Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1852-10-20

1 1916 4SU 364 36l l4Sl ll0ilO 9o4l SIC
effect Of this high duty was an enormous and un-
usual amount of smuggling, which grew from year
to year, till 1880, when it averaged above S,OO0OOO
pounds per annum. Every means within the power
Of the Ministry was used in vain to check it. and as
last resort Mr. PITT proposed in 1884 to reduce
the duty to twelve aud half per cent, which mea-
sure was signay successful. Smuggling and the
practice Of aduteration were Immediately discon-
tinucd, and the legal imports Of Tea trcbled. But
in 1895, the duty was again raised, and after sue
ccssrc augmcntations, at various times, it was finally
raised in 1919 to one hundred per cent, when the
smuggling and aduteration recommended on the
most extensive scale, but in 1886 the duty was
lowered to two shlings one pence, or fifty cents on
the pound, and if it las been materially changed
since am not advised Of it.
The use Of Tea, Coffee and Tobacco should be as
free and unrestricted as water, and if England
would pursue her true policy. or if she would speak
with more effect and eloquence in the Temperance
cause than ever did father MATTHEW, or even his
ustrious colleague in South Carolina, sh must
duty on Tea and Coffee, and admitting both articles
free ut the Custom House. that nuisance and war
breeder Of modern nations. AT present the Gus
toms duty Of twelve cents per pound on Coffee and
and fifty cents per pound on Tca together with the
excise duty for license to sell either, prevents their
use BY the great mass of the English people. But
it is feared that her enormous national debt stands
in the way Of her ability TO perform such an act Of
humanity. She however did much for her subjects
in this respect, when in 1889 she abolished the
odious Tea monopoly of the East India Company.
and made It lawful for all individuals or companies
to import Tea. But even now, the finest green
Teas, such as Imperial and Gunpowder, which are
regularly imported into the United States, by reason
ol their paying no duty here, are wholly unknown
in the English market Hence your American
pca.an. sips finer Tea than even my Lord DERBY.
But the progress Of these beverages in the United
States deserves n passing notice. Many of our
miserable apologies for statesmen in America are
accustomed to say that the cause of the Revolution
ary war was the Stamp Act and the duty on Tea.
would like to ask il this be true, why did Mr..
JEFFERSON enunerate such long list of grievances
in the Declaration of Independence or that indict-
msnt against King GEORGE, Us it has been facetously
called The best histories that have ever seen Of
the Revolution expressly declare, that was brought
about by resistance TO the right Of Internal Taxa
ton, which Great Britain claimed. and not by oppo-
son to her yielded right Of imposing and collecting
External Customs. Still the Tea duty was the most
acravatinS circumstance of all, sort Of Maine
liquor law and the occasion but not the cause OF the
war; Great Britain would Revenue and the poor
colonies wanted the stimulating Tea at its prime cost
in China and tho expense Of transportation to Arer-
| len together with the reasonable profits Of IN
porter. All Messrs. EDIroRs, mcthinks the Yam
KEGS Of Boston must have shed many heartfelt, il
they were puritancal, tears, Us they gave the un-
willing Tea to the ungratcful brine Tea, as simple
as it looks in cup upon the table, is not the only
stimulus which has caused 4 war between millions
and changed the face Of the world Opium has
twice and thrice made the British Common thunder
at the cities Of the Cclestials. have no doubt but
that America would have ultimately set up foes her
SELF still il Yankees had been permitted to drink
Tea free of duty M they do now in the molcrn
Athens, the United States might have been, even
while write, du,iful and giant child to her glo-
rious old mother. England however, seems to have
taken advantage Of the imperious necessity which
actuates man to use stimuli, or at least her policy
has ever been to tax these articles most severely
and hence tho remarkable fact, that smuggling and
adultera,ion are confined almost entirely and er-
elusiucly to stimuli, not only in England, but in
every other country, where they are much taxed to
which shall rccur hereafter.
1t would appear that the national mind Of the
United States was prejudiced against Tea in the
infancy of the Republic, by being taught to hate il
rs the cause of unnumbcred woes and prvations to
our fore-fathers, or otherwise, cannot account sa.
tisfactor;y for the enormously high and dspropor.
tomato duty levied on Tea, while that upon Coffee
was merely nominal. Previous to 1927, the duty
on Tea, in this country, amounted n.some years to
near So 1000, 600, about seuenth Of The whole
Revenue, and during that period, am not inclined
to suspect that many Yankee sktf freightcd
smugged Tea, notwithstanding the proud reply to
Mr. CoLcocK's famous speech that "Our people
arc morally opposed to smuggling" High duties
have not failed to produce smuggling elsewhere and
like causes produce like effects. Man is the same
everywhere, as regards his appctites and passions
Still this high duty may have been lail to show
what heavy taxation people could endure when i
was sclfmposed, and our people may have had the
national pride 10 grin and bear it without smuggling
Yet it is strange that Mr. RUSH, the Secretary oi
the Treasury, should have all suddenly in 1927, re-
commended to Congress to diminish the duty on
Tea. lie assigns his real or ostcnuibc REASONS for
it as follows. After saying something of the iinpor-
tance Of opening the China trade to this country, he
continues "The use Of Tea has become so general
throughout the United States as to rank almost
necessary to life. When to this We add, that there
is no riral production at home to be fostcrcd by
esscning the amount of its Importation, the duty
upon it may safcly be regarded as too high "No
rival production at home" struck tho Yankee pro-