The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-11-06
OUR TARIFF poLIcY-ITs TWO ERAs.

public addresses, made an appear III io'oi VI N"'
protective sysiem, to the example bequeathed by
the trainers Of our constitution. His argument
reyertns 10 ancient precedent the rule for fature
Legislation, took boldly and unreseryedIy the very
broadcast ground Of conservatism. Ills reasoning
ran thus: "From 1889 to 1874 our country has
greatly prospered. During that time, protection has
been the established policy of our government Let
us cling, then, to the wisdom Of the fathers, and
stand by that established policy Of protection which
has brought in its hands national prosperity" Inc
argument, even admitting the facts which 1t as
sumes, maniesty forgets that since 1883 the whole
social and industrial world has become new
Granting what MIR. Webster most enormously
took for granted, that the trainers OF the con-
stitution were ultra protectioniss, sull OF course
the question arises, "would they, on their own pnn-
eiples. be protectonists nowi" Does not, rather,
now state Of things-a new world-demand nsto
politics?
But the constant appeal Of the protecuonists to the
past, admits and demands quite another answer. Al
the bar Of our early constitutional usage, protection
as the term ID now understood, stands irrevocaoiy
condemned. OF the thirty tariff laws, general and
special which Exclusive Of the tariff OF lo4o)
comprise the financial policy Of our government
since the adoption Of the constitution, fifteen were
enacted prior to the 9th of April, lsl6-the day
when the modern protective system began These
first fifteen tariffs, extending, in their operation
through little more than quarter OF cen
tury, form the first constitutional era, OF
our revenue legislation. These laws were
enacted under the advice and guidance Of the men
Of our revolution. They were contemporary legis-
lative expostons of the federal constitution They
all arose out Of one creed of constitutional principles
(for on these iac, federasts and republicans agreed
and save in 80 far as two of them enacted respect
lively in 1904 and 1912, were modified for war pur-
poses the one looking to our hostilities with the
Barbary powers, and the other to our war with
England-they all xhibit strict unity of character
and strong famil likeness "...
The first remarkable fact about them ia fact
in our day, almost incredbe-thai they tcere tariffs
,ohieh satisfied the uhole country! They were not
partisan tariffs No considerable effort was ever
made to overturn the principles or the system of
any one of them during the whole period embraced
in their operation. They gave to the country,
therefore, the vast boon of stability in the principles
and the purposes Gifts commercial legislation. They
rescued industry from the conclusions of the ballot
box
But they exhibited--the whole series of them
other very striking features. They were what they
purported to be, when the power 10 initiate them
was given exclusively TO the House Of Representa-
tives that is lacs for revenue. Protection was their
incident, not their purpose In very few cases only
was it named in their preambles; and in those cases.
probably it was so named, in order to concate the
favor of people jealous Of taxation. They were
all based on real, not fictitious values. Generally they
preferred the ad vaorem SYSTEM and the few specific
duties they adopted, laid for the most part up
on those articles which, from their uniformity of val
ue render the specific duty less onerous than it would
otherwise be to the poor man. Their specific du-
ties very rarely, fever exceeded 80 per cent Of the
value, and were generally much less. OF min
imuns, these early tariffs knew nothing That cheat
had not yet been invented. All these laws taxed
luxuries higher than the necessaries Of life; and all
their incidental determinations, made with view
to protection, were beow--most Of them very far
below--the loioest revenue limit We will en-
deavor, hereafter, to present, somewhat in detail
and perhaps in tabular statements-the various
items of taxation in those tariffs, which fully prove
our assertion. MH
Since the 9th of April, 1916, when the opera
ton of the last in this first series Of tarMs expired,
we have had exclusive Of the act of l546) fifteen
other tariff laws All these with the single excep-
ton Of the compromise act Of 1888, "a special egs-
laton, intended to meet special emergency have,
like their predecessors exhibited general unity Of
character and purpose. They form the new sys-
tem--the system of modern protection They
are strictly party tariffs. They have con-
vulsed the politics Of the country every two
or three years. They have made Investments
of capital in many branches Of industryto be little
more than a species Of political gambling. These
are the tariffs that briste with minimums and spec
6cs, and look with dread on ad valorems. They do
not adopt either quantity or raie as their basis OF
taxation Their cffect--if not their purpose--s NO
cessary array one section of the country agalns,
another. They entirely abandon the principle that
would restrict the protective tax within the revenue
limit; and in their general system of operation, they
make no discrimination against the Injuries, and in
favor Of the neccssaries Of life. In many cases they
adopt an opposite discrimination. We will give
hereafter, il possible, detailed tabular state
meuts in proof Of what we assert. This series OF
tariffs came--as we trust forevsr--to it's bad end
in the law Of 1912. That law collected, during
the year ls45, tax, in the shape of adj
yanced prices upon sixteen principal dutiable
articles, to the enormous amount Of s94, 100, 557
or this sum, 1885, 52 were gross revenue; de.
aucting the expense Of collection from this we have
.., ~.v.r,. NJ SI7 OaQ 2S9 paid into tho treasurv
Such is the modern protective system, which ap
peals to the earlier commercial policy Of our conn,
as precedent. II win be useful, and not uninter
esting hereafter, to contrast the workings Of thes
two systems upon the great interests OF the coup
try4-revenue, commerce., manufactures, and agricul
ture. En- Nj uW NIaEI
..sg.a ID HHa g4uage p a'of 1i''a.1l
agrFt-=J grh