New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-12-03

seventy.six dollars and seventynine cents, $780,
276 79) 49,, Y
Bv the 10th section of the act Of 2eth January,
1g47 the proceeds of the sales of the public lands
1yere nedeed for the interest and principal Of the
public debt, The great amount OF those lands SUI
seouently granted by Congress for military boqn'
ties, viii, it is believed, very nearly supply the
public demand for several years to come, and put
little reliance can, therefore, be placed on tnat
hitherto fruitful source of revenue.
Aside from the permanent annual expenditures,
which have necessarily largely increased ,PoT'
tion the public debt amounting to eight mutton
seventy.iiye thousand nine hundred and elghty,
six dollars and fifty nine cents (S8,O72,s8o o9
must be provided for within the next TWO iiscaI
years. II is most desirable that these accruih5
demands should be met without resofEh5 " n9"
loans.
All experience has demonstrated the wisdom
and policy Of raising large portion OF revenue,
for the support of Government from duties on
goods imported. The power to lay these duties
e unnuestionable and its chief object, OF course
is to replenish the treasury. But if, in doing this
an Incidental advantage may be gained by en-
couraeng the industry of our own citizens, 1t is
our duty to avail ourselves of that advantage
A duty laid upon article which cannot DC
produced in this country-such as tea or coffee
adds to the cost of the article, and Is chiefly or
wholly paid by the consumer But duty lald
upon an article which may be produced hetc'
stimulates the skill and industry OF our own coul
try to produce the same article, when Is Drought
into the market in competition with the foreign ar
tice, and the importer is thus compei!eu W louu0
his price to that at which the domestic article can
be sold, thereby throwing part OF the duty upon
the producer of the foreign article. ~
The continuance of this process creates the Skill
and invites the capital which finally enables US to
produce the article much cheaper than 1t could
have been procured from abroad, thereby benehtln8
both the producer and the consumer at home. The
consequence of this is, that the artisan and the
agrculturist, are brought together, each affords
ready market for the produce OF the other, the
whole country becomes prosperous and the aolll-
ty to produce every necessary OF lie renders uB
independent in war as well as IN peace.
A high Tariff can never be permanent 1t Will
cause dissatisfaction and will be changed. 1t eX-
cludes competition, and thereby invites the IN
vestment of capital in manufactures to such ex-
cess that when changed it brings distress, bank
ruptcy and ruin upon all who have been mlsled
by it3 faithess protection What the manu,ac-
turer wants is uniformity and permanency, that
he may feel confidence that he is not to be ru-
ined by sudden changes.
But to make Tariff uniform and permanent, it
is not only necessary that the law should not De
altered but that the duty should not fuctuate-
To effect this all duties should be SPECIFIC, wher
ever 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 uni
form in all ports, and at all times and offer strong
nducement to the importer to bring the best artl'
Gle, as he pays no more duly upon that than upon
one of inferior quality
| therefore strongly recommend modification
of the present tariff, which has Frustrated come
of our most important and necessary manufac-
| lures, and that specific duties be imposed suf
cent to raise the requisite revenue, making such
discrimination in favor OF the industrial pursuits OF
our own country as to encourage home produc-
ton without excluding foreign competition, 1t Is
also important that an unfortunate provision in
the present tariff, which imposes much higher
duty upon the raw material that enters into our
manufactures than upon the manufactured ar
tice, should be remedied.
The papers accompanying the report otthe Sec
rotary of the Treasury will disclose frauds at
tempted upon the revenue in variety and amount
so great as to Justify the conclusion that it is I'M
possible, under any system OF ad valoren duties
levied upon the foreign cost or value OF the art-
Gle, to secure an honest observance and an effect
ua administration of the laws. The fraudulent
devices to evade the law, which have been de-
tected by the vigilance of the appraisers, leave no
room to doubt that similar lmposltlons not discoy-
cred, to large amount, have been successfully
practiced since the enactment Of the law now IN
force.
This state of things has already had preiu-
dicial influence upon those engaged in foreign
commerce, 1t has 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,
who are alike regardless OF law and the obliga-
tions of an oath BY these means the plain IN
tentions OF Congress, as expressed IN the law are
! daily defeated.
Every motive of policy and duty, therefore, inn
pei me to ask the earnest attention OF Congress
to this subject. If Congress should deem it I'M
wise to attempt any important changes in the
system OF evyin9 duties at this session. 1t Will be
come Indispensable to the protection OF the re.
venue 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 remedy for this
evil; but, if you should not concur IN this view,
then as partial remedy, l beg leave respectfully
to recommend that instead OF taking the invoice
of the article abroad means OF determining
its value here, the CORRECTNESS OF which invoice 1t
is in many cases Impossible to verify, the law be
so changed as to require home valuation or ap.
praisa to be regulated in such manner as to give,
as far as practicable uniformity in several ports.
There being no mint in California, | am in
formed that the laborers in the mines are COM
PEELED to dispose Of their gold dust at large dis
count. This appears to me to be heavy and I'M
Just tax upon the labor Of those employed in eX-
tracing this precious metal and doubt not you
will be disposed at the earliest period possible,
to relieve them from it by the establishment of a
mint. In the meantime an Assay ers oihce Is
established there, would respectfully submit for
your consideration the propriety of authorizing
gold bullion which has been assayed and stamp,
ed to be received in payment of Government
dues.
cannot conceive that the Treasury would sui-
fer any loss by such q provision, which Will at
once raise bullion to its par value, and thereby
save (if l am rightly informed many millions of
dollars to the aborers which are now paid in
brokerage to convert this precious metal into
available funds. This discount upon their hard
earnings is heavy tax, and every effort should
be made by the Government to relieve them from
so great burden.
More than three-fourths of our population are
engaged in the cultivation of the soil, The com.
mercia, manufacturing and navigating interests
are all, to great extent, dependent the agri-
cultural L is therefnre the most i11nnrtant in.