The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1850-01-13
WAsnINeros. January IL. 1850.


est knowledge Of political economy. Indeed, il was
semi officially announced in the course Of the last year
during the campaign. thai he had just begun study IT,
and take his first lessons the A, B. c. OF the science
The Secretary Of the Treasury is good lawyer, and
man oi islent but he has scarcely served his first ap
psensessbp In politics As for the tariff question: we well
kaos si. though he has learned but litle he has al
fss@y changed bis opinions; and from being free ira
De-, he has become restriconist We attach very Lii
ls lmporxnee, therefore, 10 his views and recommends
tons and when be comes before Congress- with bis
crude opinions. moi strengthened by much reflection and
directly consdcted BY the present prosperity Of the coun
try, he cannot expect any impartial thinker to attach any
importance to hs proposed innovations We shall take
his doctrines however 10 pieces as we have his
documents before u.s. and should not be
surprised if we were able to blow them sky-high
Meantime, while we skirmish upon the report. we
avail ourselves OF some OF the lights which men, who
have some knowledge Of political economy. pleased
to impart to u.s. Among these is the editor OF the New
York Journal Of Commerce. from whose Thursdays pa
per we extract the following article:
From the Journal Of Commerce
THE TARIFP.-We have more than expressed our
the Whole s bssa which, ever
ng extremes in either direction, II imposes sufficient duties
for revenue and IN way not opPressivey bnrdensome to
II y true. the have to pay much more In the
aggregate than IL the duties were laid exclusively upon
articles not coming into competition with our own manu-
lectures, because then they would only have pay the
only that amount ba. aso the price Of our own
stoned by those dutes and In many
ported consumes have pay four dollars 70 lie home
for every dollar which pay the gov
raby modified i praesos For instance /, night
happen that absence of all duty the foreign article
o. by creating an extraordinary dem and or The foreign
aric increase its price, beyond what would have
been with duty upon suncens 70 encourage home com
In the case Of most articles however is ue rs we said
(ndirect taxes than If the revenue were collected from
not coming into competition with American
This Of taxation, If carried only moderate
extent consumers In general are willing 70 pay out Of
and because the prosperity Of class recpo
cay, extent. upon other classes large majority
revenue necessary for support should
be raised by duties upon articles coming in competition
expenditures should be cs,ed in order to reader ne
immense that high duties should
being derived from Il The tariff Of isa6 hits the happy
pse.sd where many Earring interest. coscernsd That
a, should ~ 10 &c Be disturbed IL m sen
vision. Is best let very well alone This tArd
now been IN operation three year. All the sinister p,sdc
would produce Insufficient revenue; whereas Official
ssw a ss @ q
hat IL would excessive mporations; whereas official
s On; as
would drain the country Of specie whereas Of
million. more Of specie have been imported hsa exported
fourth was that would cause suspension Of specie
had 50 much specie on hand as Il present. and
he country generally was never more ProsPerous
ike them would raise OF doubt 10 the minds Of
high arih men whether after all there might not be
aaey no sooner are lhey driven from one false position
han they take up another. We hear nothing now Of the
e q sw
raised Of fraud fraud fraud on the revenue, resulting from
S., under their Soe a Of is hsa
hreeths Of the dutabe goods were asscsd In precisely
he sane ace manner For instance 10 The year ending soh
was $50 $50 t53, while those paying specific duties
II: Of goods "a s
$50 1871 s62 while those paying specific duties only
ey nsm,ss and even % oonmendsbls IN the a Of
iSi2 should have become pregnant with fraud aud every
evil work IN that Of isiS-unde ne administration 100 d
sisiency, afraid there Is not much sincerity For
ourselves we are Tree to say that ,he chance Of fraud
vaorem Equally confident that the actual frauds
'ommi Ted under specific dute-. while they existed, were
way than committed under the nd vsorem ~
Under ,hs latte, smo., the only chance Of fraud . con- on
duties viii be correct also Wha', then, the guasds set
und this matter of vauatloli We they the
the tarifofl S42. with important addition That
tariff provided for the appraseent OF ad vaorem goods
tho customhouse appraisers with such helps they
might require from the importer other persons, under
path The tariff adopts the same provisions, and also
makes Ii strongly for the Of importers the
value OF the goods. nearly aud If they, any Of
HEM the unpnc pied seals that Secretary Meredith
lakes them be- this provision will contribute the
development Of truth than that which Empowers the cot
or appraisers to put them under oath The substance
81 the provision Is this that IL the value OF the goods
appraised by appraisers under the regulations of the tarh
d ls2 shall exceed by 10 per tho invoice value with
such additions ms the importer may see III tornake 10 H.
hen additional duty OF ~ cent the value OF the
FOODS shall be levied upon hcm while In the
iuty be sessed value less than that IN
he invoice The importer, ut the time oil making the ad
itons 10 the invoice, does not know what be the APP
praisement Of tue appraisers and therefore will be very
,aofu to approach the value very neatly lest be should
to the additional % cent. The assertion 50
constantly made by proeconst papers Ia the country,
hat under the tnrH the prize named ~ me nroioe
(which may be audule oherwise) e that upon which
The duty IL obliged TO be assessed y entirely false Many
have deceived By such assertions That
been nv considerable loss OF revenue by under
not believe Certainly the fact that the which
much than thai produced by the
afif OF 1912 does not look ike Il.
We have said that differentiation was about the only
audng the under all yncfen duies
Not 90 under speciac la case, IT, among the
hers and there hap
pens be who is approacbabe by bribery either d.
indirect, land being appoined many OF them
was than person,) what prevent any o.
The dishonest importers from geting him count 70
bushels or barrels, or cwt instead OF 10 How often tbs
hn We been done In time past Is lest known to the
Another frequent OF loss the under sPe
,ifc duties, the change Of applied ARTICLES o.
by which commodity Intended by the law
makers 10 bear specified vf day ,msds fall under
n 4. a.