The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1846-09-04

will Ike II.
But let nc tell you what it is. ltisto
lay duties or taxes upon goods imported
from loTclgn countries, according 10 the
value OF the goods at the market from
whence they come-thc lar fixing the per
cent, and the collector OF il asccrlalniaa
the foreign value OF whatever Is taxed
VIZ: the sum OF the taX-lor which he is
mol responsible to YOU, but to the Trcasu.
~ department. And a specific duty is the
same tax imposed upon the same Article
the Ilr Itself, however, distinguishing The
values, by establishing the particular sum
OF taxation, md leaving nothing for the
collector 10 do bat 10 weigh or measure Tho
quantity, wherein, II he be guilty Of fraud,
he may probably be convicted, or If dIspo
scd 10 cypress The merchant, he can be
prevented. In short, where The tax u Sp,.
ctc the collector only weighs or measures
the quantity whero It is al udiartD! lie
not only measures or weighs The quantity,
but likewise determines, upon his Own indr.
ment, the foreign vauo OF the things i'm.
ported. The uniform rule, as approved hy
Your government, has been heretofore, thal
OF making all the duties specific which cuu
be made SO, aud let tie others be No fulu.
rem: bat TO reduce the list Of al raiorom
duties from time to time, by adding to the
list OF specifics. Tho experimental tauh
condemns and regulates this policy alto.
ge.Hcr, nnd prcscI.Jes new one OF having
all the duties cd yalofcm, and aoac Of them
specific. With tais explanation, you can
have 10 difficulty IN compromising TN
objections 10 the now p7iEci7,o Of tic cx.
Pcrmenmi tariff.
II vas a maxim Of the revolution, thGi
+" representation aud taxation should 70 10.
gctner.' Now, tins is great principle
.of liberty never 10 be dcsplscd and the
abrogauon ot j, cannot be necessary 10 the
interest d the Republic But il means
nothing, unless Il creates the duly 81 lay.
ins taxes by the lar, and not by tie of.
cers who co.lec, Il. 80 thai the citizen mo
reads tie law may, as FAR as practicable,
soa IN L What It tsxrs him: officers, TOO,
whom the people have no agency 10 on.
pointing and cannot remove officers Who,
IA assessing values, exercise their own dIs.
cfciion, and whose Individual Judgment, IN
this country as to tho naIhei value Of pro.
perty IN oil foreign iunds, cannot be sue.
cesslulIy lmpeached, because the witness.
es 10 do il live abroad, and cannot be rot
here; and Il they could, il would sill be
almost impossible ,o,conyct the officers Of
Intentional tulsth0od. Il must 10 proved
that he w4s wrong md knew It too. Is not
this new doctrine, then, moro than slight
departure from this maxim Of the repub.
lie Shall 1t be approved, upon the notion
that this great principle OF Il representative
democracy has become impracticablc =
Sha" &c sanction the prolencc, that tic
4 PecpiC' representatives, wi,. cheat them il
adopting the Pecyfc duties. and Gssume a
the Same time that custom.house officer
viii be more scruPulous and more Jus, I,
you, N fixing the values under a system 0
I'd Ualorem duties Ough, such depar
ture from great and fundamental doctrin,
Of representative government to be toIera
ted, much less engfatted permanently int
the laws Of free people, without unayoid
able necessity, and sancuiicd as part 0
our democratic faith, without notice to thu
| people \ step or two further, and We shall
be carried TO a point where Congress cat
do nothing but declare the aggregate rev
enucs which ray be levied for the govern
meni and leave the Treasury Department
to collect them as may seem best to It's Of
dcets and according To ats rules,
/ come n1w to show that what the OK
pcumculal urlH makes the rule Of taxa
ton tho fathers Of the republic malo Tia
exception. What they declared was a fruit
lul mother Of frauds, 1t has adopted a. thc
only parent OF our revenues
! Ia 1898, when Washington was Presi.
dent Alexander Hamilton, his Secretary Of
the Treasury, IN a report 10 the Hga,e OF
Representatives, used tie following words,
VIZ;
" According 10 the prosou, laws, lmpos-
ING duties % articles imported into the L.
States, not mitch short Of onc-yhlfd al the
whole amount d tho duties ls derived lrom
articles rated I'D yaIorcm.
! lie o,acr ustt"n-, vAcrc this branch Of
revenue, as with Us, Is Of principal or very
considerable Consequence, aud where no
pocuilarity Of situation las tended 10 keep
tho rates Of duty low, experience has led
to contract more and more The number Of
articles rated at yaIorem, and Of course TO
extend the number Of those rated speclf.
IcalIy; that Is, according to weight, meas,
ute, or other rules of quantity.
The reason OF this Is obvious: II is to
guard against eyaslyns, which intalIlbIy
happen IA a greater or less degree when
duties are high. It IS impossible for the
rerChauls OF any country 10 have mani.
lesed more probity than those Of the t.,
states on this subject; and 1t is firmly be.
lived IhOt there never was one in which Il.
( Hcu purchases TO the disadvantage Of the
revenue have obtained 50 hltlc as hitherto
O." this. Yet would It be deiusiye expecta.
lioh' that, with duties 80 considerable as
those "~rCu now exist, q disposition viii
: not be CNpn fenced Iu some lutlyiI,,aTs 81, b.,