The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-08-10

ss among "the great reformers Of the age"
and who is certainly one of the chief instru-
ments by which she maintains her control over
the farmers and planters of the world. 1t has
been shown that, at home, she levies her duty
on the commodity itself, requiring all importers
OF the same article to pay the same sum into
the treasury, while abroad her friends advocate
the levying of duty upon prices; thus enabling
dishonest men to pay to The treasury twenty,
thirty, or forty per cent. less than honest ones.
Nevertheless, the system was to be maintained
and Britain was to be secured in her control
over the manufactures and trade of the world;
and therefore the frauds have been steadily
denied by the Union, the Journal Of Commerce,
and other freetrade presses, although the fact of
their preparation is as well known as that the sun
shines at monday; and although the editors Of
those journals have evidence of its existence in
the notorious fact that foreigners now sell their
goods deliverable here duty paid, when Anne
ricans would be ruined were they to purchase
the same goods from the same men and import
them themselves.
The London Economist of June &c furnishes
an abstract of report by committee of the
House Of Commons, from which we take
the following paragraph, which we recommend
to the consideration of those members of Con-
gress who have thus far closed their eyes to
the fact that the al valorem system is prejudi-
cial to the wants of the community, as well as
to the revenue:
6 A. ri dntio
the committee says, operate badly in practice.
The gross amount ofthem in 1850 was only siss,-
S3S, while during the came period the number of
seizures was 42l, keeping up greater staff of off,
GERS than would otherwise be necessary; and the
committee IS Of opinion, therefore, tat the number of
articles subject to ad ualorem duties should be large.
" reducsd.''
The revenue of 1850, from customs,
was Sl8,738, 1903
OF this, the amount collected by
ad valOrens duties was 1873 1893
And yet the committee is of opinion that
the number of articles paying such duties
should be largely reduced! We should be glad
that our friends of the Union and of the Jour-
nal Of Commerce would explain to their read
ers how it is that system which works 81
badly there should work we'll here, unless it is
that the direct object of the system is that of
enabling Britain, by aid Of the frauds now
perpetrated, to annihilate the manufactures of
all those countries the people Of which are
blind enough to 60 to Manchester and Bir-
mingham to learn how they can obtain high
prices for their wheat and their cotton, and
how they can obtain cloth and iron at low ones
1t is time that our farmers and planters should
open their eyes to the fact that the great oh
ject OF all the movements Of Britain is that of
lowering the prices of all raw products of the
earth-those which we have to sell-and rails
ing the price Of all the manufactured articles
that she has to sell, and we have to buy; and
that the mode of accomplishing that object is to
destroy everywhere competition for the pur-
chase Of the former, and competition for the
sale Of the latter, as is now being done in
this country by aid of the tariff Of 1916. 1t is
time that they should begin to understand the
real tendencies of Manchester free trade.