The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-09-12

and therefore that we do not perceive It's tendency
TO promote national industry"
Mr.. +. also adyerted TO the amount which was
paid by the American people for protection, as well
as for revenue. Ii was almost incredible, and would
Starte one whose attention first called to it. BY
late official report of the Secretary Of the Treasu-
ry il appeared that on sixteen articles alone, pay
ing gross revenue Of SIS, 1886 452 there was paid,
in enhanced prices, of like articles manufactured IN
this country, valued at 1891 1888 $50, the enormous
sum Of as, 7S4, 405. SO that, by the operation of
the tariff for every dollar paid into the treasury,
these articles, three dollars have to be paid TO
the protected classes in this country MIR. f. then
took particular articles, such as sugar, molasses,
iron, salt &C., and showed, by the official tables,
how much paid on each by way of duty on the
amount imported, and how much by way Of en-
HANGED price on the quantity manufactured in this
country. The productions Of our own country had
been principally ascertaned by the Secretary, by
means Of the returns in the census of 1910, and by
official returns made under State authorities since.
The enhanced prices on home productions were OBJ
tanned, not by assuming them TO be accurately lndl-
Gated by the amount Of the duty, but by taking the
difference in the cost OF the article at home
and abroad adding TO the latter the freight and other
charges Of shipment We are unable to follow Mr..
E. through the detail of facts and figures upon this
part of the subject but proceed sketch briefly the
substance Of his remarks upon the tariff Of 1876
BY this tariff, said Mr.. F., the errors in the tariff
Of 1912 were sought to be corrected. That object
nad been partially accomplished The act, how
ever, was not perfect and might, in few particu-
lars, be very properly amended at some future ses-
sion OF Congress, when its operation and effect
should have been more fully developed, II might
have been amended at the time Of its passage if the
wings had not been moro anxious 10 manufacture
political capital than to benefit the manufacturers
or to promote the interests Of the country. Mr..
Webster, who was supposed 70 be really DESTROYS
Of securing the interests OF the manufacturers pre-
II hafn e htUlH aali ID
Them on useertaining, as il was understood, that
large portion Of his wing brethren in the Senate
would not vote for them They cared much more
10 attain certain political and party objects, than
they did 10 promote the interests Of the country by
a judicous tariff. This the manufacturers them
selves, who were at Washington during the pen
deney ofthe bill, we'll understood, and so expressed
themselves.
This tariff seeks to equalize the burdens of the
people by reducing the duties essentially on articles
Of nsetSsly-those which enter into the daily
consumption Of the poor as well as Of the reh-such
sugar, moasses, salt coal, iron coarse eottons,
Voolens &c, and placing, relatively, higher duty
articles Of luxury, and those more exclusively
used by the rich. Ii also abolished the odious
principle Of minimunS and specific duties, and laid
duty upon articles according 10 their pdIs. But this,
the ad yalorem feature, which we regard as one OF
The distinguishing erceencies Of the new tariff, has
been made by the wings a special object Of attack.
hing Notwithstanding new, untred, and
almost unhesrd Of To hear the wings describe
t. we should almost be disposed to regard il as
some tabled monster, that threatened TO deyour
everything valuable in the country, and then swal-
ow the country itself. All alarm, however, sub
sides at once, when it is found to be the tarng an
article according 10 lis paiue, and nothing more. But
The principal objection TO II, or the one avowed, Is,
that it will open a door for traud-that merchants,
especially foreign merchants, will make false in
voices placing their goods far below their real value
1t the place of export Ii is a sufficient answer to
this to say, that the custom-house appraisers
not bound by the invoice That is one the means,
| md only one by which the appraisers will be gov
cred in estimating the value Of goods imported The
prices Of goods in foreign ports matter OF
toriety, as they are daily published in mercantile
prices current" and regularly furnished to
officers Of customs. The current prices Of goods
could no more be kept from the knowledge Of the
world than any Of the current public events of the
day In addition to this, our appraisers, by their
long and regular practice, acquire great skill in APP
praising goods, and TO deceive them in that respect
becomes matter of no little difficulty. The pen
les and danger Of loss in Of attempts at fraud
ulent entries, may also be regarded imposing no
little restraint upon importing merchants. In short
the objections to ad valorem duty all vanish
upon very slight scrutiny, They are raised for
political purposes merely and have no good foun-
dation.
But one is not little surprised to find such hue
and-cry upon this subject, when a moments n'ien
ton is turned to its history. Would 1t be believed
that under all the protective tariffs from 1921
down to the present day, more than one half Of the
revenue has been collected by I'D valorem duties
Yet such is the fact. And under the tariff Of 42
which the wings seem to regard so perfect the
the amount collected by ad valorem duties $751;
1921 1913, while the amount Of specific duties was
only Sl3, 49, This fact alone is sufficient to
| stamp the great outcry now made as most arrant
piece Of humbuggery. Can principle so amply
tested by experience, and adopted and sanctioned
by the wings themselves in the tariff Of 1S42 be
| such monster as is pretended But we had not
only experience in its favor, and the of the
thing, but the deliberate sanction of the great wing
leader himself,
Mr. F. here read from a speech Of Mr.. Clay in
| 1872 in which he said:
the ad paiortm duties, and maintain that the latter is
| Justly entitled 10 The preference. The one principle
declared the duty paid shall be upon the real value
of the article taxed; the specific duty imposes an
equal duty articles greatly unequal in value. Cot
| fee, for example, land it is article which always
suggests itself to my thoughts is of the articles
on which specific duty has been levied. Now it is
perfectly well known that the Mocha coffee is worth
at least twice much as the coffee of ST. Domingo
or Cuba, yet 10th pay the same duty. The tax has
no respect to the value, but is arbitrarily levied on
all articles of specific kind alike however various
/
theory, and according to every sound principle Of jus
tce, the ad paorem mode of taxation is entitled to
preference" .
Here was the clear, distinct, unequivocal admis-
sion of the great wing leader himself that the ad
lorem principle was the most just and proper. Were
his disciples preparing to denounce him as a de-
structive-one who had no care for American inter-
ests and who was willing to adopt tariff which
should be productive only of RUM But it had been
said that Mr.. Clay was in favor of home valuation
What them This did not change the principle. The
duty was still assessed upon the value, the place OF
ascertaining the value only being changed. The
amount Of the duty might be changed, but not the
4 principle mode Of assessing it.
But, again. il was said that the new tariff would
not afford sufficient protection to manufacturers, and
all sorts Of evil prophesied in regard to its ope
ration and effect. In the first place, he would usk
i if any one prepared to say that the amount o.
profits made by the manufacturers under the proec
| tive tariff Of 1912, nothing but what was reas
enable and proper, when made it was out of othe
csssesi Why should the rich manufacturer bt
1 secured, his dividends ranging from 20 to SO pei
cent. when hardly any other business in the country
.,;II Yield more than 3 In regard IL