The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1849-09-07

exchange of their respective productions they
have abstained altogether from prohibitions they
| have interdicted themselves the power OF laying
| taxes upon exports, and whenever they have ia
vored their own shipping, by special preferences
| or exclusive privileges in their own ports it has
| been only with view to countervail similar
favors and exclusions granted by the nations with
whom have been engaged in traffic, to their
own people or shipping, and TO the disadvantage
of ours. Immediately after the close of the last
war, proposal fairly made by the act of Con-
gress of the Sd of March, 1915, all the maritime
nations, To lay aside the system of retaliating
strictons and exclusions, and 10 place the ship
ping of both parties to the common trade on a
footing of equality in respect TO the duties of ton
mage and impost This offer partially and
successfully accepted by Great Britain, Sweden,
the Netherlands the Hanseatic cities, Prussia,
Sardinia, the duke of Oldenburg, and Russia. 1t
was also adopted, under certain notifications in
our late commercial convention with France. And
by the act of Congress of the Sth of January 1924
il has received new confirmation with all the ma
tons who had acceded TO it, and has been offered
again TO all those who may hereafter be
willing to abide in reciprocity by it. But all these
regulations, whether established by treaty or by
municipal enactments, still subject to one i'm
portant restriction.
"The removal of discriminating duties of ton
mage and of impost is limited 10 articles of the
growth, produce, or manufacture of the country
to which the vessel belongs, to such articles as
are most universally first shipped from her ports
II will deserve the serious consideration of Con-
gress, whether this remnant of restriction
may not be safely abandoned, and whether the
general tender of equal competition, made in the
IL e Al 0.l = tDl.
tended include all articles of merchandise not
prohibited, of what country they may be
the produce manufacture. Propositions to this
effect have already been made to us by more than
one European government and it is probable that
if once established by Legislation or compact with
any distinguished maritime state, it would re
commend itself, by the experience of its advan-
tages, to the general accession ofall."
In accordance with the spirit of these
suggestions Congress passed an act, which
was approved May "a, 1928, entitled
San act in addition to an act entitled Gan
act concerning duties of tonnage and i'm
post, and to equalize the duties on Prus-
sian vessels and their cargoes." The first
section of that act provided that, ssupon
satisfactory evidence being given to the
President of the United States by the
government of any foreign nation, that no
discriminating duties Of tonnage or i'm
post are imposed or levied in the ports
of the said nation upon vessels wholly
belonging to citizens of the United States,
or upon the produce, manufactures, or
merchandise imported in the same from
the United States, or from any foreign
country, the President is hereby author
ized to issue his proclamation, declaring
that the foreign discriminating duties of
: ton mage and impost within the United
States a~e, and shall be, suspended and
discontinued, so far as respects the yes
sells of the said foreign nation, and the
produce, manufactures, or merchandise
Z. imported into the United States in the
same, from the said foreign nation, or
: from any other foreign country: the said
suspension to take effect from the time of
such notification being given to the Pre-
sident of the United States, and to con-
tinue so long as the reciprocal exemption
of vessels belonging to citizens nf the
United States, and their cargoes, as afore-
said, shall be continued, and no longer"
Such was the state of this question when
General JACKSON became President of the
United States. He did not discover in
this policy or this law any such open sesa-
me to unbounded treasures for American
commerce. The policy and the law slept
very quietly during his administration
Mr.. VAN buren, was equally Indifferent TO
the splendid advantages which IT was cal
culated to open to his countrymen. 1t
was reserved for the Cabinet OF Mr. Polk
to unveil this hidden spring of opulence,
and for Mr.. BANCROFT to lobby through a
British Parliament an act for the special
| advantage Of american commerce.
That Parliament has passed an act, which
is denominated repeal of its navigation
acts, twenty years after the passage of the
act of Congress authorizing the President,
in certain contingency, 10 issue his pro-
clamation to the effect above stated Since
1923 the face of the commercial world has
changed the relations of nations have
changed our policy and laws, and the
policy and laws of England, have changed.
The President is called upon to act, if he
is called upon to act at all, on very diff.
ferent state of things from that existing in
1923. We have had twenty years. longer
experience of reciprocity treaties. The
means exist of testing the question OF then
advantages, and they can be obtained from
the testimony of commercial men. What
course would any prudent and wise Ad-
mini>tration pursue under such circum-
stances,
The Union says that the repeal Of the
! ma vigation laws of Great Britain bring