Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1846-09-15
RICHM MON VA.
tuesday Morning, September Is. isao.

10 be collected, was HdSHiHsu =, "'s
. GREAT marty question. They commended that
new principle had been admitted into our legs
la,ion. which no man pretending TO the charac'e
Of statesman had ever sustained, and WINCH
-. aaon,ed would be ruinous TO The trade ana com
nerce of the country. The Democrats not on'y
Demonstrated the advantage OF I'D ralore"' over speei
c duties, bur also endeavored 10 show that their OF
Moments had reckoned without their host, inasmuci
as the great impersona,ion OF Wing principles
Henry Clay himself, agreed with them. ms nd
been met on The part OF some, BY the deciafa'io'
that Mr.. Clay advocated the Gd ralorem duties
on,v when levied and collected on the home valu
alton, while others, with the "HoS. 6ARRETl
Davis at their head, asseverate siouy that he II
committed fully and entirely 10 specific duties, an'
TO none other.
That gentleman, in communication receh'p
published over his own signature IN The Naiioha
Inleigencer, represents MIR. Clay "a recommends
ING in his speech "oN THE TRUE PUBLIC POLICY,
delivered in 1872 that The home value OF all gu
liable articles should be declared and established
in the law; and tina, upon this ascertaineu
fixed and intiexible valuation Q! all articles, a
certain duty should be levied. This plan, says
MIR. Davis so far from abandoning The principle
OF specific duties, MADE ALL DUTIES SPECIFIC, oy
.nscfyins the value of every class OF articles,
and levying specific rate OF duty on that value.
This is Mr.. Davis account OF Mr.. Clay's doctrine,
az derived from his speech in 1912 The reso-
lulions brought forward by Mr.. Clay in the speech
referred 10, are quoted 10 sustain this asseriion.-
They are as follows
ssR,solpsd That such an adequate revenue cannot
he Obtained by duties upon imports, without adopting
higher than twenty per CENT as provided Ior oy
the Copromise Act which, at the tine oil IT'S passage
was supposed aud assumed asa rate that would supply
suffice nj for the economical administration
Of the Government"
reign imports ought augmented beyond the rate Of
twrnty per cent n to produce melt revenue oi
twenty six millions Of dollars twenty-five" loI ire oi
binary expenses Of the Government Two for the pay
,nent Of the existing debt, and two millions as re-
serve fund for contingencies ~.
.Rssolrsd, That in adjustment oil larit 10 raise
an amount Of tweniysiA millions OF revenue. the pf
cipies of the Compromise Act generally should De sd
heed to- and that espeidavG mar,mum rate I'D raterrm
duties siould be ESTABLISHED! from winch thee ought ~ NC
as little departure rs possible
Now We DEFY any candid man TO find one syl-
liable in the above resolutions which hints al the
idea of fixing and declaring by law The home
value OF all QUtldUlc cIliCiCs. THG III .Sdi Va
being accused Of disappearing the Honorable
Mr.. Davis, when we allege that he has made
such unwarranta bic use Of MIR. Claws language,
we subjoin his own words
"Three principles are distinctly embodied in them.
First All the necessary for the support ui u"
yernmrnl Is be raised by duties upon foreign imports
Second That such duties are L. IL laid apeH =. aep
RADIATION Of foreign roods u be established b. c Ihfi
That the rate should be twenty-five per cent rPsr -
hcas rIaaton dutiablf cri,eieS Gioas IL vas pr
yded that the principle Of the Compromise Bal should
De adhered In framing the measure. and thos'
stated were taken from that law. instead - adopting
the and absurd notion OF al rdor,n. duty
upon the foreign invoice. it's plan requires me hom'
piiae of all dutaJc aclrs In be dstdrsd aud esfdbhea
IN the law and thus ascrfdIfd hftd and MHeiibh
pauaa0A NJ all arte!es, duty at twenty hvr per crh
was 10 h. ,ad 80 fAf from abandoning ia. pfincp'"
Of SPECIFIC duties II made all duties ,irciht by -'r'
flying the value al class of articles and rvynI
specific rate OF duty upon TINT value. ihus ~ ih'
law RUSSIA h-p being valued Al two huniicd dollar.
per ton, would he subject !, \ SPECIFIC uu't !" i"n,.
DOLLARS pig iron being valued AT thirty two dollars pei
would he subject 10 -prehc duty oil rirhi dollars
mola.s-s being valued at twenty four cents per gallon
would be- subject specific duty al siS cents ana :"
on throughout The whole list Of iutiahlr articles
This is the Interpretation put by Wing par-
IAN on the foregoing resolutions, which say EN-
phaically that maximum rate OF Al vaLoRRM
duties should be established from which there
ough, 10 be as little departure as possible Yet
this commentator contends that The author oil IN ose
resolutions was in favor ofspecihc duties IN every
instance II he is night, then the definition OF
language that il is The ar, Of conceaing thought,
is true so lar as the words OF MIR. Clay are con
cerned The Wing "Dicla,or" Of lol2 express
ed the hope that Mr.. Simmons would succeed IN
devisne some expedlen, by which The value Of
foreign imports could be established al Inc
por, Of entry, in accordance with the provision OF
the compromise act bu, il plain, from The speech
nos rBg Tsul yrsi,c foLtcY," that he had not al
tina, tine done 81; aud Mr.. Davis admits that Mr..
s. did 10, bring forward his bill nn'i alter Mr..
Clay had retired from he Senate N"twiii-
Standing tins, the "Honoiable" commentator re-
presents hs author agreeing with the proYisichs
III this bill ADD he in'efpolstes us principles mo
his exclamation 81 speech made some time be-
fo,e He DOES his too, ~Ith The iull knowledge
,Asl N,. Clay, III this very speech repfobars the
principle Of admitting diheren. qualities oil Inc
same article under the same rate Of duty, pril'
cinlr which is adhered 10 throughout The bill re-
ported by Mr.. Simmons. Il IS that bill which re-
ouires, what no other bill before or since did, lo
wit ttat The home palus of all duiiabic articles
ehouLd be- declared aud established IN the la,r MIR
CLAY never did, in any one OF his pubic speeches
sanction such an idea and il is but sheer misTepre
sentation To put such construction on the reso'
lulions he introduced in 1912. Let us examine
the remarks made by Mr.. Clay himself when ne
introduced the resolutions so singuiarly perverted
by Mr.. Davis. His authority is more binding
than that of any commentator.
Speaking of the Compromise Act, he says
"Fira, there is The principle that t1ed al ra'o
rem duty shall prevail and be in force al all h@es
For one, / an milling 10 ebide bu that prtnc'pH.-
There are certain rague notions Gfoat as TO III
utiliy and necessity Of specific duties and dscTlm
nations, rhich am persuaded ar,se from a 'oan
sfa night understanding Of the smb1eot. "-(Gree
ley's Clay, vol, p. 536) Compare The diff
renee bet,ceen the specific and The ad raforem system
of duties aud maintain that the latter ts1na!
entitled to the preference. The one principle dc
rlore, he duiv shall be upon The real vdtne OF IN
article taxed the specific principle imposes an equa
duty on articles greaAy unequal IN ratne. Coffee
for example land i. is article arhiet always sag
ce,ts itself to my though) is enc Of the aTt'efes On
,caea specific duty has been leried. Nor, II
perfectly sreA kno,rn that the Mocha coffee as 'ror
nj least t,rice as much as the coffee Of 81 Dsmins'
or Cuba-uet they both pay The same duty. I'm
tar has no respect 10 their ralue, int as arbtrafm
levied on all articles ola scafc Kind alike, hoeere
various aud unequal may be their ratue SAY
THAT IN THEORY, AND ACCORDING TO EVERY souNt
PRINCIPLE OF JusrIcE, THE AID vALoREM PRINCIPLE
or IA RATION is ENTITLED TO TIE PREFERENCE. -
(lb, p. 537)
This language i. clear and unequivocal, ano
we would ask the reader 10 compare this com
mentary on the above resolutions, which it con-
tains, with that furnished by Mr.. Davis, and say
ifone particle OF similarity exists between them
We can discover none. MIR. Clay says, that in
theory, and according to every sound principle OIL
- m no