The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-09-26
The proposed Alteration or the Tariff Laws
OF 1916.
To the members Of the Senate and House Of Represena

The proposed Alteration or the Tariff Laws
OF 1915.
To the members of the Senate and House Of Representa
fiues:
combination OF manufacturing interests are
making effort to induce Congress to pass a bill
the effect Of which would be to demolish the tariff
of 1876 far it would operate imports of man
ufactures Of woollen, cotton, worsted, linen, and
silk goods, goods composed of these materials.
The home valuation that is pl opposed basis for
estimating the duties would forbid the importation
of vast amount of such fabrics effectually az II
prohibitory law enacted. and therefore would
seriously affect the revenue of the country, well
the shipping and commercial interests and be OF
little no benefit to the man ufacturers of wooen,
cotton, worsted for it is we'll known fact TINT
it is home competition and not foreign that has
fore, BILE tendency to reduce the profits of our man
ufactur, RS, and even now they have no just and
substantl al reason to complain Of want of pros-
perity.
The iron interest ought to have all the protection
that was int nded when the tariff law of 1916 was
enacted or even more, but other interests ought
| to be touched, if permanency be now sought in a
modification of the laws.
The proposed law would give rise to more litiga-
ton and rascalty than all the tariff laws together
that ever preceded it frauds upon the government
would be practised upon gigantic scale, and
every honest importer would be driven out of the
business.
PHILADELPHIA, September oath, 1850.
The above is a copy of paper yesterday laid
on the table of each member of the two Houses
of Congr ess. 1t is dated at Philadelphia, but
it was, no doubt, manufactured much nearer the
Capitol. WE lay it before our readers, believ-
ing that they will see in it new evidence of the
fact that Great Britain seeks everywhere to
maintain her power by the maintenance of dis
cord and disunion at one moment the North
is urged to the adoption of measures tending to
the humiliation of slavery; and at the next the
South is told !: "Act with us. Admit Cana
dian produce duty free, and slavery will be
maintained" We are here told to protect the
iron-master, but to abandon his customers to the
tender merces of the cotton lords of Manchester
and the woollen lords of Leeds, it being well
known that in striking down the employers of
machinery, and thus diminishing the market
for iron, there would be dealt deadly blow to
iron itself.
The character of the arguments can scarcely
fail TO strike our readers amusing. The
| substitution of home valuation for a foreign
one is, we are told, TO be followed by an in
crease Of frauds, and therefore by diminution
of importation, when it is well known that it is
only by means Oh fraudulent invoices that the
present immense importations are maintained.
1t is to increase frauds, and prohibit importa-
tions, and therefore can benefit none but the
manufacturers, who are now being ruined by
aid of false invoices. II is to increase frauds
and diminish imports, and thereby stimulate
domestic competition, which is now being de-
stroyed by the existing frauds. How all these
results are to be accomplished, we would beg
of the writer of this precious article to explain.
As he is probably TO be found in our immediate
neghborhood, we offer him place in our
columns, tomorrow, that he may have every
opportunity to explain his apparent contradic-
TONS in season TO influence the action Of Con-
| gress.