The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-07-09
THE REVENUE BILL.


II From the N. " Evening Post, July 8.
JHE PROBABLE FATE OF THE REVENUE BILL IN
II THE SENATE.
III The protectionsts remind US Of sailor descend
| ig the rigging Of vessel dropping from rope to
| pPe, but always getting lower. They were sure at
toe time that the administration and its friends did
| pot mean 10 press the question OF revenue tariff,
list should do their cause injury in the elections
fext autumn. As this idea exploded,
| hey equally that no serious design would
be entertained Of diminishing the duties on imported
goods, because, according TO them, to lower the
duties would be to diminish the revenue. The tariff
bill was, however, brought in by The Committee of
Ways and Means, and urged with all zeal and
nestness as vital measure Of the democratic party
The friends Of the tariff caught at another hope, and
expressed their confidence that the bill could not
pass the House Of Representatives. IL did pass the
House, however, and with very exemplary expe-
diuon. Upon this the wings seized upon the idea,
to which they are now clingng, that the bill cannot
obtain a majority IN the Senate. When they are
obliged to forego this, they will probably begin to
assert that Mr.. Polk will send back the bill with his
veto.
But let US what is the probability of its fate in
the Senate In the Senate the South is more strong
ly represented than in the House OF
and the hostility to the tariff Of 1912 is most jealous
and most determined at the South But will the
free-trade senators at the South, ask some Of the
journalists, vote for bill that loses sight ofthe
assuredy they will, when the object is to get rid Of
law which violates that principle throughout.
bill formed upon a true principle, with few excep-
tons in It's application, is better than a bill formed
upon bad principle, and constant TO a lad princi-
pie In oontending for liberty of trade we are will
ing to take what we can get. Two-thirds of our
righufu liberty is better than none at all. We will
conquer the ground inch by inch, il il is necessary,
though we had rather carry the victory by single
assault These are the views Of the friends Of free
trade, and upon these they will act in the Senate.
Will the senators from New York vote for the
blR asks one OF the wing journals. There is not the
least doubt OF II; the same reasons which infu-
enced all but four Of the democratic members from
this State to vote for the bill, will induce the two
democratic members OF the Senate to support il al
so. Will Mr.. Dix, asks one Of the wing journals,
vote for bill which imposes only twenty per cent.
on salt, and which will break up the salt works of
the State, and depopulate the county of Onondaga'
Fortunately there is nothing which Congress can do
to break up the salt works of the State and ruin the
Onondaga villages. Salt is an article Of such expen.
siVe transportation that high tariff for protection is
superfuous. Onondaga will aweys, by the neces-
sty OF things, manufacture salt for a very large dis
trict Of the West there is no help for il as long as
rock salt weighs seventy or eighty pounds to the
bushel. When we can make salt imponderable, a
different state of things may exist II every penny
OF duty were taken off from imported salt, the ony
effect would be to bring wholesome, though not
very powerful, competition to operate on the salt
manufacture.
One of the journalists makes wry faces at the
thought of the very bad French wines which the
drinkers of champagne and Burgundy will be
Obliged 10 content themselves with under the duty Of
forty per cent, fixed by the new bill. The case
may be a hard one, for aught we know, but the
people at large will care very little about the matter.
They who understand what good wine is will Of
course decline to buy the balderdash; they who do
not, should always, as matter Of prudence, drink
xuafnr h.,
verely with any member of the Senate so squeamish
as TO refuse his vote to bill which reduces the du-
ties on clothing, iron, and fuel because it raises the
duty on wine.
IL the manufacturers themselves understood their
own true interest, they would desire that the change
IN the tariff, which they must is inevitable, .
should take place now. The struggle for moderate
duties will till the object is attained The
large profits ofthe manufacturers already established
in business, have dazzled the Imagination of thou
sands of rivals, who have been most impatenily
waiting to see the freetrade party soundly beaten,
and public opinion acquiescing in the prohibtory
system, in order to set up factories and iron mills
whenever there is opportunity.
the friends Of revenue tariff fail this time, the
enterprise so long damned up will be set free from
all restraint, and will inevitably, for time, over
whelm the manufacturing business. Every tariff
by which duties on imported goods are raised, has
always been followed, sooner or later, by a period
OF excessive and ruinous competition at home.
The only reason, have often had occasion to
say, why this effect has not already followed the
tariff of ls42, IS that it has been postponed by the
apprehension that the tariff would be repealed. To
adopt revenue tariff once may prevent its occur
renee altogether.
From the same, July 9.
MR.. DALLAS AND THE REVENUE BILL.
In the series of hopes to which the wings are
successfully clinging in their eagerness to save the
prohbitory tariff of lS42, omitted yesterday to
ton tl,n,.n. - mn Il
President In case The vote the revenue bill now
before the Senate should be equally divided, they
pretend to expect that Mr.. Dallas will give the cast
ing vote against it, This, fully believe, is doing
that gentleman great injustice.
That there may be tie vote in the Senate is no,
impossible. MIR. Niles, of Connecticut, we regret
to see, is behind the of his countrymen in his
convictions of the injustice and impocy of protec-
ton, and will not support the bill. Mr. Jarnagin a
wing member from Tennessee, has been instructed
to vote for the bill; but place little reliance on
the obedience OF whig representative to the will of
his constituents. If both he and Mr.. Niles should
give their votes against it, there WILL in all probable
Ity be twenty-eight members on each side and the
decision of the question will dcvolve on Mr. Dallas
we cannot doubt fora moment what his vote
Will be. 1T he were senator from Pennsylvania,
the public opinion of that State there
might perhaps be some room for hesitation. Even
IN that case, however, we are by no means certain
that true representation Of the will of the mass
would not favor the new revenue bill. Mr.. Will
mot, pennsylvania, member Of the other House,
from purely agricultural district, represented his
constituents by voting for the bill. The interest of
the agricultural portion of the population which is
the predominant interest of the State is everywhere
the same. 1t is true that the owners of foundries
and factories in the villages make the most noise,
and the most parade of influence, and attend most
actively to the nomination of members Of Congress-
for which reason II is that members Jealous for
prohibItory tariff often returned from districts
where no such zeal exists among the people. We
are not sure therefore, by any means that the opn
ION OF the mass Of the Pennsylvania population
would not be best expressed, as certain that
It's essential interests would be promoted, by vote
for the new revenue bill
Mr.. Dallas, however, is no representative of
Pennsylvania in this matter. He does not owe his
nomination to the Of iron mills in the Penn
sylvana villages. His constituents are the citizens
Of Maine, Ohio, and South Carolina, as well as
hose of Pennsylvania. The people Of the confed-
eracy who have placed him in the chair Of the vice
presidency look to him for large views Of the public
Al r a |