Fremont weekly freeman. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1850-1853, 1850-12-14

ket for the produce of the other, the whole
country becomes prosperous; and the ability
TO produce every necessary of life renders us
independent in war, as well as in peace.
A high tariff can never be permanent 1t
will cause dissatisfaction and will be changed.
1t excludes competition, and thereby invites
the investment of capital in manufactures to
such an excess, that when changed it brings
Distress bankruptcy and ruin, upon all who
have been misled by its faithless protection.-
What the manufacturer wants, is uniformity
and permanency, that he may feel a conf
dence that he is not to be ruined by sudden
changes. But to make a tariff uniform and
permanent, it is not only necessary that the
law should not be altered, but that the duty
should not fuctuate. 70 effect this, all duties
should be specific wherever the nature of the
article is such as to admit of it. Ad valorem
duties fuctuate with the price, and offer strong
temptations to fraud and perjury. Specific
duties, on the contrary, are equal and uniform
in all ports, and at all times, and offer strong
inducemcnt to the importer to bring the best
article, as he pays no more duty upon that
than upon one of inferior quality. 1 Therefore
strongly recommend a modification of the pres
ent tariff, which has prostrated some of our
most important and necessary manufactures,
and that specific duties be imposed sufficient
to raise the requisite revenue, making such
discrimination in favor of the industrial pur-
suits of our own country as TO encourage home
production, without excluding foreign compe-
tition. tits also important that an unfortunate
provision in the present tariff, which imposes
a much higher duty upon the raw material
that enters into our manufactures than upon
the manufactured article, should be remedied.
The papers accompanying the report of the
Secretary of the treasury will disclose frauds
attemted upon the revenue, in variety amount
so great, as to justify the conclusion that it is
impossible, under any system of ad valorem
duties levied upon the foreign cost or value OF
the article, TO secure an honest observance
and an efectual administration Of the laws
The fraudulent devices to evade the law, which
have been detected by the vigilance OF the ap-
prasers, leave no room to doubt that similar
impositions not discovered, to large amount
have been successfully practised since the en-
actment of the law now in force This state
of things has already had prejudicial inau-
ence upon those engaged in foreign commerce
Ithas tendency to drive the honest trader
from the business of importing, and to throw
that important branch of employment into the
hands of INSCRIPTIONS and dishonest men, whc
are alike regardless of law and the obligations
of an oath. By these means the plain inten,
| tions of congress, as expressed in the law, are
daily defeated. Every motive of policy and
duty, therefore, impel me to ask the earnest at
tention of congress to this subject Ifcongres!
should deem it unwise to attempt any import
ant changes in the system Of levying duties a
this session, it will become indispensable to the
protection of the revenue that such remedies
as in the Judgment of congress may mitigat,
the evils complained of, should be at once ap
Piled
As before stated, specific duties would, il
my opinion, afford the most perfect remedy
for this evil; but if you should not concur ii
this view, then as partial ramedy, beg leave
respectfully to recommend that, instead of tax
J ing the invoice of the article abroad as mean:
of determining its value here, the correctnes!
of which invoice it is impossible to verify, the
law to beso changed as to require home
valuation or appraisal, to be regulated in such
manner as to give. as far as practicable, uni
| formity in the sveral ports
There being no mint in California l am in
formed that the laborers iG the mines are com
PEELED to dispose of their gold dust at a large
discount. This appears to me to be heavy
and unjust tax upon the labor of those employ
ed in extracting this precious metal; and
doubt not you will be disposed, at the earlies
period possible, TO relieve thom from it by tht
establishment of a mint. In the mean time
as an assayer's Office is established there,
would respectfully submit for your considera
ton the propriety of authorizing gold bullion
which has been assayed and stamped, to bt
received in payment of government dues.
cannot conceive that the treasury would suffel
any loss by such a provision, which will at onct
raise bullion to its par value, and thereby save
(if am rightly informed) many millions 0
dollars to the laborers which are now paid il
brokerage to convert this precious metal int
available funds This discount upon thei
hard earnings is heavy tax, and every effor
should be made by the Government to relieve
them so great a burden.
More than three-fourths of our population
are engaged in the cultivation of the soil. Tht
commercial, manufacturing, and navigating in
terests are all, to great extent, dependen
on the agricultural. 1t is therefore, the mos
important interest of the nation and has a jus
claim to the fostering care and protection O
the Government so far as they can be exten
ded consistently with the provisions of tn
Constitution. As this cannot be done by tn
ordinary modes of legistion, respectfully re
commend the establishment of an Agriculture
Bureau, to be charged with the duty Of givn
to this leading branch of American industr,
the encouragement which it so well deserve:
view of the immense mineral resources Q
our country, provision should also be mad
for the employment of a competent mineralc
gist and chemist, who should be required, un
der the direction of the head of the bureau
to collect specimens of the various mineral {
our country, and to ascertain, hr careful an
alysis, their respective eler-ants ard proper
ties, and their adaptatiaa 10 useful proposes
He should also be required to examine an
report upon the qualities of different soils, an
he manures hes. calculated to improve thei
productiveness By publishing the results {
such experiments. with suitable explanation.
and by the collection and distribution of rar
seeds and plants, with instructions as to tn
best system of cultivation, much may be don
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