Wisconsin herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1846-1849, 1846-12-19

present month, there has not been time TO
Its practical effect upon the revenue, ant
the business of the country to be developed
1t is not doubted, however, that the jus
policy which it adopts will add largely b
our foreign trade, and promote the genera
prosperity. Although it cannot be certainl,
foreseen what amount of revenue it will
yield, it is estimated that it will exceed tina
produced by the act Of 1912, which it su
perseded. The leading principles estab
lished by it are, to levy the taxes with :
view to raise revenue, and to impose then
upon the articles imported according to thei
actual value.
/ The act of 1912, by the excessive rate:
of duty which it imposed on many articles
either totally excluded them from importa
ton, or greatly reduced the amount impor
ted, and thus diminished instead of pro.
ducing revenue. BY it the taxes were i'm.
posed, not for the legitimate purpose Of
raising revenue, but to afford advantages
to favored classes, at the expense Of a
large majority of their fellow citizens
Those employed in agriculture, mechanical
pursuits, commerce and navigation, were
COMPEL ID to contribute. from their SUBJ
stance to swell the profits and overgrown
wealth of the comparatively few who have
invested their capital in manufactures.
The taxes We're not levied in proportion to
the value of the articles upon which they
were imposed; but widely departing from
this just rule, the lighter taxes were, in
many cases, levied upon articles of luxury
and high price, and the heavier taxes on
those of necessity and low price, consumed
by the great mass Of the people. 1t was a
I fl,a l.
to relieve favored classes, and the wealthy
few from contributing their just proportion
for the support of government, and to lay
the burden on the labor of the many, en-
gagged in other pursuits than manufactures.
Asystem so unequal and unjust has been
superseded by the existing law, which i'm
poses duties not for the benefit Or injury of
classes or pursuits, but distributes, and, as
far as practicable, equalizes the public bur-
dens among all classes and occupations
The favored classes, who, under the unreal
and unjust system which has been repealed.
have heretofore realized large profits, and
many of them amassed large fortunes, at
the expense of the many, who have been
made tributary to them, will have no reason
to complain If they shall be required to
bear their just proportion of the taxes nee
/
far from it, it will be perceived by an ex-
animation of the existing law, that dis
ordinations in the rates of duty imposed,
within the revenue principle, have been
retained in their favor. The incidental
aid against foreign competition which they
still enjoy, gives them an advantage which
no other pursuit possesses; but Of this none
others will complain, because the duties
/ yo., s.<1
revenue duties, including freights and
charges, which the importer must pay be-
! fore he can come in competition with the
home manufacturer in our markets, amount,
on nearly all our leading branches of man
ufacture, to more than one third of the val
ue of the imported article, and in some
cases to almost half its value:
With such advantages it is not doubted
that our domestic manufactures will con-
tinue to prosper, realizing in we'll conduc-
ted establishments even greater profits than
can be derived from any other regular bus
iness. Indeed. SO far from requiring the
protection of even incidental revenue du-
ties, our manufacturers in several leading
branches are extending their business, Civ
ing evidence of great ingenuity and skill,
and of their ability to compete, with in
market of the world. Domestic manu-
features, to the value of several millions of
dollars, which cannot find a market at
countries. With such rates of duty as
those established by the existing law, the
system will be probably permanent; and
capitalists, who have made, Or shall here
after make their investments in manufac-
lures, will know upon what to rely. The
country will be satisfied with these rates,
because the advantages which the manu-
facturers still enjoy result necessarily from
the collection of revenue for the support of
1 Government. High protective duties,
from their unjust operations upon the mas
ses Of the people, cannot fail to give rise
to extensive dissatisfaction and complaint.
and to sustain efforts to change and repeal
them, rendering all investments in manu-
features uncertain and precarious. Lower
and more permanent rates of duty, at the
same time they will yield to the manufac-
! turer fair and remunerating profits, will
secure him against the danger of frequent
changes in the system, which cannot fail
to ruinously affect his interests.
simultaneously with the relaxation oil
the restrictive policy by the United States,
Great Britain, from whose example we de-
rived the system, has relaxed hers. She
has modified her corn laws, and reduced
many other duties to moderate revenue
rates. After ages of experience, the states
men of that country have been constrained
by stern necessity, and by public opin-
ion having its deep foundation in the suffer.
ings and wants Of impoverished millions
to abandon a system the effect of which
was to build up immense fortunes in the
hands of the few, and to reduce the labor.
ing millions to pauperism and misery
Nearly in the same ratio that labor was de-
pressed, capital was increased and concen.
trated by the British protective policy.
The evils in the system in Great Britain
were at length rendered intolerable, and il
has been abandoned, but not without Sc.
we're struggle on the part of the protected
and favored classes to retain the unjust adj
vantage which they have so long enjoyed
1t was to be expected that similar strug.
gle would be made by the same classes in
the, United States, whenever an attempt
was made to modify or abolish the same
unjust system here. The protective policy
has been in operation in the United State:
for much shorter period, and its PERM.
cious effects were not, therefore, so clearly
perceived and felt. Enough, however
was known of these effects to produce it.
repeal.
1t would be strange if, in the face Of the