Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1850-12-06

without excluding foreign competition. It
Is also important that an unfortunate provis-
ion in the present tariff, which imposes a
much higher duty upon the raw material
that enters IN our manufactures than upon
the manufactured article, should be RENE
died.
The papers accompanying the report of
the Secretary of the Treasury will disclose
frauds attempted upon the revenue, in va
riety and amount so great, as to Justify the
conclusion that it is impossible, under any
system of advalOrem duties levied upon the
foreign cost or value of the article, to Sc
cure an honest observance and an e~feetual
administration of the laws. The fraudulent
devices to evade the law, which have been
detected by the vigilance of the appraisers,
leave no room to doubt that similar impo-
sltlons not discovered, to a large amount,
have beer successfully practised since the
enactment of the law now in force. This
state Of things has already had a preiudicial
influence upon those engaged in foreign
commerce. 1t has a tendency to drive the
honest trader from the bushes of importing
and to throw that important branch of EN-.
ployment into the hands of INSCRIPTIONS and
dishonest men, who are alike regardless Of
law and the obligations of an oath. By
these means the plain intentions of Congress
as expressed in the law, are daily defeated.
Every motive of policy and duty, therefore,
mpel me to ask the earnest attention Of
Congress, to this subject. If Congress
should deem it unwise to attempt any i'm.
portant changes in the system Of ~levying du.
ties at this session, it will become indispensi
BILE to the protection of the revenue that such
remedies, as in the judgement Of Congress
may mitigate the evils complained of, should
be at once applied.
As before stated, specific duties would
in my opinion, afford the most perfect rem
edy for this evil but, if you should no
T concur in this view, then. as a partial RENE
dy, l beg leave respectfully to recommend
that, instead of taking the invoice of the ar
ticle abroad as a means of determining it
value here, the correctness of which invoic,
it is in many eases impossible to verify, tn
law be so changed as to require a home val
uation or appraisal, to be regulated in sue
manner as to give, as far as practicable, u
! Uniformity in the several ports.
More than three-fourths of our popu
= lation are engaged in the cultivation O
: ! the soil. The commercial, manufactu
ring, and navigating interests are all,
a great extent, dependent on the agri
cultural. 1t is, therefore, the most i'm
Portant interest of the nation, and has
: just claim to the fostering care and pro
. lection of the Government, so far as the
' can be extended consistently with tn
: provisions OF the Constitution. As thi
! cannot be done by the ordinary mode {
legislation, / respectfully recommen
4 the establishment of an Agriculture
Bureau, to be charged with the duty c
giving to this leading branch of Amer
can industry the encouragem ent whic
! 1t so well deserves. In view of the i'm
\ mense mineral our of our country
provision should also be made for tn
employment of a competent mineralogi:
and chemist, who should be required
under the direction of the head of tn
bureau. to collect specimens of the w
- rious minerals of our country, and to a
certain, by careful analysis, their re.
Pective elements and properties, an
: their adaptation to useful purposes. H
should also be required to examine an
! rePor. upon the qualities of difrerer
soils, and the manure best calculate
!, to improve their productiveness. B
: publishing the results of such exper
ments, with suitable explanations, an
by the collection and distribution Of raj
seeds and plants, with instructions +;
to the best system of cultivation, muc
may be done to promote this great n
Is tional interest.
The annexation of Texas and the ACOUSTIC
Y OF California and New Mexico have given i
"a creased importance to our Indian relations. tt
lie various tribes brought under our jurisdiction
r. these engagements ofour boundaries are estim
ted to embrace a population of one hundred al
twenty-four thousand.
Texas and New Mexico are surrounded
powerful tribes of Indians, who are a source
" constant terror and annoyance to the inhabitan
!e Separating into small predatory bands, a
always mounted, they overrun the country, 4
p vastatlng farms, destroying crops, driving
be whole herds Of cattle, and occasionally murd,
IN ing the inhabitants or carrying them into ca
tiVlty. The great roads leading into the COZ
try are infested with them, whereby ~travelli
is rendered extremely dangerous, and inning
tion lsalmoste entirely arrested. The Mexic
r. iron tler, which. by the l1th article of the trt
ce ty OF Guadalupe Hidalgo, we are bound to pl
es tect against the Indians within cur border, is
e. posed to these incursions equally with our ov
Mt The military force stationed in that country
though forming a large proportion Of the arm
Is represented as entirely inadequate to our o,
!, protection and the ful6lment of our treaty ST
D %ulations with Mexico. The principal defcien
is in cavalry, and | recommend that Congr
in should, at as early a period as practicable, p
en- vide for the raising of one or more regiments
nd mounted men.