The daily union., 1846-06-26

Dreclsely but for the closing remarks OF the Benut
| man from Tennessee, Mr.. CHASE.
/ CONTINUED Mr.. q. voted for the tariff Of lS4.
with its objections, without the crossing Of a q
the dolting Of an t. did so as a choice of evils
between the state Of things as it then existed, and
/ all probability would have continued to exist unde
the last reduction Of the compromise act, and III
| tariff bill Of l642. | preferred TO be then NS an
nov, a revenue tariff man. Still | voted 70
the act Of l642 from necessity necessity whlei
amounted almost to compuslon. cannot laud ina
compromise many gentlemen on this hoor arr
wont 10 do. | cannot speak in its praise as olher
do, and have done. | believe It was the mothe
Of the act Of 1872 or rather II was the father ant
the mother of that which is called the bill o! aboml
nations The compTOmise act contained IN Itsel
and recognised the principle Of protection. Unde
the last reduction il neither protected manufacture,
nor furnished revenue 20 the government. IL wal
the most bunglng arrangement Of the tariff that
ever inflicted on the country. That is my opinion
The revenue produced by the compromise act at the
ume the tariff OF 1892 went into operation was moi
more than half sufficient to defsy the ordinary ex.
penses Of the government. We were in debt-bor.
rowing money day by day. And it was with the
utmost difficulty that the government could get
along Thus the absolute and imperious necessity
was imposed on the 9th ofCongress Of revising ths
arf system, because the compromise act, as a sys-
ten, had failed To answer any beneficial purpose.
Mr. RHETf rose TO make an inquiry.
Mr.. GORDON said he would yield for that pur-
pose.
Mr. RHETr said, he thought the gentleman had
overlooked one feature in the compromise act Did
not that act provide that il the amount Of duies
should not be sufficient to meet the expenses Of the
government there should be duties laid In confor.
nifty TO It's principles The act proposed certain re-
duclons and then provided that II more revenue
was needed, all the articles under twenty per cent
he IA Ia hiatt nd hat
revenue sill needed, the duty ON ALT articles
should advance pdri passU to any amount which the
country might require.
Mr.. GORDON. We all know that It was so.
Mr.. RHETT, Where, then, was the fault OF
that aep
Nj GORDON. The license Of the gentleman,
80 far as yielded the Aoor to him, is over. The
fact was sss he states. But there no stability in
the SYSTEM Il was constantly descending; there was
nothing stable, settled or fixed either ia protection
or in revenue. The storm gathered for the change;
the change camei and II went almost as far in the
opposite direction. ! am not by any means defend
lng the act Of 1912. Bat say that the compromise
act Of 1888 was the most bungling arrangement Of
the tariff system that this country ever had. trust
il never will be resorsd to again. That is my deb-
eate opinion Of this matter. do lot believe that
South Carolina herself would re-enact that compro.
mise il she had the power. Now, the RESPONSE
bIly ofenscung judlclous tariif-a revenue tariff
and IN my opinion a revenue tariff will give 20 the
manufacturers all the protection they requiIe-that
responsibility, | say, devolved on the whig Con.
gress. Instead OF making such law that Con
grsss made the act Of S42 as il is. A faction sprung
up here "to head" Ca tain Tyler, and block up
the wheels Of government thus forcing a portion Of
the democratic delegation in Congress to vote for
the tariff Of lS42 1t was, and as It is, or else
To play into the hands Of that faction which had de-
lermined TO swamp the government.
Ii will be recollected that this act passed both
houses Of Congress with provision for the distri-
button Of the proceeds Of the sales Of the public
lands, and that that Of the me ,sures OF the
the whg policy OF that era. The bill went TO Mr.
Tyler. He thought that it was not compatible
with sound policy TO give away the land revenue
when at that very time the government was IN debt
borrowing money, and forced to impose higher tax.
s IN order TO pay that debt, and TO sustain itself
and therefore he vetoed the bill. II came back TO
this House, where il originated. And it failed to
receive the vote Of two thirds. Then it was that
we saw resolution manifested, by whom will not
say, but 1t was by portion OF the whg party in
Congress (enough to defeat the billy to ad dourn and
10 pass no revenue law Of any kind. At the same
time, 1t was promulgated from this House through
the country that the tariff act had expired and that
the government was collecting revenue without any
law whatever. At this critical moment il was that
a portion Of the democratic delegation in Congress,
and particularly from the State OF New York. came
korward and voted for a bill which they had no
voice in making, which was not agreeable to their
taste, and which did not embody such system of
finance as they desired | voted for it under pro-
test did believe that that bill would produce
revolution in the country that would bring demo-
cratic majority into Congress, which would modify
and amend the act, and strike from it all its obiec-
uonable features. Such a representation we had
during the last Congress. An effort to amend the
bill was made, but failed; and it now devoves upon
this Congress to perform the duty which prc-emi-
nently belonged to the asst
The great mistake of both parties in this tariff
controversy has been that they have gone from one
extreme to the other. That has been the great diff
hcuIty. We have war upon our hands. We
have war debt TO pay. We have also the ordinary
expenses Of the government II we pass a tariff
bill that falls much short of meeting the expenses Of
the war; and the ordinary expenses of the govern
ment need only appeal to the past history of the
tariff controversy to convince every man that a
party will come into this hall that viii sweep every
thing before them as with the besom Of destruction,
as was done by the compromise act Of 1893, and
that you will have another act like that Of l542 or
perhaps something worse. You must, then pass
sound revenue tariff bill equal to the expenses OF
the government, and to the prospective and speedy
payment of the war debt. Pass such a tariff as
will satisfy the country. You will then have a sta
you can take off these extra imposons laid to meet
that debt.
These are my views, and am not going to diIate
upon them.
One word more, in relation to the famous act of
1888 1t has besi called a mpromise--sacred, too
sacred to be medded with. Who were parties to
H. was not. This Congress was not. 1t failed
to meet the objects for which it enacted. de-
ny that Mr. CLAY and Mr.. CALHOUN, two of the
leading spirits of that day, could concoc between
for political purposes, any financial sys
tenn binding upon Congress or upon the people of
the States composing this Union. There was moth.
ing binding about it, when by experience it was dis
covered that it answered not the beneficial purposes
which its fathers and authors pretended that it would
The great ex. senator from the State Of New York
who voted for The act Of 1642 needs justification at
my hands The reasons assigned by him for the
vote he then gave Ia vote Of which knew nothing
at the time cast mlne acting, as did, alone my
own responsibility we're satisfactory to the country
and 10 the State in which he lived and over whose
iestnes he has since been called to preside. The
esult and sequel show that the motives for his vote
On that trying occason-when 10 some extent he
'acrhced his own feelings TO come to the rescue of
he goVernment-wcre duly appreciated.
So much for the compromise of 1889 II had not
been here and voted for the of lS42 should have
hay D.,tI