Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1852-08-20

UFAD NALUREM DUTIEs.-The ptlncI pie,
81 sticnuously insisted upon by our political
O ppOi ents In regard To collecting the revenues
b. an ad valurem standard, is proved c%onclu-
5 velv, not only IN this country bat 10 Europe,
to be incompetent for e%llectins a just and equal
administration of the law. The cnormou
frauds upon the revenues daily practiced, not
withstandlng the vigilant system OF espionage
and secret police, which is kept up, as degra-
ding to the national character as 1t is repng-
nant to the genius OF free Institutions, the temp
tations held out to commit perjury in regard to
the prime cost Of imported articles, and the
production of fraudulent invoices for custom
house purposes, the advantage it gives to the
dishonest over the honorable and upright i'm
porter, and the frequent discovery OF previous
ly existing and long-standing frauds many OF
which have passed beyond the reach of re-
dress, all 90 to show that however good the
principle may be in theory, its practical works
lngs are anything but just or satisfactory.
A committee of the British House OF Com
mons, in a report upon the subject say:
"Ad ualorem duties, however good in theory, ope-
rate badly in practice. The gross amount OF them
in 1880 was only tlSS,S33, while daring the same
period the number OF seizures was l2l, keeping up a
greater staff of officers than would otherwise be nee
e.sary ; and the committee is of the opinion, there
Ibft tf"t ~ tbt1 W NJ ~ pNNytb ~ ~" tNtO
rem duties should be largely reduced.'
The receipts from the customs during the
year 1850 amounted to GlS,73 8 ,804, out of
which sum only GlSS,s 1913 were collected on a
system OF ad valorem duties; and yet this frac-
ton, small as it is, required the maintenance
Of large staff ofOticerS, and resulted IN produ-
eng 42l seizures, 10 say nothing OF the still
greater share of frauds which escaped detec-
ton, the demoralizing influence which they
exert, and the premium held out for ~rascaIlty
and perjury. As in the physical world there
are certain propositions demonstrabIe as math-
ematically correct, which 1t is impossible to
carry into effect, 50 also in political economy
there are theories which can never DO made to
work until the time arrives which is looked for
by the whole Christian world, when the wolf
shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall
lie down with the kid. While the desire for
gain is so universal as it is at present, that
system of government is the best, other things
icing equal, which removes out OF the way of
men all temptations to do wrong. That a sys-
TEN of specific duties have some grave oblec-
tons connected with it we do not deny, for no
human law ever existed under Heaven which
does not work a hardship in special c%ases but
all things considered, such a system is %ininlte-
" superior to the one so strenuously insisted
upon by the democratic party, the influence Of
which is shown in its practical operation, to
undermine the integrity of trade. AS a prece-
dent, we would cite the advocates of ad valo-
rem duties to the above extract, since they are
30 fond OF quoting foreign authority to sustain
their ~iayorite theories Boston journal.