The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-08-01
For the Union.

For the Union.
The forty-eight merchants of Boston, the dramat-
is persons of the Hon. Daniel Webster, are about
to become celebrated as the forty dramatists in
another amusing play. Had they known much
of what they were speaking in their memorial as
they protested, they would not have exposed them
selves as they have done. Perhaps they relied on
the ignorance of others to escape the laughter to
which they have exposed themselves, not to say
contempt.
The brief state of the case is this: Forty-eight
dry-goods importers, either panic-stricken them
selves or wishing to create panic at Washington,
or perhaps willing to sustain the WING leaders, pre-
pare and send memorial to Congress, expressing
alarm at the awful revolution which is about to be
introduced into the whole of the government by the
substitution of ad vaorem for specific duties. The
oaths Of "unscrupulous" foreigners are to destroy
the great emporium of New England, and they are
to be ruined Mr.. Webster rises with all the So
emnity OF tombstone, and announces the conse-
quences--the ''awfuI'' consequences--of the new
measure to the people of Boston, his own immedi-
ate constituents. This apprehension on the part Of
Mr. Webster, was no doubt sincere; but he will
hardly forgive his constituents for the imposition
which he has practised, or has been made the in
strument of, when he reads the following facts:
There are but three kinds of dry goods imported
into Boston paying specific duties. And what is
remarkable, not yard OF cotton goods paying the
minimum duty during the year ending the Both
June, 1876. The articles are as follows silks,
hannes, and carpetngs.
Total amount imported into the United
bers -ss6oo,ooo
Amount imported into Boston ofthe same
goods, about 100000
Total amount of duties paid at Boston -. 80.
on them 2D0,O00
Total paid in the United States 26OO,00O
Boston, therefore, imports about onethirteenth of
these goods, and pays about the same proportion of
the duties. 1t will be well therefore to examine the
enormous amount which these Bostonians are like
ly to lose if those "unscrupuous' foreigners should
cheat them out of their profits by an undervalua-
ton of 20 per cent The figures will show.
"forty-eight" 100000
At 30 per cent, the duties 10000
Total cost and duties honestly laid 5000
Same amount Of dry goods imported by
the ounscrupuous foreigners" 100000
20 per cent. differentiation
would be 100000
Leaving dutiable- 100000
are 10000
Honest duties paid by the "forty-eight" $1,000.
are 10000
Duties of the "unscrupulous'' 10000
Gain by the fraud $4,000
Forty-two thousand dollars distributed mongst
the "forty-eight"-not quite alhousand dollars each
lis to ruin the whole of the eastern States destroy
morals, and introduce horde of "unscrupuous for
eigners" to overrun the nation.
Should the city Of Boston be cheated out OF all the
"specifc" duties on dry goods, the loss would be,
in round numbers s202, 900
The imports into Boston of dutiabe
goods in the year ending 30th June, -....
is45. were upwards Of -sl6OOO,OOO
OF which, as above stated, aredry goods ~.
paying specific duties 100000
What an "awful revoluhonW
The statements here made are from the official
returns at the Treasury Department f..