| consumption. And this is done by comforting the
greatest an cunt of prosperity upon the greatest
| number. If your policy increases consumption
more than it does Importation, even the home pro-
ducer will be benefited. This has proven to be the
case almost invariably in England, as | could show
in detail if time permitted.
have one word to say about another ground OF
this panic, and that is the lad raloren" principle.
Every will admit that the assessment OF duties
on the uatue is the most equal best understood, and
in every respect most desirable, if practicable Is
soi What is our own experience upon that sub
jectl About three-ffths of the revenue under the
tariff act of lS42 is collected on the "ad paorem"
principle. And this principle, by that act, is APP
piled to articles about which there is as much danger
of fraud any other The difference in that act and
the we have just passed is only in the extent OF
the application of the principle and not in the prin-
ciple itself. How has it worked in that act If
there has been any difficulty, have yet to learn it.
Permit me, before concluding, to advert to anoth-
ground of bitter complaint the part of tho pro-
tectionsts They say that Pennsylvania was duped
on the subject of the tariff and hence ability to
| repeal the act Of 1912. To make good this change,
they are compelled to stultify the people of that old
Commonwealth. Mr.. Polk had been a free-rade
man all his life, and the evidences of his opinions
were upon record. Even the gentleman from Ten
nessee Mr.. GENrRY] admits that upon this subject
he has been consistent. Yet suppose Pennsylva-
MIA was duped in the presidential election, which
by no means admit, yet it is not pretended she
was in the congressional elections Her representa-
tves, with exception, have voted against the re
peal Of the act of 1912. IL a not pretended that the
people anywhere were duped in the congressional
elections; and yet the tariff is purely legislative
measure. 1t is true the President was sincerely
and ardently the friend Of the bill we passed, but
still it legislative measure .....,
Mr. B., in conclusion, adverted to the fact that
the progress of free-trade principles had been very
great in this country when there had been no cor
responding change elsewhere and no argued that that
progress would be much more rapid hereafter, par