Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1853-04-19
53,352,222
~ 100000

Ji,", nv American travellers public outlay
for navy sc, instalment 10 Aexco, &c,
which alter deducting SlO,UOU,UUO estimated
smount OF gold and silver brought Into The 80 400
country by e,ngrants makes the sum Of - 'ooooo
ST., 352, 222
- Ih a,u r,regu balance against for the last fiscal
y,ar: an amount which honorable Senator very Justly
observes is any thing but agreeable TO contemplate hh par
tusrly us there Is present no prospect ta Tue oa"n1c
will be any less during The *utrent ycai
These statements from these hgh-tan authorities
have gone universally into papers, and have found heir
way, Of course, into every citizens hand
We have not published them 10 This journal lof The reason
that we intended accompany them with eAienued COM
mentary showing their allacy This piece OF WORK. nov"
ever has been done handsomely aud coneuslveIy To- our
hand by the " Journal OF Commerce. in the following ar
Gle that we now publish the statement and the very eecua
n,do,e ,nprher Here follows the article Of The journal
Of Commerce
H,cY TARIFF STATISTICS We have frequently been sur
orsed a, the very exravagant and unounded assertions
which many OF the newspapers who ale conhhted 10 Tue
hpb arid policy ure In The habit Of making III rtgaru 10
h forepn Trade OF the United States Our readers VIII re-
member the reservations repeated III Tie co,u"
of those papers from week ~ week through tue "oe VI
the fiscal year the effect that the country was on
he NIGH ruad Ia run that t!r imports exceeded me tA
ports by S50O0OOOO SO Impressed were al paly
with this idea and constantly was IL eiteIa'eu na' a'
Secretary of the Treasury considering II tact wen cstao.
shed based lie argument Of his report hen IN course Of
nrenaraiion) upon and only waited Tor the ohca returns
10 confirm his assumption, and show 70 me "oIn me lu
Gus effect Of anti.hgh tariff policy Al last me CusoI
House statistics rrceived but instead Of MY miohs
excess OF imports exports they showed an excess OF
two millions Of exports Imports thus placing INC ooot
Nm INA hsr leo The Secretary wiped his glasses and star
ed at the document if II had been death:"attah. AZ
length he mustered courage enough 10 examine ~" ne.s
and finding the reported exports Of cotton unusually large
he became sal fled that there was some mistake ad Keep
ing back his report from Congress- he sent dispatches ~ Inc
Collectors at this Port and New oIeans cang upon ',
10 recy the error. fresh computation was made ou no
error was discovered and The Secretary hnaly gpeu GOWN
his most glowing sentences and instead OF the thunder he
had OF the windy assertions OF MS sup
porcrs gave pupgun explosion which scarcely smelt
of powder
of defamation which had imposed upon the Secretary
and The public aud the high Tariff organs nding that the
country would no panic struck at their cry OF run gave
their lungs holiday hoping for better materials for their
trade gu, Of the returns the year lS5l52 The yar has
passed and sl their predictions are not verified The I'M
ports have exceeded the exports only ABOUT he millions oi
dollars Something be done, or their hold upon the
public credulity is altogether And the experiment
IS renewed Mi Brodhead has presented TO the Senate most
remarkable by which the nifty million theory is
thrown quite into the shade He udds 10 the custom House
return OF Imports ~ per cent? which ne says they are un
dervaued in order avoid the men OF uues uu en
the total five millions of dollars more for snugged
goods making the account according 10 Inc Na'loha IN
el!grncer, read thus .,c- % -,o
Custom House value Of mp0ris -zoI, IuS, %
IIn5er valuation 10 ner cent 207lUg73
Valnr If sn,unpl,d gnuds 5000 900
Total cost al Iu!ci.n chandse Imported s23252O 72
is surh an exhibit this which tie lntcipcncer char
acerlscs Interesting and valuable statistics r' US
,yumne il itIl- II will be that he includes Tie tota
imports EXCLUSIVE. specie and thus he has added ~ per
cent goods, ns well as Tue dmab'e, although
there is rretcnce lht! The dnrmer are I"
even according To his principles OF calculation, u
s24S7e9 But againh includes als" the Foreign goods
reSpped Now as The latter viii count me same ~ h es
ports as in imports since they are shppe under the same
system Of vautn The under valuation 10 the one IL an OF
against the "hrr Amending me carna'lon IN 'hcse
items therefore, have the following result: -
H0usn val ne n
Deduct Free Goods other than specie "a, ISL, $50
sle2, s2l, s49
Dsjuc, dutiabIe goods re exported 959a, 703
Leaves net dutiahle imports sl73 1923 li6
Add 10 per cent on Brodheads theory lI,332,3l
Add Free goods - ~ eye
Add re-exports 9,oso, Iu3
Add su,uprled goods 5000 00U
SEQ 442. 05a
Thus merely by correcting the eyptering find
In the InteslIe figures OF So 5 $685. wide from
the truth perhaps for potecIionlss argument hut not
sufficiently correct Tor vauablr statistics Intended IL be
"eninen tly useful in regulating future legislation
We have gone into this detail because admit The
snundness Of the principles upon which the calculation Is
based but show the recHessness Of this class of writer's
and the entire absence of reliability in all their exhibits
mon this subject In regard TO the differentiation upon
which 80 niucn s laid The estimate of 10 per
fraud upon entire imports. is totally Incredible There
Is doubtless undcvaua on particularly in such a
Giles as wines which from being shaken up on the voyage
appear less valuable when landed; but The OF such
fraud Ia grossly exaggerated. Take all the articles upon
which would possible cheat the Appraisers per
nv false estimate of their value and the total undevaua
ton at this the gross Imports would not tC
omit. one million of dollars After careful examination
me whole st.ci satisfied tina, the differentiation:
NJ this port twu-tlrds Of the imports landed
does not am, ing like much the ovcrvaua
tons above the actual selling prices 1t is notorious that
large proportion of the goods consigned commission
houses here arc invoiced, and pass the Custom House.
priccs higher than be realized for them either public
or private sale And there is remedy for this The APP
prasers are Obliged 10 mark up every article OF merchandise
nvoiccd TOO low; but they expressly forbidden IN
duce the of any below The invoice however much this
may he above thu actual value To charge the Appraisers
with ssing goods for whole lwevemonh 10 per
less than their value when the remedy is certainly in Ghc
own hands, ia 10 impue them want Of both capacity
and incgry-an impuation which comes with bad or C,
from the leaders of the party which placed them in office
In regard 10 the SIS 0000 900 OF struggled goods but It'll.
need be said as person creduous enough believe The
statement would little affected by any argument in oppc
son however cogen Of what is this value composed r.
What would be the bulk OF IS 600 600 of merchandise q
aow many ships would i. take bring this quantity of for
cpn poods2 Where is it landed2 Through what channel:
does /, find it's way into cousumpon2 Those who assume
this Item are bound give information concerning
IT, Where a:e the Revenue officers when this enormous
felony going on by which tho Government lie dciraudec
OF millions of dollars annually Al least "a SUI 0GO OF rh
exists onv In the imagination of the proeconss; the re
naming S50U 900 is outside estimate OF the diamonds