The North-Carolina standard., 1846-03-18

would pay duty of bat mills! Tne lmpor-
Ter enters the cloth at the customhouse and offers
10 pay the duty of g mills per yard, which would
be SO per cent ad valorem, the collector tells him
he must pay 6 cents, instead of mills. The inn
porter asks him why he demands g cents per
yard duty, when the law says it shall be taxed
only 80 per cent ad valorem, which is only
mills? The collector replies: True, the law
saws you shall pay only 80 per cent on your
cloth: but it also says-for the purpose of PrOtec
ting Abbott Lawrence who is worth million OF
dollars; Nathan Appleton, worth another mil
lion; Samuel Appleton, worth another million
and numerous others, worth hundreds OF thou
sands EACH manufacturers Of cotton-that all cost
ing less than 20 cents square yard, shalt be as
sumed to haze cost 20 cents; and on that 20 cents
the duty must be paid, which is cents. Now,
you paid it is true, but cents In England Tor
your cloth; but the tariff Says, for the purpose OF
the aforesaid manufacturers that you
paid 20 cents which is the minimum, or least pos
sibIe prices the tariff supposes you have paid
and therefore, 80 per cent. on 20 cents IS cents
and instead of 9 mills, you must pay cents du-
ty" The importer replies: Then, sir, while
the tariff pretends to tax me only 80 per CENT by
stating falsehood in assuming that my cloth cost
20 cents square yard instead of cents-lt ac-
tualIy, under this device ofa minimum duty, taxes
me 200 per cent !" He then consoles himself
with the reflection, that in the end, he shall not
pay that enormous duty; but he aO'H add st to the
cost of the CLOTH and 1oiH make the poor man aohO
6uus tie cloth poy it, Thus, through this men
dacous, fraudulent and cheating invention of min.
imums. is the consumer defrauded of duty equal
TO 200 per cent while the tariff pretemds to exact
only 80 per cent of him. This illustration ex-
plains the principle of minimum duty. The ell
feet of this enormous duty is to exclude the coarse
cotton cloths from our market and to leave to the
American manufacturer of the a:ticle complete
monopoly of their sale.
AS I have before marked, there are three min
imums applicable to fabrics of which cotton is
component part, and two applicable 10 cotton yarns
They are, in substance, as follows: -'.
g. On all manufactures of cotton, or which cot
ton is a component part, not dyed colored, print
ed, or stained not eIceeding in value ~ cents per
square yard shall be ratued at 20 cents per square
ward :" and on that assumed value duty OF 81
per cent is imposed, which amounts to 6 cents on
every square yard.
"On all fabrics of the same description, IT dyed
colored, printed, or stained in whole or IN part,
not exceeding in value 80 cents, shall be ralued
at 80 cents the square yard )" and on that assum-
ed value duty of 80 per cent is imposed, which
amounts to cents on every square yard
"On velvets, cords, moleskins fustians, buffalo
cloths, of which cotton is q component part, or
goods manufactured by mapping, or raising, cut
ting or shearing, not exceeding in value 80 cents
per square yard, shall be UGLued at 35 cents;
and on that assumed value duty of 80 per cent
is imposed which amounts to 10 cents mills
per square yard. =
Cotton twist yarn, and thread, unbleached and
uncolord d, costing less than 60 cents per pound,
shall be oaLued at so cents per pound; and on
that assumed value a duty of 80 per cent. (l0 per
cents per pound) is imposed. .-r.
On The same articles, bleached or colored, cost
ing less than IS and over so cents per pound,
shall be rGLued at rs cents per pound; and on
that assumed value duty Of 80 per cent. (22
cents mills per pound) is imposed
The duties actually paid on importations >un-
der the minimums in the present tariff, reduced to
real Gd 0GIOrem duties, range from 80 TO lo2 per
cent, as appears by the report of the Committee
of Ways and Means Of the House of Represen-
tatives, during the 1st session of the goth Con-
gress, being document 300.
But in all arguments prefer the logic of
facts and figures to mere theories or assertions;
and in this instance l have them before me.
have before me samples of seven different fabrics.
in whole or in part manufactured Of cetton, all
coming into the country sub bject to the minimum
duties above specified, and which were purchased
in England by an eminent importer OF Boston.
shall give the name of the article, cost and duties,
in his own words. They are as follows:
"No. is composed of cotton and worsted, is
called Orleans cloth, is one yard wide, cost IN
England IA cents per yard, and pays cents the
yard duty, or 65 per cent
"No. 2 is also composed of cotton and worsted,
is called mousselin de laine, cost in England 34
cents per yard, is % inches wide, pays 3-4 cents
duty, or 66 per cent.
No is the same material, used for Innings,
called Verona SERGE cost in England II cents
per yard, is % inches wide, and pays 7-9 cents
duty, or So per cent.
IS No. 4 is composed of cotton: is called ging-
ham," is 7-8 of yard wide, costs in England II
cents per yard, pays 7-S cents, or Il l-2 per
cent. -.. ..
"No. is composed of cotton and worsted, cost
in England IL cents per yard, measures yard
wide pays cents per yard duty, or rs per cent.
This description of goods is called " Parisians"
{" No. g. This article is composed entirely of
cotton is called sarsnet cambria, and is used for
lining women's dresses; it costs in England
cents mills per yard measures 92-lO0 OF yard
in width pays 9 cents mills per yard duty, or
| l4S per centl This (the merchant adds) a.
mounts to nearly prohib ition still few are I'M
ported and pays this abominable duty for the ben
eft of the manufacturer.
r"No is white cambric,' all cotton, costs
cents yard in England, measures 90-lOo of a
yard in width, and pays cents mills per yard
duty, or 78 per cent" r.-.
All these fabrics, except the last, come under
the second or 3Ocents minimum. The last one
comes under the first or 20 cents minimum, which
is totally prohibtve as to the cotton cloths
Further It will be seen that all the articles above
described are worn and used almost entirely by
the poor and middling classes of the community.
I11oiI ~. =, the ;rnnorter in the feryor of his in