Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1846-08-22
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subjec; in which all OF our readers feel an in
teres,, aud sc copy part of his address:
"Thc subject Of the tariG. anil tho system
ot laws by which taxes are imposed and coll
lected Tor The usc of the General Government
throughout the Union is one of deep impor.
lance, but OF much i~nticecy and great diff
Guilty IA It's %ludicious arrangement. Soon al
ter taking my seat m the Senate OF the Uni
ted States Gn December, 1881 | Tor one lelt
what any man. when he first goes into Con.
gress directly rom private lite, will be- apt to
experience, 8nd that WAS. a lack uf necessary
knowledge Ond Information upon IT. With
an ambition To lrBm my duty us a legislator
Tor this great Republic, and a fixed determine
ton TO pursue II afterwards, | imme lately
gave my whole mind to- the studs and tonsi l.
Grafton oi this tariff system, well knowing
that upon IT depended in a god degree tn
Chlei operations Ia commerce, agriculture, aud
manufactures i'm the other States as well as
ours. During the first session of the last Con
greSS. and after having devoted nearly all my
time lur some months to this study. ! hoped |
hfd mode myself qualified. aud my political
associates believed me fit To b. consulted and
counSclled with in our united efforts to arrange
a tariff with justice To all sections, aud with
entire safety TO the business. prosperity. har-
mony, peace, and independence of the Union.
My opinions shall b. laid before YOU with
out disguise, and you shall see whether. taken
~ conncNion with an unnecessary aud inprop-
er abandonment OF thu real Mckay bill of Is
III, they do not show. that in my hostility to
the experimental tariff, | was faithful TO YOU
and my country, and true to myself AMI my
party.
Fortunately for me, those opinions, so far
as they looked forward TO its ultimate conse-
quences on the harmony of the party OF the
welfare ol the Republic, | am no longer un-
der the necessity OF supporting by laborel ar
gnments. For good orevil, the law has pass
Ell. III should be repealed Jr modified at
the next session, that will be of itself a com-
plete vlndlcation oi my opposition TO it at the
present. IL it should BE- permitted TO remain
IN force la the form that | was required to
vote upon it, then time will soon determine
whether my opinion Oil was right or wrong.
] abide the result without fear; yet, if | know
myself, without a wish To see evil CONE OF
it, merely ioI the sake of claiming hereafter
the merit OF political sdgacity Tor my resist
ance TO it.
These then, were now my opinions, as thay
are now
First. Our country is involved i'm an ex-
penslvc war, and the wiscst among YOU can-
not iorsec It's close. We have a large army
invading Mexico. and a large navy oil her
coasts, along ths Pacific Ocean and in The
Gull OF Mexico. The sum already appropria-
ted by Congress for the Government expendi-
lures OF the fiscal year exceeds FIFrY MILLIONS
dollars. Will the experimental tariff raise
revenue sufficient to ''pay as we go7' Ger
not. Congress knew that, and there
lore authorize d a loan of ten Millions morel
VIII IT produce revenue enough to pay one
ldli OF The appropriations | am quite sure
VIII not. Its advocates did not assert that
II will do much more. Wherefore, ii this
experiment works as well as lis wamcst
friends have predicted. tie Govemnentwiil be-
IN debt twenty-five millions this (iiscal) year.
81 long as the war lasts, aud Tor such u peri .
od OF time aiter itas the war expenses conun-
uc, II viii be the ain thing. But il the ex-
penmeut works asiily asits more violent OPP
poncnts have said OF { ,why then twill hard
~ 20 at all. uiuk the ttutr 49, Aetxscn
them- ltwil- work but ii will work badly, |
and work you deeply IN debt; an hit is al
hcred To without alteration, the public debt
wall be increased not much short ct THIRTY
Millions the first year, aud can see no way
To prevent It's yearly mcrras,, except by a C..
sort 10 direct taxes.
D'rcct taxes ought To be or very last resort
public debt isan evil lhatl abhor more than
ever since | was u member OF Congress; aud
therefore II was the conclusion oil nv mind
that THIS tariff experiment ought not TO b.
tried, * certainly not at this particular time.
The act OF a Congress which went to diminish
the revenue, but TO increase the expenditures,
did not seem TO mc to- be consistent with pru-
dence III any Government, more especially i'm
a time OF war. The tariff system, according
to my Judgement, was a most unfit subject Tor
party experiments; aud at the time OF a year
ly expenditure OF liity millions OF dollars, and
1I "A tofptuu xxtr sub avn.vt.,.nt- ....,-
90 party r.shnes . II the war should end soon.
sill The Government here, we know, expect
eel TO terminate IT by a treaty for peace and a
new territory, VIZ: California. No honest
country would take the territory without pay
ing the owner TT IT, and, II we would, MeXi-
ca caunot yield IT upon any other terms
Hence, whether we were tohayc peace or war
with Mexico, we needed much more money
10 carry on the Government. When the plain.
est rules of anthmetic and common sense thus
compelled me to withhold my support from
a tariff experiment, 20 b. made now, at the
expense OF the nations credit, how could /
hcsitatc7
Second. The tariff Of 1912 ought TO have
been modified, but not by an act which rrduc-
cd the duties as early as The list December.
In all great attentions Of the tariff dimin.
fishing duties, the reductions ought t. H. made
upon reasonable notice 10 the people whose
property aud busin IS will be affected by th.m
IN that case there may b. Inconvenience to
some, but II does not bring ruin down upon
- many innocent people. Not giving time,
infant factories are destroyed by the hand OF.
lfglslotion, and the Older and more mature cs- /
Establishments are compelled to diminish their
operations iorthw iti, aud consequently to dis
charge a number OF their labOrers. ani reduce
the wages OF all. The labOrers suffer more
thtu toe owners, because they are less able to
BEAR II. The sudden loss of work will be To
many ct them aud their lumilicsa loss of food
ant raimsnii and that which the law-ingkcf
D. commanded TO pray lor-his daily bread
he would b. thu, rulcly taking by law from
the worNuglndn of his county. And the
experimental tariff act was thc more objection.
able mdsmnch as many OF our cuunlryneu-
nc Northern laborcrs, wiIoare to suffer under