Mississippi Democrat. (Carrollton, Miss.) 1844-18??, 1846-08-05
TARIFF Compromise

LIMIT UUMT hUIllNEs
The protectionists insist, that there
should be compromise on the subject of
the tariff. One party among US claims,
that the people should be taxed foi the sake
OF building up particular branches of ia
dustry. Another party proclajns taxation
with such an object TO be unjust in itself
and unknown TO our constitution, and as.
serts that taxes should be laid honestly and
bona tide with the intention to raise a re-
venue.
This being the state OF opinion among
us, we insist tina. the proposed tariff bill is
compromise, and liberal compromise,
offered by the friends of free trade to the
friends of protection.
This bill assumes in the first place that
the government is to be sustained by taxes
laid exclusively Oh imports. No tax at all
is laid directly on any article of American
manufacture. On the contrary, under the
present bill, every such article is in fact
protected by a tax on its foreign compet-
tor. Here is plainly an element of COM
promise in favor of the protectionists..
But in the second place: In the wide
range OF the bill, from per cent. to 100
per cent. taxation, almost every diScrini.
nation is directly and cogentIy in favor OF
American manufactures, a tariff upon an
ports being dlWays in so far protection to
home manufactures, even if it be a horI-
zOntal tariff One would say this is a
very fair mpromise-esp where
the parties fail to agree upon the funda-
mental principles, constitutional and eco
nomical, on which the compromise is
based.
Yet this tax bill, is denounced on the
ground that compromise is wanted by the
friends of protection!
This is the burden of Mr.. Webster's
charge against the bill. He said, two or
three days ago:
"Mr. President, II cannot and ought not
to be concealed that there has been and
there is in all parts of the country, a strong
desire that this tariff subject should be set
lied up0n some permanent principle or
means Of justice, SO that IL should not be
dgitated as often as a Rer0 election occurs.
/ beliere that honorable and honest men of
both parties, everywhere, irish this to be
the case. may say there have been ex-
as myself, by leading gentlemen belonging
to the ranks Of the majority here, who are
endeavoring to deal with this subject in a
statesmanlike manner, 1UhO desire TO modi-
fy and accommodate this great subject or
branch of our legislation so as 10 estab
Iish it upon such grounds as it can stand
| upon with advantage to the country"
Mr.. Evans followed up this declaration
with some remarks, which 60 to show what
kind of compromise the friends of pro-
lection demand Mr.. Evans said:
"He concurred fully in the opinion ex-
pressed this morning by the honorable
senator from Massachusetts, that the bill
,Cas radically torong an principle; that II
was so defective as to render ii almost I'M
possible to build anything upon it. If ii
passed at all, therefore, he supposed IT
would pass in its present shape. He would
go for no attempts to patch up that which
he thought could not be patched beneficial
ly Tor the interests of the country. The
bull would have to take an entirely neW
shape before he could give it his support"
Here we have the nature of the compro-
mise sought for, very clearly stated. 1t
must consist in san entire change" of the
present bill. Ii must be The introduction
of wholly 'nel0 principle" into the mea-
sure And it is limited broadly enough
that the principle introduced must be the
principle of specific duties, 10 place of ad
valorem.
Give the protectionists duty which
shall have no reference whatever to the
| value of the article taxed--which shall
tax the cheap article just as much as the
costly one-which shall levy the same tax
on the pound of China silk, which costs
So, as on the pound of figured French silk
lace, which costs $S30--which lays this
absurd tax, in such manner that the con-
sumer of such an article can never know
how much he pays in the shape oftaxes--
which thus opens door to every concei-
vable abuse of taxation, and which, in
fact, gives, in its latest application in the
law of 1912, more than one tremendous
instance of such abuse; give the protec
| tionsts such law as this would be, and
then, especially if you will sprinkle over
it naininaunas with liberal hand, they will
vouchsafe to accept it as a very satisfac.
tory compromise! But until bill is so
| framed, II is too bad, in their view to be
even susceptible OF amendment. To at
tempt to improve such thing as the pre-
sent bill, is labor thrown away. And the
reason urged against such hopeless at
tempt is, forsooth, neither more nor less
than this: that the present bill, in taxing
an article, really exists upon paying some
regard to its value! Now, the statistics
and the ethics of taxation are old-very
oId-as old as government Itself. And we