The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-08-05


duties; and in the time Of Mr. Jefferson, the whole
fell together. The whole were repealed upon the
recommendation Of that wise and patriot President
and the United States remained for some years with
out salt tax, and without the superstructure OF
bounties and allowances TO the fisheries erected up
on IL. The bill which have introduced ls copy Of
that act Lsraiim, verbatim, st pHnetuaiirH, II Is
copy Of that blessed act My bill is copy Of the
Jesrsonian ACT in word and spirit and is entitled 10
be passed on its own merits without the interven-
ton of the new circumstance, which renders II
imperative. BY the great oversight In the
new revenue bill, as IL came from the
House Of Representatives, IL will take the entire
amount Of the salt duty TO pay the fishing allowsn-
ees, and also about 100000 or sl5O,OOO, IN add-
ton thereto from other duties TO pay them. brief
statement makes this plain. The value Of the sail
imported has usually been 100000, or $500, 900
per snnum the secretary computes that the reduced
DUTY will increase the Importation and carry up TO
a million ofdollars per annum. Very good IL may
do soi and will proceed upon that assumption. A
million of dollars worth, at twenty per centum on
the value, will yield gross revenue Of 5000 900; but
that sum will lack 100000, or sl50,000 Of being
sufficient TO pay the fishing allowances and the den
cheney must be made up out Of the treasury! The
result Is, that the entire amount OF the salt tax, and
half as much more added to Il, is given as present
to persons engaged in the fisheries Such is the
suit Of the new bill and such u result IL is
reigns-amoDg some Of the unhappy reigns Of the
rudors and Stuarts Of England, particular branches
OF the revenues were sometimes assigned TO favor
itesi but this was usually OF some uxury-as sweet
wines, or something Of that Sort but in no case did
any Of these sovereigns wrong-headed and wilfu as
some Of them were, ever think Of bestowing salt
tax on any individual, or set Of individuals. That
article OF prime and universal necessity under the
worst OF monarchs, was never taxed except for the
purposes OF the State. Now, for the first time, in
the history Of the human race the whole proceeds OF
the tax are to be paid to few individuals, and half
as much more. ] saw this egregious blunder la the
bill when 1t came up, and mentioned il to some OF
my friends; but new edIct seemed TO have gone
forth, under horrible denuneiations 10 pass the bill
as II was To be that denuneiation did not gov
ern me. voted tor one amendment, notwithstand-
ing but would propose none myself consoled my
with saying the remedy is in the hands
OF the Senate. IL they willing To correct IT, IL
can be easily done by the passage OF the bill
have introdueed-the old Jehersonian bill
TO abolish the whoe-the platform and the super
strueture-the tax and the bounties, and the allow
anees built upon it-and thus get rid OF the whole
IN the most complete, compendlous, and beneficial
way That bill is now ready TO be passed. Il rests
with the majority TO pass il; and il the House OF
Representative concurs, not only the great oversight
IN the bill Is corrected but the country will be re-
Ieyed from the whole burden Of the salt tax and
all its superstructure OF bounties and allowances
and all the frauds TO which these bounties and allow
ances VIGOROUSLY give rise. Mr. President this is
not the time TO speak Of the abomnstion Of a salt
tax-s tax almost impous in its nature, as tax
ing the article which God has given to all animated
dumb beast we'll as the human being
to season It's food and preserve its health and life
and which ought to be as free as air and water
This Is not the time to speak Of that impious tax
from which even the British, taxed to death
as they are, have been free since the year 1924
But II Is the time TO speak Of the delusion
OF tins reduction to twenty per cent. on the
value. To those who do not set the working of the
Lax, or who do not see the mode which the imposi-
ion of tax may be made the means Of burdening
the people ten times than the tax itself does il
may seem great matter. To all who understand
The operation Of the tax, the reduction is but little
better than an Illusion. The fact is, that any tax
on this article is a curse, and a small tax nearly as
bad as large one. Any tax at all will carry the
imported article through the custom-house, and
throw 1t into the hands Of regraters and monopo-
izers. The importer does not bring with him
money to pay the duties: it is troublesome and in
for him TO give the two securities which
The law requires. This gives rise 10 class of salt
feaers IN the seaports, who advance the duties or
give the security, and purchase the salt on their
own account. They thus collect il into their own
W.. ssoaf,errunean ss3 wnrru cost rom
six TO eight cents bushel thus put up to forty.fyc
cents; and at this moment, by the New Orleans
prices current, such SALT ia actually at thirty
tents a bushel that is to say four or five times
is import value Nothing but the reference of the
'alt to the custom-house, and throwing il into the
hands Of the regraers, could produce this result
md this will continue TO be the under tax
whatever, be il much or little Nothing but total
freedom from the m-house-nothing but sale
lirect from the ship to the steamboat-can prevent
he mischief and, therefore, the salt should be as
rec as the stones which form the ballast, and over
which no inspection of the customs should exercise
supervision This is enough TO show that the pres
mt reduction is an illuson-that nothing but total
abolition of the tax will relieve the country. |
This is sufficient for the total abolition; vet
here is another one, also the result of any tax what
,ver no matter how small, which requires total alb
'lition of the tax. 1t is in the substitution of the
weighed for the measured bushel. That results |
rom the custom-house law. BY that law the bush
i is to be counted by weeht-56 pounds to the |
'ushel. This may do for Liverpool salt; but the
pure, strong salt which alone is fit to cure beef |
pork, butter, to fit it for expectation, or for
in southern cimate-thls pure strong
alt weighs "a pounds to the bushe so that the pur-
chaser, in getting Sc pounds only gets two-thirds Of
! bushel. But he does not even get 56-whch is |
he custom-house bushel; for the retailer, and the |
domestic manufacturer, improving upon this idea Of
weight have struck off the pounds, and made il |
80! and this was the salt bushel throughout the |
whole west And such bushel as il is |
Often and cfteD, when the water was drained |
nut of it, the farmer has found that a half bush
Il measure would contain the whole bushel, |
md have room to spare and that thrty-odd pounds
weight in the other scale would lih it from the |
ground! This is the case now this has been the !
ase ever since the custom-house bushel was estab-
ished III will be the long as II lasts; and that
will he just as long as there is any tax at all on
alt One per cent. will keep up this false bushel,
IS well as twenty; and twenty will keep it up as
we'll as an hundred per cent. would Therefore, the
eduction Is an illusion, and nothing will do but the
passage of the old JelIerlonian bill which have in
reduced Thus the correction of the great blunder in
he BILL which gives the whole salt tax and half as
much more to the fshermen-,he abolition of the |
nonopolies in the seaports which treble and quadu-
,le the price Of the artc!o-and the restoration of
he honest measured for the false and fraudulent
weighed bushel--a require the bill which have !
Introduced to be passed.
Mr.. DICKINSON then rose and made remark |
n reference, as we understood, to the subject on |
which the senator from Missouri had addressed the |
Senate, but the honorable member was not heard
distinctly in the gallery.
Mr.. HANNEGAN said that he wished to know