Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1846-08-13
SPEECH OF HON. JACOB COLLAMER ON
THE TARIFF.

by law to certain individual or company an eX- |
elusive right to trade in certain thing, and Jorbid
ding all other persons to enter into that business
Such was the character Of the odious monopolles
in England in the days of the Stewards. Now, |
has the business Of manufacturing any such char
actcr? Yet, day after day in this House, and
week after week in most Of the Administration pa.
pers in the country, malignant prejudice is en-
gendered against manufacturers, and The law which
encourages them, by the false application Of the
odous word nonopolu Monopoly WHAT in |
manufactures? Is any body forbidden to engage
in it, by taking stock IN those already IN operation
or by erecting others in any part OF the country
Is there any thing in the nature Of The business
which shall confue it to any one section OF the
country? Certainly not. The protective system
was forced or New England against its own
choice; and now, having invested its capital, and
conformcd its empoyments thereto, is 1t common
justice now to reproach her, and foster preJudlces
| against her? A large part of our farmers IN the
northern and western States have been induced to
turn attention to the growing Of sheep ana are de-
| pendent Tor u market on the WOODEN manufacturers.
! Is that interest to be now all frustrated? Such is
the inevitable tendency of this bill.
Again, it is objected that those engaged in man
ufacturing make much greater profits than men in
other employments, and that the present tariff Is
tax on part Of the community for the benefit OF
another part Now, a full answer TO all this would
require disquisition on the whole policy, which
my limited hour will not permit. ], however, deny
that there is any tax on one part OF the community
than on another. 1t Is, indeed, true, that no
! course of policy can be pursued in which some
men will not succeed better than others. Before
the establishment Of factories here, the most sue
cesslul business was commerce, and most OF the
| great estates now in our cities were accumulated
! in that way. But that authorized no man to say,
that the system Of awo then existing was made on
| ly for the merchant. Adopt the present bill, and
importing merchants will again rise over the head
Of the rest of society in wealth; and he, and he
only, with the foreigner, will be aided. Bot SIR,
do not believe in these great pretended profits OF the
manufacturers. If this be so, it is a business open
! to ALL and competition will soon, II 1t has not al
ready, reduce all profits TO their proper level. This
| is, however, all u very extraordinary oOJecllon'
| The Secretary insists, that the manufacturer is toll
| lowing business which is very profitable, and that
is urged as o reason for this Government to take
such course OF policy as will destroy this proiita-
Bile business in this country, that all may be COM
PEELED to pursue some business that Is Improbable.
Is it to be understood, that this business is so pro-
table that American must pursue it, but it must
be done by Englishmen in England, and they must
have all the profits Is the envy and malignity Of
the community to be excited against all their own
telIow-citzens whose industry is successful, and
such course of policy to be taken, as will give
that success exclusively to the foreigner? Will
ing to give market exclusively to the foreigner,
and submit to pay him any price his cupldity may
} demand but unwilling that our fellow citizens
should have any share in the same! THIS may be
4 esteemed patriotc feeling and policy by others,
; but cannot understand it,
While the existing tariff is a protective tariff, yet
! it yields the proper amount of revenue. 1t GER
ainly, then, does not require to be superseded by
any new law in order to procure the necessary or
binary revenue, and all pretence OF that kind is but
pretence. The Secretary, however, estimates and
reports, that, by reduction of duties are to
! have an increase of revenue, and seems to think
this bill, if adopted, will furnish the Treasury as
much money as the tariff Of 1912, or more lie,
however, gives us data on which his opinion is
founded There is in his report, and his recent re-
port to the Senate great amount of cyphering
and an imposing display of figures and tabular eX-
| hbons, but they are mostly founded on SUPPOSE
tom it strongly reminds us OF the story oil GER
tain sage-driver who busily engaged IN chalk
t ing figures the hearth, and when asked what he
was doing, replied, that he was cyphering out no"
many passengers he was to have by the next stage
| wish now to present certain facts, taken IRON
f the returns of the past year in the Treasury De
partment, as TO lmportations, and the duties
t arising herefrom which seem to me very conclu
svely TO show, that the proposed Dill canhot urn
n ish the ordinary revenue to the Treasury. Int
Is present tariff Produced by duties on importatons
3 gross revenue of thirty millions last year, BEN!
d about twenty-seven millions when the expenses o
Is collection, &C., were all paid. Now, it must b.
e borne in mlnd that al that amount is needed, AM
l. the Secretary in no place denies that. There ar
wv
n thirds of the whole revenue is derived. fhls is
" in the English tariff, where the great body OF heI
N revenue is derived from eight artices) Those 81
s. articles are woolens, cottons, sugars, (ncludn
l. moasses silks, spirits and iron, with It's manufac
1t lures OF these six articles there was imported
st last year. in all, the aggregate OF 5l,e6O,492 DOL
Or lars, and there was derived from them 20,6o5O3
i. dollars, of the whole gross revenue, being owe
,e two-thrds Of the whole
s. Should the present bill pass, and thereby grea
ne part of the business of the country should be de
. ranged and remodelled, it would probably not i'm
1u prove the condition of the people so as TO enaol
" Them to buy aud use more than before. But eye
a if no CONFUSION or depression should follow an
d. our people should import, and use the same amour
~ as last year, them at the rate Of duty provided
lie this BILL there would be falling off in the revt
n nue., receivable on these six articles, the sum
tie 5662,439 dollars in every year. In order, then,
bring up this deficiency, there must be IL great
increased importation of these articles. AT I'll
" rates of duty provided in this BILL in order to PR
NJ duce the required ordinary amount of reyenu
mo- that is, the amount realized last year, of WOODEN
lio of which there was imported last year lO,61S,3c
he dollars WORTH there must next year be an lmporl'
co ton Of II 6l3073 dollars worth. Of manufacture
RS of cotton, of which there was last year lmportC
ms 1868 292 dollars, there must next year be N
an ported 2OAj630S dollars OF foreign diStaH
as spirits, of which there last year importt
NJ I,9l20 dollars, there must next year be import'
2,lS0577 dollars. OF the whole six articles,
which there was last year an importation OF an o
XII gregatn of 5l,SG0,412 dollars, there must be ne
rst year G9G0ll22 dollars; being an increase of L
zen mportatio of these six articles only, of l17436
en- dollars. From view of these facts, we natural
inquire, how can 1t reasonably be expected that o
people will actually and annually hereafter impo
ou buy pay for and consume, year by year, the enc
has nous sum of over seventeen millions and a half
nd dollars, of these six articles, more than they nc
the do; and Il corresponding increase of all other il
portauons in the same ratio? Yet this seems to
The expectation of the Secretary. The next que
,se. ton which naturally arises is, if this enormous
ry ditional amount is 10 be annually imported, hoV
ms il to be paid TOR? Sir if it is ever paid for, it mt
be in specie. England will take of us none of o
products, but TO supply what she cannot furnish n
al. cannot buy cheaper of others What she docs no