The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-06-19


the price in our commercial cities is 43 per
cent less, how much do the farmers lose on their
ST. 000, 900, 900 worth Of productions. | leave to
] gentlemen TO estimate and answer. The adyo.
Gates of high duties say the country is prosperous.
say that agriculture was never more oppre ssed
than il has been under the operation Of the tariff act Of
1912, and leave TO the record TO decide between
Let US suppose the goods produced by the different
protected interests 10 be annually 5000 900 900 worth
The protective duties average from 40 to 1875 per cent,
and, u Is claimed must not be reduced to ~ 80 per
cent, or the manufacturers will be ruined. Is not
this an admission that they not only receive the 80
per cent above what they would receive were II not
for the duties, but at least portion towards the
whole amount Of the duties imposed Let u.s. then,
suppose that those protected interests receive only
the benefit Of the minimum protective duty, which
Is Az per cent. This, them would give TO them, and
would be tax upon the consumer annually of $780,
000, 600. Through the effect Of the increased dis
eliminating duties $50 800 900 is lost upon our ex-
ports, and al least sl25, 600, 900 is lost the home
consumption. Through that discrimination So
| 600 900 is lost on WOOL In 1910 il was estimated
| that the number Of men engaged IN the Industrial
pursuits was 500 3O7. This system OF protective
duties taxes annually s250, 900 900 upon 100000
men for the benefit OF the residue. Now, these est
mates look large, and, were II not for the record
proof, would be incredible. But our records show
them To be true, and think gentlemen will not at
tempt 10 cOntroyen them. Why, sir, should we
have such alarm here lest these protective du-
ties should have been exchanged for Oregon What
could have induced gentlemen to prefer war with
| England rather than have these duties reduced
War with England would not only cost much
blood, much injury 10 our commerce and our COM
mercsl Cities but cost millions annually Of treas
ure. And yet the friends Of this protective policy
these representatives Of the favored few-preier this
war with England rather than the reduction Of du-
ties. In charity to these gentlemen will not sup
pose that a small consideration would have nau-
ed ia hntra Ia iEnnu HsIln
them to suppose that consideration less than $3.50
DOC, 900 annually would induce them TO prefer such
| caamiies upon their country.
| But, sir, perhaps the most important considera-
ton upon this subject Of discrimination in duties
the coTupuons that it is infusng among the people,
| and the Wild extravaganza that 1t produces in the
whole operations of our government. When by
! legislation we bestow annually hundreds Of millions
upon particular class OF our citizens, can we be
surprised that the highest corruption should be wit
messed at our Pollsi Ought we not to fear that
| ere long will visit even our halls Of legis-
lation' When a powerful class Of citI-
zens, backed by great political party, find
| IL 10 their interests that the pecunary wants
of the government should be large, that every
possible call should be created upon the national
treasury TO increase the necessity for high duties
can II be expected that The operations of the gov
eminent should be other than wasteful and exIav-
| agant Let men talk Of economy; every effort that
can be made by the friends Of economy only
paate, but be effective, till the foundation of
the disease be removed. The history Of one single
session Of Congress under the present system OF
duties, would be volume Of immense instruction
upon this subject. Have we not heard il made the
boast, that the calls upon the treasury would not
| allow ola modification of the tariff Have we not
seen every effort made TO this prediction to be
true, by causing these calls 10 be large What ap
proprstons of whatever character, have been asked
| for, that, when voting that their names do not
go upon the record, these friends Of protective
| tariff have not been found voting forI-What calls
upon the treasury proposed that these gentlemen
have not favored After having endeavored to nfuse
| moral courage into the hearts of our enemies, by
telling them, from our halls OF legislation, that
their cause was Just, and that they deserved honor
| for promoting itl-after having attempted to damp
the moral courage of soldlery, by telling them
that our cause unjust and Infamous, and pctur-
ing TO them in glowing coors the vlsitauons of Prov
| dcnce by pestience and the sword AFTER having
attempted in this way TO chill their hearts and par
alyze their arms, they very willing to put some
thing into their pockets, by imposing new burdens
upon the treasury. With these men moral courage
| is nothing, money everything. With them, patriot
ism should not be IN the heart, but IN the pocket.
! With them, though they encourage enemies and
dampcn the courage of the champions of
| country, it is deemed an act of patriotism in
| those who can devise new calls upon the treas
ury, and impose new burdens upon the people.
Sir, in advocating unrestricted commerce, | have
justice to myself and the cause am advocating, |
| will call the attention Of the House to our CONNER
cia intercourse with Great Britain and her colonies
for the past few years, and upon this examination
will submit the matter to the consideration of the
people and their representatives here. In l64l Eng
land and her colonies bought Of our productions to
the amount Of S62, 366, 402 for part Of which we
took their goods; but a balance was left in ia
vor Of Sl2 100000. In 1912 they bought of us
SCI 100, 876, with balance in favor of S7 400,
900. In ls43 they bought Of us $4,000 $50, with
balance in our favor Of SIT 100 900 In 1874 they
bought of us $50, O64, 545, with balance in our
favor of Sll 100000 Now, in these estimates, the
| imports valued in the foreign market, and the
exports in our home market. The advance prices
| between the home valuation on exports, and
the prices for which they sold in the foreign market,
constitute the commissions which sustain our COM
merce. Ia sales to Great Britain and her colo
MES these commissions probably amount to between
fifteen and twenty millions annually.
Now, sir, it will be seen by this record, that we
sell to England and her colonies annually 0000,-
| 900 worth of our production, and have annually a
balance of trade Of about Sl5,000,00O in favor.
In the doing this business employment is found for
$4,000 Of our citizens, who paid by English
men out Of the commissions estimated. Ii pro-
vides us a market for the supplies consumed by
this 10000 men, for which EngIishmen pay out of
| those commissions. Our citizens get good inter-
est on S6O0O000O Of capital invested in this bust
ness, which EnglIshmen pay out of their commits
sions. This sir is called British interests by the
advocates of protection. To tax the people $780,
00O,0 900 annually for the benefit of manufacturers;
to give to manufacturers the power to buy all our
agricultural productions at their price; to
pei the people to buy all their goods of the manu-
facturers at the manufacturers price, ia what they
| call American interests Upon these definitions of
the terms, | am willing to submit the question to
the consideration of my countrymen. 1t is objected
to the revenue bill now under consideration, that it
| vii mi enOnph n m n
| appropriations made. In answer to this objection,
| say, first, that the opponents Of this bill have
strven in favor Of calls upon the treasury, very
much as though they wished to increase the
strength Of this argument. To prevent recurren-
cies of this kind is one important reason why this
act should be substituted for the act of 1912. In
the second place, say that the bill under consider
| alton will produce much revenue would accrue
under the act Of 1912 BY tho existing act high
duties imposed upon part of our imports, and
low duties or no duties are imposed upon the resi-
| due. Now to render these more equal, and subject
only to more moderate discrimination would not,