The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-06-24

laws proiessedly made IN pursuance OF II, more
lntoierable, more iniqutous, more oppressive, and
more tyranniea than any odious edlot that ever
emanated from an eastern dnspot
suppose the government, in its maternal solicitude
Tor the prosperity OF its citizens, should distinctly
aVow that In the opinion of those who administered
that government, the public interest required them
10 impose TAX upon II 10 and c, farmers, 10 in
crease The pTohts and protect the interest of ID Il
and J., manufacturers, would this be called equality:
and event. handed usticel Would this be tolerated
in the courts Of law, the courts of the peope un.
der that constitution which limits and defines our
powers Suppose you pass law aUOiosdy TO take
a portion of the earnings of one section and paw il
over TO another section, Of one class and pay il over
to another, specifying the sections and class would
this cOmport with our ideas Of Justice equality and
the powers conferred upon Congress under the con-
sttution And STILL stripped of all the sophistry which
interested ingenuity has thrown around the subject
protective tariff is this hdeous system Of plumber
oppression and iniquty. The true doctrine was
fOrcibly and correctly expressed in a resolution OF
meeting Of the citizens Of Boston in 1920. IL is
this:
"Rssoirsd That objection ought ever to be made to
any amount OF taxes equally appoioned and imposed for
government but that taxes imposed the people for the
sole benefit Of any class OF equally
with the principles Of our constitution Shl with sound pol
icy"
The truth and reason ayowed in ths resolution
can never be impaired controversial and yet men
judgments may be so blinded by selfnterest, their
appetites so increased by indulgence, that what was
reason and truth in their estimation yesterday is to.
day nothing but theory, unsupported tu facts This
10 the only way TO account for the numerous ciTcu-
lars and pamphlets with which our tables have
been loaded recently from cItizens Of this same city,
insisting and attempting to argue that a revenue
tariff would PROSTATE their craft and seriously in
jure the whole country. II what was avowed by
that city in 1870 be the true policy and power OF
this addition fran,
the fact, that manufactures, then in state Of COM
paratlye infancy, have now grown up to manhood
and we are told by their friends enter INTO c9mpe-
titlon with every nation on the globe.
The difficulty is admitted Of sscertainng exactly
the proper revenue tax upon all the various articles
which are imported into this country. The detail
| Of arrangement is attended with some complexity
We are, however, dealing with the tariff act OF
a. and requires no strong powers Of discrimination
To discover that that act essentially and ayowedy
regulates the idea of tariff arranged for revenue
only. The bill now under consideration Processes
to act upon that sound, equal, and democratic doc
trne shall not attempt to go into detail il is i'm
sractcabls. Comments must necessarily be brief
But permit me to advert to those deceptive niqui-
tous, and unequal principles embraced in the act OF
1912, called 'mlnimums" and "specifes.n What
legislative trckery is thsi The principle and effect
is better explained by the Secretary Of the Treasury
than can hope to do. | lead from his annual re-
port:
"Minimums fictitious value assumed BY l-~ in.
stead Of the real vslue and the operation all minmums
Of si2 duty Of 30 per sd vaorem is levied on all
manufactures OF cotton hut the law further provides that
cotton goods not dyed coored printed stained
ceeding in value twenty cents per square yard shall
De valued at twenty cents per square yard. IT, then
the real value Of the cheapest cotton goods but
square yard it placed by the law the false value Of
twenty cents per square yard, and the duty levied
the aenSog' raiueuTS.ng 1t Eve times higher the
tiele purchased by the more wealthy. Indeed by House
No 900 Of the LIST session Of the oath Congress
this difference by actual importation per cent be.
tween the cheaper and the finer article Of per cent
minimum 3 per cent on the 30 per minimum 4sB per
cent on the 35 per cent minimum, 81 per on the
per cent minimum and 81 per the per cent min
mum This difference is founded actual and
SHOWS an average discrimination against the poor
imports OF 81 per cent beyond what the would be II
assessed upon the actual value The operation Of the spe
cine duty presents similar discrimination against the poor
and favor Of the rich Thus upon salt the duty IS no,
upon the value but is eight cents bushsl whether the
article be coarse or hne showing by the document
from actual importation discrimination Of 81 per cent
against the cheap and in favor of the finer acle and this
to greater or less extent is the effect Of all specific duties
When consider that 50 62I "a of the revenue last
year was collected BY minimum duties and 6 as by
specific duties the discrimination against the chesp.r
Gle must amount by estimates founded on the same doc
ments to tax Of 422 exacted by minmums and spr
cifc duties annually the poorer classes by raising thu.
the duties the cheaper articles above what they would
be II the duty were assessed the actual value
were made specific they would be inolerahe
Thus an annual thirty dollars was assessed on ali
houses without respect to their actual value making the
Of the or cabin pay tax Of 80 dol
dollars their respective houses, it would differ only In
degree banot in principle from the unvsryng spec
nc duty on cheap on fine articles. II discrimination
should be made should be the the specific duty
and Of the minimum principle, by establishing maximum
standard above which value the duties finer article
should be higher and below which they should be lower on
the cheaper article The tax upon the actual valve is the
most equal and can only be accomplished bv ad yalorem
duties As to fraudulent invoices and under valuations
these dangers believed to he escuay BY the
Stringent provisions and severe penalty OF the 18th
Of the tariff Of si2; and now onehal the revenue ia col
lected from al valorem duties
And by this American industry is protected By
its operation, instead of discriminating in favor Of
the poor least able to bear the tax, you discriminate
against them Instead Of attempting to euualize
your taxes by impositions upon those best able to
bear them, you excuse them to make the burden
more heavy upon those least able; and TO cap the
climax, instead of applying the lax thus uneoually
imposed to the support of the government it finds
its way into the pockets Of those who are thus ten
Derby relieved. Ard this is called protection to
American labor and American industry!
But recently the tariffites have become exceeding
y kind and generous to the South and the gentle
man from Pennsylvania Mr. STEWART insists
that this minimum principle ought TO he retained to
protect our southern manufacturers. How exceed
ingly kind You say we have the field open to
compete with our northern brethren; we are COM
mencing the manufacture of coarse cottons You
are so kind to us that you do wish to PROSTATE
our infant establishments and this policy will COM
pei us to extend our manufactures. Was this gov
w pursuits and
equations of Individuals Then, indeed, are we
LIVING under despotsm, and not in free republic
with the same propriety may you attempt to regu-
late our tastes, our dress, and our religion This
gross heresy was exploded in 1920 by no less per-
son than the Hon. DANIEL WEBSTER. Hear him.
in advocating the Boston resolutions, which have
before quoted:
'Ile Nlr W. certainly thought it might be doubted
whether Congress would not be acting somewhat against
the spirit and intention of the constitution in exercsing
power to control essentially the pursuits and occupations
OF individuals in their private power to force
great and sudden changes both Of occupation and
upon individuals, not as incidental exercise of any
other power but as substantive and direct power such
changes were wrought incidentally ONLY and were the
necessary consequence Of such mpos Congress for the
leading purpose OF should enact then they could
not be complained Of But he doubted whether Congress
fairly possessed the power OF turning the incident into the
principal"
was much gratfed to hear my friend from In
diana, Mr.. OWEN, the other day trace the progress
i've changes in society and government from early
times, and particularly the progress of truth and rea
son on the particular subject now under discus
SION In the early history of the government, in |
the administration of its powers, we frequently
copied the errors of our mother coptr,. and ,,b,n