Washington sentinel., 1854-01-06
FREE TRADE.

When we published the report of the Secre-
tary Of the Treasury, we said that we appre-
hend that we shall be found to object to the
proposition of the Secretary touching the
manner in which he proposes to reduce the
revenue" At the same time, we said, as we
have said SINCE that we could not discuss the
portions of Mr.. Guthrie's report until we could
have an opportunity to examine the tables
which his report refers to. As yet we have not
been able to obtain the information which those
tables would give.
Yet it cannot be amiss for us to set forth the
general ideas by which we shall Judge any rev.
enue or tariff proposition which may be pro
posed.
In discharging this task we announce clearly
and explicitly that we are the advocates of free
trade; and, that we consent to a departure
from absolute and entire FREE-TRADE, in order
to provide for the necessities of the government,
and on no other consideration, that necessity
alone reconciles us to any import duties what
ever.
Alexander Hamilton was the father of the
protective system. His celebrated report, when
Secretary of the Treasury under General Wash
thing which has ever been uttered in favor Of
a protective tariff. Yet Alexander Hamilton,
when he was urging. in connexion with Mr..
Madison and Mr.. Jay, the people of the United
States to adopt the federal CONSTITUTIONAL
the letters written by him and published in the
II Al Il.
would impose such unequal burdens, that it
would be the duty of Congress, under the Con-
stitution, whenever it levied a duty on arti-
Gle Of foreign import, to impose, at the same
time, couaterrailing excise on the domestic
production of the same article, SO that the
burdens Of the government should be equally
distributed
Being fully welded to free trade ideas We
insist, and mean ever to insist that, while it il
necessary to raise a fund from imports, nothing
but revenue purposes should be considered, in
fixing the rate of duty which each and every
imported article shall pay at our custom-houses
We oppose large tree last, for that is a pro-
lection scheme. We oppose horizontal tariff,
for that is mere blind protection. We oppose
minimum and specific duties, because we con
slider them fraud upon the community
mean and miserable cheat upon the public
We are not old, yet we remember well the
great tariff discussion. When the issue was
fully joined in 1874, we did all that we could to
sustain free trade and revenue duties-all we
could to break down the idea of government
protection, and to destroy the odious system Of
minimum and specific duties which was recog
nized by the tariff of 1872
As we hold that the duty of the federal gov
ernmeht is simply to supply itself with the ne
cessary revenue; and, believing that the fede
raj government can levy imposts only with ref
erence to the duty il has to discharge, we in
sist that Congress ought not, and cannot hon
estly and properly, or with due and proper
REVENUE in imposing duties on imports OF
foreign goods. Whilst we insist on ad raloren,
duties-whilst we abhor free list--whilst we
refuse to recognise any special interest as enti,
tied to favor-whilst we deny and repudiate
all special privileges, and every manner of class
legislation, we confess that we have insupera.
BILE objections to a mere horizontal tariff. A
fixed horizontal impost which would be mere
revenue duty on one article, would be prohib.
itory duty on another article
In our judgment the true-consistent--free
trade rule is to make every import pay its duty
dd ralorem. In applying that rule Congress:
should look first to the amount of none,
which the public exigencies require-then t,
the highest revenue point which each anc
every import can bear. Ifthe revenue STANDARD
thus determined yields more than the govern
ment requires, then we insist, on behalf Q
the true democratic party, that pro rata dc
duction shall be made on the taxes levied o
each and every article.
This is what we understand by free hddt
modified by the necessities Of the government
If we are mistaken, it viii afford us much plea
sure to be corrected, if any one can correct US
We see that the subject must come befor
Congress very soon, and whilst we do not wis
to forestall public opinion, we wish to plac
our own opinions on the record.