The Somerset herald and farmers' and mechanics' register. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 183?-1852, 1847-03-16

done, might have prevented this war with
al all It's horrors; but rather Than ylelu
dis point Of etiquette, he ordered Mr. Sir
dell hone, and Immediately, and without
consulting Congress theni ia session. or
dered Gen. Tayior to march to the kIo
Grande. bIockaded that river, and brought
on tae war. Up to this time what had
Mexico dones Had she invaded Texas
since IFS annexationg No. Had she
committed any act Of hostilifys None
none whatever. None is pretended; yet
we are to extefminate Mexico and revel
in the Halls Of the Moniezumas, and
prosecute this Executive war at an X
pense Of millions of money, and oceans
of blood-is it right-before God and
man, is it right
Aud. to enable the President to prose
cute this glorious war, he has sent us a
message. which has Just been received and
real by the clerk, recommending the inn
position Of duties on tea and coffee. In
has message at the commencement of the
session, he spoke equivocally on this
point; but, as the revenue has fallen great
lyishort: the last quarter, up TO the first
of January, having yielded only S3.645,.
600; less than il has been for many years
past, he has at length come out and as
stunned the responsibility of avowing him
self in favor Of tax on tea and coffee, as
a revenue measure; last session the doc
trine of the Secretary, and OF the Admin
is~tration, was that the reduction of duties
increased the revenues; but now, finding a
plentiful lack of revenue, they propose to
do-whai? Ruduce the duties still fur
ther? Not at all. Hunger is very apt
to bring people to their senses. And
nov they have at last admitted The truth
of the Wing doctrine, that the way to
get an increase of revenue is to increase
the duties. This is quite new as a Dem
ocratic doctrine. MIR. Polk did not use
to think so. At one time be was FOR des-
troyIng the whole system of internal i'm
pr0yements, because it furnished "a
SPONGE" TO absorb the surplus, and keep
up a high tariff.
Butnow he has found out another sponge,
his extravaganza and war furnish a sponge
large enough 10 absorb all the revenue,
and even as much more. Now, when he
finds the revenue insufiicient-when he
discovers that the tariff is too low-hav-
ing taken the duties off Injuries, he pro-
poses to tax tea and coffee. That is now
Democratic doctrine. The tariff Of '46
takes duties off Of the Injuries Of the rich
and, to make up, it is proposed to tax the
necessaries of the poor; the tariff of '42
imposed high duties on Injuries, and no
duties at all on tea and coffee.
(Nir. COBB here inquired what duties
on Injuries had been reduced by the tar
if Of ls46!)
Mr.. S. said tina list was long, he could
not recollect them all, but since he was
called on, he would give the gentleman
few, and he would first mention brandy.
and spirits distilled from grain. The du-
ty on these, under the tariff Of 40, was
l62 per cent; which. Mr.. Polk, and hi:
omniscient Secretary, reduced, bv The
tariff of '46 sixty-two per cent UndeI
the tariff OF 40, the revenue derived from
brandy and distilled spirits was s1,623,
600 on the Impressions of IS45. Uu
der the tariff Of as, the duties on tht
same would be but Sl.19i 900; showing
a loss Of revenue on brandy and distilled
spirits alone Of $4,000. and this loss is
now TO be made up by a duty on tea and
coffee; and this is Democratic policy-to
take duties OF the rich mans brandy, L
rish whiskey, and Holland gin, and put
them IN the poor mans tea and cof-
lee! II you want more money for your
war, go back and restore these duties on
brandies and foreign spirits, and other
luxuries, and then talk about taxing the
necessaries Of life.
(Mr. Cobb here inquired whether the
tariff of 1916 had not raised the price OF
American grain!)
Mr.. S. said. after the Yankee fashion.
he would answer the genileman's ques-
ton by asking him another: Did the tar
If of as produce the p~oiate-rot in Ire.
landl Did it blight all the wheat crops
Of Europe, and produce a superabunJant
crop here? Ii it did. then the gentleman's
notion was right, but not otherwise. He
would tell the gentleman, that the tariff Of
As had about as much TO do with the
price of grain. as it had with the rising
and setting of the sun-no more.
Mr.. s. supposed the gentleman had
been studying Mr. Walkers late pro.
found tariff tables, in which he stated
that the price of grain in the United
States had increased, from the first of Ju-
ly to the first of December last, lI5 mil
lions of dollars, which he attributed to
the tariff of '46, although it all took
place under the tariff of AZ, that OF 40,
not having then commenced its operation.
But, repeat, all his boaslings about the
increase of prices goes on the presump-
ton that the tariff of s46 produced the
potaco-rot in Ireland, short crops abroad.