Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1846-09-04
,ADDR EsS
OF THE
HON. WILLIAM H. HAYWOOD, JR..
TO THE
PEOPLE OF NORTH CAROLINA
CONCLUDED

CONCLUDED
NOW, the experimental tariff, as Internal
It, fundamentally violated this doctrine. It
Disseminated, but it did so against our domes
TIC TABOR; and IN that way, and to that extent, :.
1t made war upon the vital interests of the
north. And pray, what inducements were Of
tered to North Carolina, by this experiment.
that her senators should help to carry on the
unnatural conflict? What, but the naked de-
sire for an apparent party unity where there
was really no party concord. For North Car
DINA had no local or State interest which will
be served or elevated by it. None whatever.
The limits of this address will not allow of
illustrations by tedious detail ofenumcrated
! articles. reserve that for a more suitable
occasion, only remarkIng, for the present, that
| should any be disingenuous enough to deny
this characteristic of the new tariff, no one,
who regards his reputation, will venture to
contradict the fact, that the experimental tariff
does not discriminate in fauor of American
manufactures and not to discriminate in their
favor, moderately and reasonably, by {" live
and let live" law of love amongst brethren of
a-common country, is the same thing TO- prin-
clple, though not in degree. as to discriminate
against them. Verify, it appeared to me that
its passage would be substituting the theories
yesterday learned in the law office, for the
experience of fifty years Of our own govern
ment, and the practice of all civilized nations,
for the sake of perpetrating an experiment up.
on the people Of the United States.
Fifth. The last objection shall trouble
you with is to the new principle, that all "du-
ties to be laid ad vaIorem.'' 1t is not the
leastremarkable circumstance, connected with
the passage of the act, that this new nd Ualo-
rem article in the democratic creed was sup
ported by the sanction Of no distinguished
name but Henry Clay's! and Mr.. Clay'S friends
say, that even he has been misrepresented, to
furnish the authority.
Another not unimportaut circumstance is, that
the people of my State have been COM
manded to dlshonor me. as e-not true to the
doctrine of party tariff of tad vaorem du-
ties" and, therefore, treacherous to them );
when put it to your conscences, that there
are thousands and tens Of thousands of good
North Carolina democrats, who, so far from
having adopted it in their political creed, did
never so much as hear of it until long since
my election TO the Senate Let each one an
swer for himself-Did you ever understand it
before? In sincerity, declare, that until af-
ter my election to the Senate, did not, and
Ipresume you did not. But | think l under
stand 1t now, my countrymen. and | venture
to guess, that the more you know of it, and
the longer it shall be tried, the less you will
like it.
But let me tell you what it is: 1t is to lay
duties or taxes upon goods imported from for
eign countries, according to the value Of the
goods at the market from whence they come
the haw fixing the per cent, and the collector
of it ascertaining the foreign value of whateV-
er is taxed-viz: the sum of the tax-for
which he is not responsible to you, but to the
Treasury Department. And specific duty is
the same tax ilr2nosed upon the same article
tile lato itself, however, distinguishing the
values, by establishing the Particular sum of
taxation, and leaving nothing for the collector
10 do but to weigh or measure the quantity :;
wherein, if he be guilty Of fraud, he may pro-
badly be convicted, or if disposed to Cypress
the merchant. he can be prevented. In short,
where the tax is specific the collector only
weighs or measures the quantity; where it is
od ualOrem he not only measures or weighs
the quantity, but likewise determines, upon
his own Judgment, the foreign value of the
things imported. The uniform rule, as appro-
we'd by your government, has been heretofore,
that Of making all the duties specific which
can be made so, and let the others be ad valo-
rem but to reduce the list Of ad unlOrem du-
ties, from time to time, by adding to the list
of specifies. The experimental tariff condemns
and repudiates this policy altogether, and pre-
scribes new one, of having all the duties ad
valorem, and none Of them specific. With
this explanation, you can have no difficulty in
comprehending my objections to the new prln-
ciple of the experimental tariff.
1t was maxim ofthe revolution, that rep.
resentation and taxation should 90 together"
Now, this is great principle Of liberty never
L. L. fho oh Of ! n
be necessary to the interest of the republic -
But it means nothing, unless it creates the du
ty of laying taxes by the Law. and not by the
officers who colectit; so that the citizen who
reads the law may, as far as practicable, see
in it what it taxes him officers, too, whom
the people have no agency in appointing, and
S cannot remove-officers who, in assessing
- values, exercise their own discretion, and
whose individual judgment, in this country,
as to the market value of property in all for
eign lands, cannot be successfully impeached
= because "a. witnesses to do it live abroad, and
cannot be gcss.sre; and ifthey could, it would
still be almost impossible to convict the off.
Ger of Intentional faIsehood. 1t mustbe proved
that he was wrong, and knew 1t too. Is moi
this new doctrine. then, more than slight de.
parture from this maxim of the republic-?-
p Shall it be approved, upon the notion that this
great principle of representative democracy
has become impracticable? Shall We sane
ton the pretence, that the peoples representa-
tiues will cheat them in adopting the specific
l4uties, and assume at the same time that Gus
toh; house officers will be- more scrupulous
i and m,re JUS: to you, in fixing the values us
= der a sys7m of od UaLOrem7 duties ! Ought
= sncn a oepa-qre from great and fundamen-
'ai ooc'1'he OF representative government to he
tolerated. mucn rs ingrafted permanently in
H 10 'ne sw and without nnavoida-
l. democratic faith, withouteu. 90 ro,' VI ~,
~ step or two further. and sho,i he aei