Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1846-09-22


lions Wihthis view we consent tu submit 10 2
temporary inconvenience, Tor HE purpose oflorc-
ing the concession Of permanent good. And
when they are thus levied, il is 10 resist mi Justice,
the remedy Tor which is injurious 10 us, and
which ought not TO be enforced day longer than
the necessity exists. As soon as II accomplishes
its purpose, il should be abandoned. This is The
view which Mr.. Jefferson ard Madison always
took of the subject. In his celebrated repcr; on
commercial privileges and restrictions, made on
The 10th oil December, 1893, aiier showing the
extent of The restrictions on The commerce and
navigation Of the U. States, Mr. Jefferson said:
"The question is, 10 what way lney may best
be removed modified. OF counleracled.
GAS 10 commerce, two methods occur. l. BY
friendly arrangements with the severa! nations
with whom fhese restrictions exist or, 3. BY The
separate acl of our own legislatures fof counter
vaiing their effects.
"There can be no doubt but that OF ,hese two,
friendly arrangement is The most eligible. Instead
of embarrassing commerce under piles Of regu-
lalne laws. duties. and prohibitions, could il be
relieved from all its shackes in all parts of the
world; could every country he employed in pro-
ducing that which nature has best lifted il TO
produce, and each be free TO exchange with
others mutual SURPRISES iof mutual wants, Inc
greatest mass possible would then be prodncei Of
those things which contribute 10 human lie ami
human happiness; The numbers oil mankind YOU'D
he increased and their condition bellcfed.
"UauM eren q single nation begpl rfh The
United States this system If free commerce, rond
be advisable 10 bfgia IL wih Mat naiion, selee il IS
INC bn me oniv that 1t ran be crtcndcd T. all
Where the circumstances OF either parlv render
il expedieni to levy a revenue by way Of impost
on commerce, its freedom might be modified in
that particular, by mutual and equivalent mea-
sures, preserving il entire in all others"
In this connexion permit me TO remark, that
one nation al least has shown a disposition 10
commence system OF free commerce with The
United States, as We will hereafter see, and that
the nation, 100, which takes nearly on-hat oi
our entire exports, and more than ore-hai Of
our agricultural exports. Shall we meet her
hall way:
Subsequently,, in he same report Nh Jefferson
says:
But should any nalicn, contrary loonr wish
Is, suppose il may better lind is advantages By
continuing lis system Of prohibitions, tuiics, and
regulations, il behooyes lis 10 protect onr citi-
zcns their commerce. ami navigator, Ivy ccun-
ter prohibitions, duties, and Trgulaiiuns, Also
Free commerce and navigation are 10! T. be 81
ven in exchange Tor restrictions and vcxalions;
nor ale they likely 10 produce a rcrxalion OF
them"
Again:
"When once il shall be perceived tai We are
either in the system or in the habit 81 grine equal
advantages 10 those who cxlingu>h our commerce
and navigation hy duties md prohl5linns, rs 10
those who treat both with literally aud justice,
liberalily and justice will be converted y ali into
dulles and prohibitions"
On the i;h OF January, 1874, Mr.. Madison in
iroduced into the House Of Representatives his
celebrated resolutions upon The same SUBJECT, de-
signed 10 carry out Mr. Jeffersons views, and in
The speech which he made on the occasion, he thus
endorsed them:
ale prolessed himself 10 be friend u the the
DRY which gives to industry free course, under
the impulse OF individual interest, ant the gni-
dance OF individual sasacity. lie was persuaded
that it would be happy for all nations, il The bar
riers erected by prejudice, BY avaTicc, and BY
despotism, were broken down, and free inter-
course established among them"
These were the views OF those two faihers oil
the republican faith, and vel they are sometimes
quoted as The friends Of levying duties discrmina-
ling for protection. ! admit they conceded the
power Of laying discriminating duties under The
power turesulaie commerce. bnl only Tor CONNER
cal purposes. Ii is true, in some cases they went
50 far as 10 admit, wnefe any particular nation
"hi~i. i.:J onaro,,- -e-,ricii--e upon our trade
was extensively engaged In particular branch
of manufactures we might levy heavy duties up
on their productions But not for The purpose OF
permanently obsiructng commercial intercourse
with her. but 10 caus her to relax her restrictions
In other words, Tor The purpose in the end OF Sc
curing free trade, and mol Tor the purpose OF OBJ
s.ructing il permanently.
Having thus seen for what purpose, under The
power 10 regulate commerce, discriminating duties
NAV be laid lei us inquire il The Tariff Act 81
> t,pp for In
acl commercial principles are as distinctly lost
sight of as revenue principles are. II gives com
paraiively tree trade, on oar part, 10 some nations
in exchange for restrictions; and restrictions 70
others in exchange tor comparative Tree Trade
And This is done by nation whose policy II
should be 10 encourage the most unrestricted COM
merce with the world; and done, too under The
preext of regulating commerce will not fe
tain the committee by going through calculation
as 10 all the nations with whom we have COM
mercial intercourse. But il would prove The truth
of wha,I have asserted. As an illustration !
lake The case OF Great Britain and Brazil We
exported 10 the later place, III our own products,
for The years 1889 and 40, S6,37fSl7. The
duties levied and collected upon which, in her
ports, were 81 ,466207. OF these exports. IS,
599, 1872 we're Of -four, principally from Baltimore
and Richmond, and made Of wheat, 10 large ex-
tent. from my own district. The duty upon this
-four, levied 10 the ports OF Brazil s4Si per cent
upnn fixed minimum value OF 50 % per barrel;
which, as The commercial document OF last year
shows, is near double lis real price. In other
words the duty levied is upwards Of so per cent.
Our imports for The same time were Sl3 ,1s9,
Of which Sl2069,933 were entirely free OF duty,
and the balance bearing very light duly have
taken these three years, because they were The
last three preceding the Tariff Act oil 1872, Tor
H.
which, al that lime, we had returns and tney
show the spirit in which that act was passed. But
| have examined the commercial document oil
las, year, and The trade Of thai year does not vary
materially from that OF the three years referred
to- and the variation, such as il is, makes the in
equality and want Of Iecipr ocity sill greater
Now let us turn 10 our trade with Great Britain.
For The year lS40-I take that year alone be-
cause il will avoid too great complication OF
calculation: The others do not materially vary The
result, and as lar as they vary il al ALL ii IS in Ia
yor of nv argument-lor that year our exports 10
Great Britain. exclusive Of tobacco, were $50
62i 9Sl; the duties collected S., S22, 946, or lit
lie upwards of len per cent. The rate OF these
duties wers, in many instances, reduced before The
enactment, of our Tariff Law OF 1912; and most
OF them have since been entirely removed, or al
any rate very much modified.
For instance: OF the SIS, 822,9f6 OF duties COL
lected, S3,24I ,6SU ~ were iloh col'o'i w uuiJ
upon which was removed, even before the late
modification of her tariff was proposed; and
much Of the balance was from ARTICLES upon
which there was reduction before that time
But without including these last, The average
British duty upon our exports exclusive oil TO-
bacco, was about five per cent. And ibis was
The law as il stood before the a!e modification
proposed by The British Ministry That modii-
cation, which, before this time, is doubtless The
law Of the land, abolishes, or very much reduces,
al!,he remaining duties, except upon tobacco; and,
except as 10 Thai article, our trade with Great BIZ
lain is already as free as she can make il. But
NAV be asked why except that article? In
The first place, The duly she leves upon ii is not
to raise up rival production in her own terri
tories. 10 exclude ours. 1t is not protective,
bu, purely revenue duty, levied upon what she
considers pernicious luxury; TO enable her 10
collect which, she prohibits its cultivation under
severe penal enaclmens, in the United Kingdom;
butior which enaclments il would be cultivated al
home 10 nearly, or quite, sufficient extent 10
supply her demand. Perfectly good tobacco can
be made in the Southern counties Of England,
and most Of Ireland. Indeed, before the cuiva,
ton of il was prohibited, il was grown in Ireland
10 a very large extent. Thus, 10 enable her 10
-. .a,,anue from II she gives the tCbac-