Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1846-11-04
ICHMOND DAILY WHIG.
The vice Pre.ideurs Letter.

The mex, point in the Wig Tariff which s assailcd by
the Vice President, 10 the fixing OF minimums upon GER
uin spcee- Vi cotton goods. chiefly used by the poor
system which he tells his kinsman has completely
exposed that they again be imposed by an Ame
Congress To prove the OF the Secretary
upon this point is only necessary TO
facts.
A minimum duty has for its object the assessing OF q
given quality OF goods, valued below given price,
with specific duty that price The first notice have
of them n in the Tariff Of 1876 into which they intro
duced by John c. Calhoun.
I'm framing his famous report the asth Congress, Mr.
Mex made use Of Manchester price current in which
the price Of domestcs g.cn accompanied by
statement that this species Of goods had to pay 100
cent on being introduced into the United States. Mr.
Walker without troubling himself about the facts Of the
case took granted these goods actually
ported that price, and upon this presumption founded
the that this difference is founded on actual
IHvrtotOn and shows discrimination against the poor
on cotton imports OF 50 per of what the tax would
be, II assessed the actual value One would think that
grave political document, pronounced by his admirlng
kinsmau be the OF the age the
Secretary would have taken position so decided, be
fore enqung the fact whether not this Manchester
manufacture brought here-whether the poor bought
any of it, and whether the 100 per cent. was actually
paid The fact was, that at the very moment when ne
endeavorng persuade Congress that 81 per CT OF the
Manchester added the original value, these
very goods selling in Boston and New York. TWEEN"
per lower than the OF the Manchester pce cur
rent
In fact every who is all informed upon the sub
jec knows very WELL that these minimums are calculated
TO depess prices the low priced goods such as are
used by the poor duty fifty say, is laid upon
goods valued dollar per yard liz the course OF
few years duiy by creating competition, pulls down
the price 25 Immediately, some bta~ler IN
Congress- looking the original high price, eAeials
What, put duty of hundred per cent on an arnce
poor :" Tne duty taken Oh, and back the price
goes again 10 one dollar.
The minimum duty invariably has the effect directly the
OF that assumed by the Secretary OF the Treasury
By report made the Senate the last session OF Con-
gress it shown the application OF the principle TO
ooOens throws the burhen the costly goods worn by
the ch and in favor Of the cheap description OF gooGs
From the document it appears, that from this source
alone (the duty woolens) than two millions OF
the revenue raised Ii appears likewise, from the
same document that the system Of minimums applied TO
cotton goods produced annually OF four mil
lions by far the larger portion Of which came out OF hne
goods such by the rich, and that even these
are eapencd when they OF such description arc
made here As this document emanated from Mr.. Walker
himself, presumed the facts will not be disputed at
least by Free Trade II the price-eurren failed to
prove that goods Chose OF low price, used chiefly
by the poor cheapened by the application OF the sys
TEN of minmuns, the fact would be abundanly esab
Ished, from the unprecedented spectacle OF American
goods driving the English from the market in their own
eastern dependencies and an English Parliament estab
fishing difsrenta duties OF ye and ten per eeHf
keep them out Of circulation.
Let Us now examine another article in the creed OF
Messrs Dallas and Walker, forth IN the luminous
document of the latter. Experience" 1t says, proves
that general rule, duty OF 20 cent dd pGioreH
will yield the largest revenue" Here have another
evidence the Secretay's total ignorance of the
most aets connected with that science OF which
ne assumes To be the chief eHpounder. Whenever any
nation heretofore aimed raising the largest amount
Of revenue has invariably made Of specific duties
10 effect it, Great Britain in 1872 laid specific duty
Sugar by which she raised OF t5OOOOOO stcr-
ling and when n Of relief she reduced the
duty which enormous, the revenue fell IN proportion
Her duties Tobacco all SPECIFIC, and averaging
about thousand per cent yield several millions o.;
pounds sterling per annum. In our own country, under
the high duties OF 1925 upwards Of thirty millions were
raised in one year Under the compromise in l542, when
ia supposed average about 20 cent, the
revenue sunk to thirteen millions. In ls43, Mr.. Polk
said in a speech at Madison, Tennessee. while he was
running for Governor ait [the Tariff of 42l will not
produce, annually, half the OF which
would have been produced by the lower OF the Com
promise Act" One half Of that revenue would have been
S65O0OOO. The Tariff Of 10 hes yielded average OF
$4,000 600, four times much he said 1t would
Thus in the persons of these high funcuonares OF
Government, compelled witness ignorance Of
history 20 depl1rable . make an American blush for
his country IL induces MIN TO eTclaIm, Involuntary
What crime have committed a nation, that should
be delivered over the scourgo, which ignorance
vanity. interfering with great national interests Is certain
20 inhict7
Blu, Tor Mr. Dallas there is no such His las
been the SIM not Of ignorance but Of wiuness. In h,
very face Of light has he snned, and the damnasn dee
bis political apostacy shall only be the deeper turn
coat oil delestabe character bot the
aposae implying consciousness Of sin, has been held
all times greater adherence than any other. In 1914
Mr.. D. could inform his friends that Mr. Polk NOR,
Of Tariff man than Mr.. Clay in 1876. he glores in
having deceived those who trusted him, by wilu false
hood What punishment is enough for ueachory
90 unblushing-so cod-so impudent-so calculating =
We imagine none, that, which IT, after all III,
most severe the traitor who has acted with view &
his reward lie, him sink 20 retirement-ei his nam,
cease TO be mentioned among the honorable statesmen
all partieset deep oblivion him and his aposta
ey-und lot PonnsylvsaS forget II she can that she eve