New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1846-12-18
TaxfnR Tea and Coffee.
hundred


Taxing Tea and Coffee.
Convince us that a wisely adjusted Tarif' does
rot protect and benefcentiy cherish Home lndos-
t,y, and we are opposed to all Tariffs whatevef--
Most firmly believing that ali true Theory IS safely
reduced 20 Practice-tha, the Vnsaiesy lies IN not so
reducing 1.-THE day that finds us opposed TO
thoroughly and expressly Protective Tariff will see
as opposed to all Custom Houses and Duties on
Imports and in favor Of their immediate and total
abolition AS mode Of obtaining Revenue. allow
ing duties to have the effect asserted by Free Trad
era and that only, Tariff is manifesty unequal
taxing a man worth nothing often as much as the
lord Of millions
We Protectionists, admitting that farm con
sidered only in its Revenue aspect has this ten
dency, believe that Labor receives more than sn
eouvnIent in Protection for the bprthen laid upon
/. by Imposts-that the Labor Of our whole Coun-
.ry is better employed and rewarded-bettcr fed
and lodred--under a thoroughly Protective Tariff
than it would be if there were no Tariff at all
But the Free Traders. on the other hand. while
daily demonstrating (it we admit their fundamental
assumptions that Tariff is most unequal, unjust
capricious mischieyous mode OF raising Revenue,
do yet perpetually cling to that very mode, aud
when exhorted entreated. dared 10 act IN conss
tency with their principles By abolishing all Da-
ties and resortng to Direct Taxation shrink back
with the excuse that the People not prepared
for such change But ,chy not prepared Ii
they are Free Traders, as is pretended, why will
thew not welcome Yeal Free Trade the frcer the
better. How are they 10 he prepared Idle must
be the expectation OF winning over thinkers from
our side to that whose advocates evince unmlstakR
bly, their want OF any thorough confidence in their
own doctrines
AS to Tea and Coffee. Messrs. Polk and W al.
ker dose us with their Free Trade cmetlcs. and
then propose as sedatives Tea and Coffee with
twenty five per cent tax on it to sustain the Mex
can War Now impost on these articles is sub
stantially though indirectly tax ot so much per
head on the Free Laborers of the Union. Slaves
consume very little Of these beverages but they
are used in almost every freemans family in the
IJpion-often quite as much ofthem in the dwelling
of the day aborcr who has not foot OF land
ON earth whose whole property is not worth
hundred dollars and his annual income less than
three hundred as in his landlords who is worth
million and has an annual income OF hundred
thousand dollars. We defy human ingenuity to
VI
the Free Labor OF the Country an impost on
Tea and Coffee.
Still, we make no objection to a tax on Tea and
Coffee in Tariff which at the same time IS nd
justed to protect aud encourage Labor. Let tho
two great ends of Protection to Labor and Reeve
nue. to the Government be both fairly kept in view,
and if tax on Tea aud Coffee is needed let it
come and we will say Amen. But when the du
ties which protect own Labor arc cut down, and
all idea OF Protection to Labor rejected and booted
at, u tax on Tea and Coffee heaps wrong upon
wrong II seems to hardly possible that even
his Congress should sanchont
For do put consider that no branch OF American
Industry is in the least degree benefited by li-that
nobody here is benefited but the few importers oil
aud SPECTATORS in Tea and Coffee Mr.. Walker
makes the value OF the aggregate importation OF
Tea aud Coffee a little less than Twelve Millions
Of Dollars As attempt to impose duties on
these articles has boen anticipated even since the
War with Mexico broke out, we may fairly pre-
sumo that large importatons have been made since
the date ofthe Annual statement st July last and
that the stock in the country is now large Nearly
all our merchants wholesale and retail have laid
their winters stock and there is much beside IN the
great seaports 1t must be safe to estimate the
value of all the Tea and Coffee IN the country
at Eight Millions OF Dollars.
The first effect of MIR Walkers new impost viii
be to raise the value OF this stock about IS per cent
thereby taxing the consumers-that IS the public
Two Millions OF Dollars OF which not one tsrthiae
goes into the Treasury. but all is put by the Coz
eminent into the pockets OF the present holders oil
Tea and Coffee. After that we IL raise -
100000 per annum for the Government by raising
the price OF Tea and Coffee TO the consumers one,
fourth throughout the Ccunuy--in substance, rais
ing Two Millions and Hall by imposing tax Of
One Dollar each on the Three Millions OF free FAM.
hes in the Union We cannot Yet believe Con
sress viii deem this judicous mode OF raising the
Revenue required
And let Us here say that our hasty remark that
we would If in Congress vote for every bill to
money BY tax which the Executive might Eespcn-
sibly recommend, referred to the amoRat OF Reve-
nue. 70 be raised and NOT at all to the particular
pae2e OF raising it, the arttelss to be taxed. OF
course Congress cannot renounce nor oreso ats
Constitutional discretion in the premises Each
Member must vote fer raising additional Revenue
In the manner he deems most eXpedient and NOT
bGndy deier TO the nod ot the Executive. Bur
since the government needs money. we woald vote
TO raise II by proper mpcs,s leaving to these who
have the power the responsibility OF discussing it
as the exigencies OF the Nation shall demand
The Branch Mint.
Why do not the Evening Pos; and Globe admi,
or deny the soundness OF our POSITIONS on this sub
jectl With Mint IL this City, another IN North
Carolina and third in Neworlesns, what posi-.
BILE need can there be for one in Fhiladelphia