The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-07-16

TO the aborer the reward Of his toll is best adapte
TO promote the prosperity Of the country. Labor
under tho existing tariff, has been much better re
warded than under horizontal scale of adj yaloren
duties But the present state of general prosperity
not solely (as It is claimed by the whgs) TO be at
inbuted to the salutary operations Of the tariff o
1912. IL is TO the virtue, industry, economy an,
frugaty Of the people, and particularly health,
condition OF the currency; for, after ALL question:
about tariffs resolve themselves, in great measure
into questions Of currency. Ii is the currency o
every country, be II what it may which represents
and regulates the value Of the property and the pric
oflabor. II the wings were permitted to carry gu
their notions about currency, the present tariff o
duties would be totally inadequate as a measure o.
protection Trade would be Auctuaing and the
value Of property and labor uncertain. They neye
guard the operations OF the money power, or atemp
TO restrain Its excuses. The commercial and inan.
eia history Of this country shows, that whenever W,
have an inflated currency, importaIons, whether III,
rates OF duty are high or low, excessive, and Of
course the American manufacturer and mechanic are
SUBJ ected TO the most ruinous competition. Hence
the sub-treasury will have a most salutary effect
| Whatever may have been the reasons which
induced the passage Of the act In question, It's re
sus Aaus In nts main the
State which have the honor in part TO represent
lwIl have occasion TO show before conclude my 70
marks. The Anglo-Saxon mode Of testing the cor.
reetness Of things was by their results, and we
should not depart from il. We cannot with pro-
prety at this period Of our history be called upon
to substitute faith for experience and theory for
facts. We are eminently practical people. Hence
II is that ! confess | ON IN favor of adopting the
"wise and mastery inactivity" policy upon this
question. IL is the policy recommended by ouI
democratic southern friends upon the subject OF
Oregon; and adopt II, and | hope my western
friends will adopt IL upon the subject Of the tariff.
Let we'll enough alone Is an old and true maxim
The business of the country suffers by the constant
agitation Of this question. do not desire to recog-
Mise state of "war" or "hostIlIties" upon this
subject.
But this act Of 1912 is assailed upon many
grounds, and admit that II is objectionable in some
of its details. These details would be willing to
correct, but | will not agree TO upturn the whole
system. IL is denied by the Secretary OF the Treas
ury, and by other gentlemen IN high places here,
that Congress has the constitutional power TO in
pose discriminating duties In-iavor OF American IN
dustry and products, (long arguments are resorted
to in order to sustain the position and II it has thai
Il is mex pedient and unjust 10 in the
ner authorized IN the act under consideration.
Aside from constitutional provisions, affirm that
upon we-knovn principles Of national law, wei
understood at the time Of the adoption Of the con-
stitution, each nation is the sole Judge Of the pro-
pnety of commerce upon her own part, and ought to
decline a commerce which il advantageous OF
dangerous. find this rule laid down by eminent
writer MIR VatteD upon national laws
The conductor ola nation ought to take particular
encourage commerce that Is advantageous TO his PEG
pie and to suppress or lay restraints uPsn that which to
their disadvantage"
trainers of the constitution to repeal this rule Of in
ternationa law. IL Is founded in reason, and sane
toned by the'experience of ages
Il The want of q power to "regulats trade" with
foreign nations and among the States was Of the
principal defects in the articles OF confederation, and
r
ent constitution. Each State regulated its own
commerce, and different rates OF duty were i'm
posed in different ports. moments reflection
will show what confusion and irritation the exer-
ercIse of that kind of State sovereignty would lead
In 1855, two years prior TO the assembling Of the
| convention which framed our present constitution
| the general assembly of Pennsylvania passed an
'act to encourage and protect the manufactures o.
this State" In raufyng the present constitution
| Pennsy vania surrendered the power, but the
will, to protect her own industry. The power was
con6ded for the general good to the Congress Of the
United States, as will now proceed to show.
| do no., Mr.. Chairman, belong tn the general
welfare and latitudnarIan school Of construction
ISIS To do so would be TO contend that Congress
was omni potent as the British Parliament, and
could control and override State sovereignty, char
ter banks, and carry on internal improvements
without limit. hold that the general government
is one of specified and limited powers-of coded
powers-and that the States have retained all the
powers not expressly or by necessary implication
given to the federal government. BY necessary nl-
picaton, mean the power proper to be exercised in
carrying into effect power expressly granted. The
rule OF construction is properly stated by the Su
| preme Court of the United States in the case oil
Mccullough, 4 Wheaton's Reports, page 3l6:
III the be Legitimate ind within the scope the
stution all the which appropriate, which
plainly adapted to that end and which not prohibited
may constuonally be employed to carry 1t into effect"
1 III he therefore IN Nrepnla te
for the benefit Of the people, gwen 20 Congress
The power lay and collect taxes, duties imposts
and excuses, is expressly conferred upon Congress
by the 9Th section Of the first article, with one m
tation-and that is that "all duties, mposs, and
cises shall be uniform throughout the United States;
and the 10Th section of the same article deprives
the States of the power. Ii says, mo State shall
without the consent of Congress, lay any imposis
or duties on imports EXPORTS" &c. The States
having thus deprived themselves of control over the
commerce of the country, expressly in the follow
log specific grant conferred it upon Congress: "The
Congress shall have power to regulate commerce cih
foreign nations and among the several States and pih
! the Indian irib,s."
| Now what is the Specification Of the word "regu.
late" and what is the common as well as the tech.
meal meaning of the word commerce" and in
what sense did the trainers of the constitution in
tend they should be understood' Noah Webster
in his dictionary says that CIRCULATE" means ''to
adjust by rule, method, established mode; as to
regulate weights and measures To put in good or.
der; regulate the dsordered state Of the nation
or its finances. To subject to rules or restrictions
as to regulate trade, to regulate diet" SO that the
word regulate is understood to mean to restrain, as
well as to adjust by rule. The word regulate is
well understood by every person. Now what ia
Commerce" understand it to be the exchange
of the surplus products of one country nation for
those Of another Crabb, in the first volume Of his
chronological Dictionary, thus defines the word
Commerce, an exchange Of commodities, tratfick-
| ing or dealing with foreign countries by means Of
exports and imports according 10 specific a,os -" An
import duty is, therefore, strictly and literally reg
| ualIon Of commerce with foreign nations.
! The trainers Of the constitution well understood
the meaning Of the phrase Ito regulate COM
merce." They intended thereby to confer upon
Congress the power to protect our own commerce
and the industry Of our people against the poll
cy of other nations. They intended that our trade
with foreign nations should he adjusted by rule,
by specific laws Government is said to be insti-
tuted for the good Of the people; and if so, we
ought to have the power to protect our people as
we'll against foreign soldiers operating in the field