The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-07-14


specific duties. l have not heard il before from
any public man. have heard il from other per
1o7s-persons hanging sometimes about the custom
houses, and sometimes about committees Of Con-
gress-persons OF an anomalous character. But ]
do not remember TO have heard IL from the lips
OF any public man before, anywhere at any time
that universal system Of ad palorem duties was
desirable, or ought IN any case to be adopted Now,
sir, here we are at the commencement OF this great
discussion. The principle Of the bill is such as
have mentioned; that Il can be usefully amended
by any other amendments than such as touch
that principle, | do not believe. For myself
unless i should occasion, or feel II TO be
my duty, TO propose to support amendments
which 20 TO change the principle Of the bill and TO
restore the specific duties, do not propose to trou
bio the Senate with any proposition Of amendment
nor To hear mo in support Of any such propositions
Mr.. President, 1t cannot be concealed and ough MOI
to be concealed, that there has been, and that her
il, IN the country-ln all parts Of the country
strong desire that this tariff subject should be settled
upon some permanent principle or means of Justice,
so II should not agtate, as often a election
comes up, the public mind. believe that honoTa
BILE and honest men Of all parties very much wish
that TO be the case. may say that there has beer
an expectation entertained by others as well as my
self that leading gentlemen OF the side OF the maj
ity, some Of them, would undertake to deal witt
this subject In something more, must say, Of d
staiesmanlike manner than il appears to have been
and accommodate, and thereby to establish ths
great subject upon grounds Of permanent stability
i have looked for some such movement. | woult
look for IL now, II Il were not too late. But nsieaf
Of that, there comes bill which must consider
very extreme bill extreme in its principles, because,
uHlred all admit, and none admit more freely
than the hon rable member from Alabama, Mr.
LEws,] admitted yesterday, that he could not brins
the testimony Of pcrenoe IN favor OF the principle
OF the bill, because ve had no experience. lnsteao
Of a healing measars, therefore, must say that II
appears 10 that this is extreme measure; and
does appear me that IL strikes tho country from
one end To another-(l mean that part OF the cou,r
try with which am oonnected-l mean the coun
Try from here 10 Maine)--as extreme and unex
pected measure, and ono which the people csnnU,
persuade themselves that Congress will ever adopt
Ii Is not my purpose TO Interrupt. the couse OF th
discussion which has been begun by my HONORABLE,
friend from Alabama, the chairman Of the COMMITTEE
on Finance, who made his exposition yesterday
with great candor, and which will be continued TO-
day by my honorable friend from Maine, memb'
of lie Same committee. But think there can b.
no more appropriate time for me to present mi
petition than the present The petition, sir, ha
been signed by every importing merchant and hrn
in the city Of Boston. IL understood the honor.-
BILE member from Alabama correctly yesterday, h,
said that the system Of ad yaorem duues had never
been complained Of, so far as he knew, except BY
manufacturers. Now here is paper bearing III,
signatures, have Just stated, OF every importing
merchant and firm in the city Of Boston-drawn vi
by themselves after the appearance of this b
IN the other House, sent to me, and which | vii
now read:
To he honorable the cfRs United Sais, Of Amsrea
The undersigned your memoralist, would respectful,
represent that they importers OF foreign goods into thu
cIy Of Boston, and, as such, they have examined viii
House Of Representatives to change In great measure
our system OF collecting duties on imports.
should the hill referred to become the law Of the land,
lll lV hat Nc
business into the hands Of INSCRIPTIONS foreigners
Who have . OF No regard 70 OUT Sa
compete with this class where duties bsSeG
merely the I'D vslorem principle,
Without expressing opinion respecting The
duties which should be levied earnestly pray your hon
orabls body that the bill may be amended as to hav,
all duties made specific which in their nature
[signed by 4s hrmsI
The honorable member from Alabama will now
find, if he has never heard anybody complain Of b
universal system Of al palorsm duties before, there
are complaints now made besides those of the
manufacturers; and believe sir 1t 10 true that q
memorial equally strong, and almost equally unani-
mousy signed by the importers Of character and
reputation, both native and foreign, Of the city OF
New York, is now in possession Of the Senate, OF
soon will be. l believe may say know of the
existence Of such memorial, and mean to draw at.
tention to It whenever 1t appears. But now, what
am | to do w this petitoni There is commit
tee to whom, to refer il. What is TO be donei
1t is thing before unheard of in the his
tory Of the Senate, that a great measure OF
this sort, necessarily depending so much upon
detail, should be brought from the House ana
thrown in upon here without any examination
by committee. question SO much affecting rev.
enue, and 50 much affecting commerce, is moi
TO be referred and examined by the Committee OF
Finance or the Committee on Commerce. When
did the like before happen Under what admins
tration? In what exigency of war or-peace did the
Senate ever before deal in that manner with such
question thisi Never--never! There seems,
therefore, sir, to be no other mode of getting the
opinions of petitioners, and the facts they state and
the reasons they urge, other than by reading the
paper to the Senate; because all know that to
present papers to the Senate and refer them the
printer without reading or examination, is to place
them where they are very apt to lie. shall feel it
my duty with regard to the petitions and memorials
sent to this subject-and they are already
numerous-to state their contents shortly to tn.
Senate-to make their contents, so far may be in
my power, known to the Senate we'll as to the
public, so that what light we may have, or may
he thrown around US. resent this petition, which
] have read, and ask that 1t may be printed.
Tho petition was then ordered to be printed for
the use of the Senate. ...t.y ..s.s g.5-'.s. ..
Tho reporter has received the following note
from Mr.. WEBsrER: II should have said that the
signatures to the petition comprised the names of ali
the importers Of dry good, in the city Of Boston"
'... PETITION. .t... .,.. ..,a...
Mr. CALHOUN presented the petition of The
odore F. johnson and others, manufacturers ofglass
and soap in the city of Philadelphia, praying that
the existing duty soda ash may not be in
creased; which was ordered to be printed and laid
on the table,
RESOLUTION. VIZ .nr..s. ,. ,
Mr.. BREESE submitted the following resolu-
ton; which was agreed to: #ht .a.ry .s 2..a.
Resoived, That the Committee on Naval Affairs be in
the expediency of defining by law