The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-07-31

there is the principle that fixed ad yslorem dot
shall prevail and be in force al all times. For one
am willing to abide by that principle. There ar
certain page notions a0ai 10 the iiiy and niece.
sity Of specific duties and determinations which az
persuaded arise from want Of right underslandiI
Of The subject. We have had the ad valorem prinei
pie practically in force ever since the compfomis
act was passed; and there has been no di6o. ia ad
ninisring the duties Of the treasury on that prnci
pie.
sit was necessary first to ascertain the value o
the goods, and then 10 impose the duty upon them
and, from the commencement Of the act TO this day
the ad valoIem principle has been substantially il
operation. Compare the difference between spe
| cihc and the ad vaorem system Of duties, and
maintain thai the latter Is Justly entitled TO the prefer
ence The one principle declares that the duty PAID
shall be upon the real value Of the article taxed III,
specific principle imposes an equal dIts article
greatly unequal in value Coffee, for example, (anC
thoughts is one Of the articles on which speci6,
duty has been levied. Now, s perfectly wei
known that the Mocha coffee is worth at leas
twice as much as the coffee Of st. Domingo or Gu
ba, yet both pay the same duty. The lax has nc
respect TO the value, but 10 arbitrarily levied on all
articles ola specific kind alike, however various and
unequal may be their value. ! say that, in theory
and according to spery sound principle Of justice On,
ad paiorem mode ~ taxation Is entitled 10 the prefer
| snee."
One Of the great objections now urged against I'D
valorem duties by the pensoned organs Of the man
ufacurers is that they open the door TO all sorts OF
fraud upon the revenue. We summon Mr.. Clay TO
settle that point
"What has been the fact from the origin Of the
government until now The articles from which
the greatest amount OF revenue has been drawn,
UGH as woollens, linens, silks, cottons worsteds,
and few Others have all been taxed on the ad va
loren principle and there has been no difficulty in
the operation. believe, upon the whole, that u 1,
the best mode. believe that if we adopt fixed
rate ad valorem, wherever IL cas be DONE the rev.
enue will be subjected 10 stpsr fraud, than he injus
tes and frauds incident TO specific duties One ofthe
most prolific Of the violation Of our revenue
laws has been, everybody knows, the effort to
get IN goods Of finer quality and higher value adj
mitted under the lower rate Of duty required for
those ola lower value. The honorable gentleman
from New Hampshire, tMr. Woodbury. and the
both we'll know this. But if the duty was laid ad
yaorem there could be no motive for such an tfut,
and the fraud, in its present form, ioold hare no
place"
The speech from which these extracts are taken
was published at the time by the universal whig
press, and may also be found in Greeley & Noel,
raths Life and Speeches of Henry Clay" which,
during the canvass OF 1874, formed a whig text
book, and hence the sentiments Of these extracts
may be regarded having at the time received the
deliberate sanction of that ever changing party.
And now for few extracts TO prove that the
Seward abolition wings wish to upset the "Clay
PLATFORM" and substitute for it one more to the
liking Of the monopoists manufacturers, and their
subseryent allies. We quote from the Tribune as
their organ-in chief. A few extracts will suffice;
but, if necessary, we could fill columns from that
and other whig papers, To the same imports
"The fact is, that the present tariff made spe-
cfe just so far as could be; where it could not ad
vaorsms were necessarily resorted to. McKay's
bill aboshes epery specific duty. That is the differ
ence."
Again:
"And here, let us remark, is the ,porst feature OF
General McKay's biil-ihe utter obrogation Of spe-
efe duties, and the subsection Of the industry, com
merce, and Of the country to the insriiabts,
iimiiabie frauds of ad paiorem duties The present
tariff renders duties specific far as they can be,
either by directly laying SO much per pound, per
yard, per gallon, or per ton, or by the minimum
principle of estimating each square yard OF given
fabric to have cost not less than certain sum. All
this is reversed by General McKay's BILL"
Here we have what Mr.. Clay denominates "vague
notions" which he says "arise from the nant of a
right understanding of the subject" Mr.. Clay says,
with ad valorem duties the revenue will be sub
eced to fewer frauds than the injustice and fraud,
incident TO specific duties" But Mr.. Greeley talks
about "the inevitable and illimitabe frauds of ad
valorem duties" Now which is right, Clay or
Greeley Which has had the most experience, the
veteran statesman of three-score and ten, the up
start ambitious reformer Of yesterday The Tribune
proceeds
Gas to the changes from specific to ad vaorem
duties, we have nearly all the American importers
of goods demonstrating againstit The silk import
ers of this city speak from knowledge, and very CO.
gently Those toho rant goods assessed honesiiy and
equally, choose specific duties; those icho hold The epa-
sion Of Tariffs nsriiorious, and knoo TO be profitable,
ciamor for ad palorems, under which the foreigner
pays less than the American, the slippery customer
invariably less than the upright, responsible citizen"
CIay's whole tariff argument was "clamor for ad
valorems" He declared with great emphasis in
closing al am Milling Irepeat to adhere TO this great
principle" Hence, according to Mr.. Greeley, he
"hods the evasion Of tariffs to be sritorious;" the
"great embodiment" by an irresistible inference, is
charged with not wanting goods assessed honestly
and equally" with favoring the "foreign and slip
perry customers" to the disparagement Of "the up
right and responsible Citizen" and so on.
From the Philadelphia Public Ledger, July ao
THE MONEY MARKET
Many friends of free intercourse and unrestricted
trade between nations, are lukewarm in their support
of the revenue tariff bill of MIR. Walker, in conse.
auence of the peculiar condition of the country,
which is evidently on the verge of another financial
crisis, the harassing embarrassment of which has
already showed itself in all principal cities The
principles Of the bill have friends than are just
now seen or heard in its favor. Some Of the most
ultra free-trade in the country are fearful that
the present low prices of produce, and consequent
pecuniary embarrassment among traders will be
carried into the next election canvass, and though
we now see and know that the revusion precedes
the tariff that politicians will endeavor, and perhaps
successfully, to make appear as the consequence OF
its operation, and by success in this effort, retard
the firm establishment Of a simply revenue tariff
policy for ten or twenty years. We are well aware
ofthe unscrupulousness of political hacks, and their
presumption upon the forgetfuness of a creduous
public, but we have confidence in the intelligence
and honesty of the people, and believe that they
will determine the matter fairly upon it's merits Al
all events that they will not saddle the project with
sins of which il is not legtimaely the father. II 1t
is to be the law of the land let it be dspassonatey
considered and fairly tried, and if possible let that
stability be attained through 1t which is so es-
sentIa to the manufacturing interest. But let not
the consequences Of on expanded currency sudden
ly checked be put upon the tariff For the last
two years, the productive pursuits of the country
have been very prolific, in both manufactures and
sorcuiture The high proective duties of the tariff