Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-04-03

/, .h.n.>a IN such tariff Why complain Of III Ihs,.
Pated such question, and prepared to answer
THE VICE Oh Tng SYSTEM
The essential radical incurabs defect Of the tariffs Of
1916 and 1851 is the universal ad paoyes and the pyc
pile Of them that establishes the duty to be lcsed upon the
eyerhuctuatng, everuncertain foreign vauatea 1t is
wrong, radically wrong, that foreign nations shod in
foreign invoices make universal American tariff AID
it is wrsng that stiff, stern legislation violent
Treasury circulars travelling appraisers cure.
The tariff Of 1851 has followed the foreign invoice down to-
the place Of export and affixed to it there all COSTS and
charges, and commissioners far, wel-but levyng du
~ upon Manila, London, Marseilles invoice ina
New York custom-house, is to great extent collecting
American duties upon foregn tariff In Maniiia London,
or Marseilles 1t is impossible to inspire confidence in
these foreign invoices II is impossible to make Ame
rican merchant believe that he is doing business fair
and equal terms with the London born the Manila born,
and the Marsees born merchant. 1t is impossible to
know for certainty in New York whether or not the in
voice is real bona d invoice if so whether it
value Of the goods in the country OF the EXPORT Il Is
possible to find appraisers that know every country every
production every Of manufacture every price Of
every thing every where and hence there il constant
collision between merchant and appraiser between the
Treasury Department and the business of the country
To make themselves universal genuses or to qualify
venture to say you win find scarcely appraiser who
does not study foreign than he studies
the tariff statutes Of his land and you will
find Winners European Times with its numerous prices
current land not always ones hung up in every
appraisers Office from the Commissioner Of the customs
here in Washington eastward to Eastpor and westward
to San Francisco Winners European Times Is thus psac-
tically the American law of the land and the
foreigner who wants to amend the American statute to-
suit him will resort 70 amending the prices-curren oot
from Liverpool to New York why quit our own LASH
to stand foreign ground p? No other nation deea ~
The British revised tariff Of 1885, which has Often be
commended to fer imitation, collects only cas- ZOO
0OO per annsl u gross receipt for customs Of
90 $1O5 O0O O00 for articles paying Gd Ualorc
duties, being less than one-h Of per cont Of this
immense income from importsl All Europe pursues
similar course.
The errors Of frauds that do arise and must arise from
subectng all the productions Of the earth to UNIVERSAL
horizontal ad vGlores cannot be got over got under
much the may be made to avoid the facts
that have been marshalled in proof Of allegation The
Secretary of the Treasury, in his report Of December
1885, exhibits rssstiby proof in deonstra-
ton Of them He shows that prior to the act Of March,
1851 in New York and Boston alone the appraisers sd
vanced the invoices, from January 1849 to October
!, 1885, 81, O98 in number thus:
Whole number of advances in New York ,35a
Whole number Of advances in Boston 739
4,0ss
He shows, too that in an importation Of fruit (orangesl
shipped by the house, from st. Mchaels to Phila
delphia New York, and Boston, at Philadelphia they
passed at the invoice value New York the appraisers
advanced rs per cent and at Boston 90 per cent and
no objection or appeal was made by the importers A
ike extraordinary pimento from the Island of Ja
maca is set forth Indeed might, with little research,
90 and add indefinite number Of like cases but
why prove appraisers men, and that their judgments
vary and that thus there must be very unequal
system Of duties in the widespread ports Of this now vast
republic of Statesg -
But what is more ruinous to the commerce and indus
Of the country than all these various principles of un
versa ed vaorems is the notwithstanding basis Of these
foreign valuations upon which commerce and all
industry obliged to stand As well
stand man and labor it to me, upon the rolling
pillows Of the sea- in fra bark without chart
rudder stand and labor upon fuctuatng for
eign valuations in foreign ports The sliding laws
versay condemned defective in equity and sound prn
,pes Of political economy but here is sliding scale Of
1utes IN our country based upon no laws but
foreign invoices foreign valuations which, they
90 up down in Europe, 60 up or down in America.
These sliding scales operate favorably the Br
fish corn laws did, that is reducing duties when imports
use in price, but just the for when exports rise
price in Liverpool London, duties rise in in
New York; and the very moment the import should be
made as cheap possible to the consumer from its rise
price abroad that moment made dearer the
by additional duties home No duties at all
better protection labor home than such everuc
tuatng, sliding protection; for then labor hopes for
thing expects nothing, risks nothing, invests nothing.
Irou for illustration under the sufficiently protective
ad valorem prices of the tariff Of July and August 1885,
tempted to hope to expect to risk rather than to
Wales these tariff duties of 1916 went down lower and
lower here until there is danger that the leading iron in
terests Of the country viii be annhated and that for
necessary we become altogether subject
70 foreign nations their power and their caprice iron
rises in price abroad above the high prices of 1885,
The consumer will have pay higher duties under such
I'D vaorem tariff than he paid under the tariff of 1842
that when this great necessary Of life may be most
needed by the here be got at the cheapest
rate higher duties at home in and add themselves
70 higher prices abroad Our tariff system now is one Of
nigh duties at home high prices abroad and Of low
lutes at home low prices abroad. The first Is ruin
to the consumers the second rnous to the home pro-
lucer.
The tariff of 1885, carried out by the tariff Of 1851,
Yields enough, and, in my opinion, more than
enough The country, under It, is taxed much as It
ought to be- and The indictment bring against
he existing tariff is that dscrimnates against Amer
ian interests American industry, American labor, Ame
Ican merchants-sedom or never in their behalf One
count in that indictment is that it exacts unnecessary
iutses upon raw materials coming into competition with
1othng American and often equal higher rate Of
iuty on the material than upon the manufactured
article Of which it is composed Another in that
Indictment is the fact that these nvariable universal
horizontal ad valorems tempt to excessive mportations
beyond to pay, to great fluctuations When
oregn products low duties here low when higher
iues would be better for the country and when foreign
products high, duties here high, that when
want foreign goods their excessive abundance,
have the most of them and when most want them
We have to pay the most for them. The whole system
hus becomes vicious from beginning to endvicous not
only to industry and labor at home, but vicious TO