The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-07-01

OF the government. This standard can hardly b
rendered unstable by any adverse influences or con
niclng interests. The principle is conceded by al
parties The horizontal scale of duties is abandon
cd, as In no sense revenue thrift for the very OBJ
ylons reason that the same rate which upon one ar
ucie would afford the highest amount OF revenu,
"oulu De highly protective upon another willis
upon third II would be entirely prohibitory, anC
furnish no revenue al ali. Establish the reyenu,
standard, and the manufacturer has the unanimous
assent OF all parties as his guarantee for futare uni
iormity and steadiness in the policy of government
lie may henceforth prosecute his business success
iully, and grow opuent upon its moderate but Ger.
tain profits
Sir, time will not permit me 10 pursue this subjec,
further believe that the substitute proposed by
my colleague will accomplish all the purposes do.
sired, and remedy most Of the errors with which
both the existing tariff and the bin under discus
sion are so justly chargeable commend il TO the
serious consideration OF this House. and call upon
All who, tor the time, are capable OF rising shove
the petty conflicts Of party, and whose springs OF
action are moved by higher and purer motives than
It's ephemera triumph, TO unite In settling this much
Sexed question upon just, satisfactory, and pema-
nent basis n F.. ..''..... -
Mr.. HUNGERFoRD addressed the committee a.
follows:
Mr.. CHARMANi. Having presented An amendment
70 the bill now under consideration by the committee
propose TO make few remarks in support of il,
" INC enurely lnBuffctent Tor
The purposes Of the government The object had
In Offering the amendment was to present such bill
as would not materially injure any Of the great in
terests OF the country, and which would probably,
with the aid of the public lands, defray the exc
Penses of the government. Subsequent inyesdgn.
Ton has fully convinced me that the duties proposed
IN the amendment are IN no respect too high, and
much fear will come short of the object in
tended.
have proposed but few specific duties, not be-
cause believe ad yalorem duties best but TO accom-
modats the bill TO the views Of others who think
differently from me upon this subject. Ad yalorem
duties are plausible theory but have been found bad
in practice in all ages and in all counlries and en-
terrain very little doubt, that if adopted in this
couhtry, frauds will be committed to such an extent
that the system will have 10 be abandoned. But
am willing the experiment should be tried to u GER
tain extent There are, however, some articles upon
which specific duties cannot be abando ned without
ruin to the manufacturers. Iron is one Of those ar
tlces The effect ofan ad Vaorem duty is to give the
highest duty when II is not needed and to give the
lowest duty when the highest is needed. Let me
illustrate; suppose an ad vaorem duty Of 30 per
cent Is laid upon pig iron; when the IRON costs
twenty dollars per ton, the duty will he nx dollars
and when the iron costs twelve dollars per ton the
duty will be only three dollars and sixty cents per
ton. Now, suppose there be a specific duty Of six
dollars per ton when iron is worth twenty dollars the
duty VIII be 80 per cent; but when iron falls to
twelve dollars the duty will be so per cent ad val.
lorem Thus II operates as regulator to eauaze the
price, which is indispensably necessary to the man
utacturer The same reasoning will apply to all
other branches ofmanufscture but perhaps il is not
so essential 10 any other as to iron.
| am aware that there are gentlemen in this House
who start at any thing that looks like protection to
manufactures. l am not one Of those. The demo-
cratic doctrine of New York has been, and still is
"a revenue tariff with incidental protection" Upon
this platform stand. Why, Mr.. Chairman, hav,
frequently Witnessed honorable gentlemen of tJ,is
House advocate and vote for incidental protect an
an indirect way who scout at the idea ef aiding
manufactures. Ii is, sir, by admitting Auty free, or
al very low duties, al articles used by the manufac
turers thus sanctioning the principles and SUCH SIR
is the character az The hi,l before the commit
tee. l am not one of those who believe that high
duties make low prices, though it is undoubtedly
true that high duties create competition, which tends
TO reduce prices; nor, on the other hand, do ibe-
jevc that low duties insure low prices, for when
duties are reduced goods invariably rise in foreign
countries that are intended for this Market but be
this as it may only desire tariff that will raise
sufficient revenue to support the government; but II
must be without duty upon tea and coffee, for
cannot vote for any duty upon those articles unit
there is greater necessity for 1t than there ia al
present; can for any bill that will produce
so little revenue as TO compel a resort to tax upon
these articles.
now propose to show by the following table
(Which embraces period Of nine and half years !,
that the current expenses of the government canno
be estimated at less than twenty-five millions of dol
lars per annum. The table also shows the amour
Of goods imported and consumed in each year, ant
the expense of collecting the revenue during the
same period, both of which subjects | may have oc
casion to refer to hereafter: