Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1854-03-08
SPEECH OF HON. W. w. BoYCE,
DE souru CAROLINA.

In the House of Rcprescnia''ves-tc0ruary
III, GSSa.
The blouse being in Committee of the
NNhole on the state of the Union, on bll
so encourage agriculture, commerce, manu-
factures, and all other branches OF industry
by granting TO every man who is the head
of family, and citizen ofthe United States,
2 homestead of one hundred aud sixty acres
of land out of the public domain, upon con-
dition of occup .ucy aud cultivation of the
same for the period herein specified.
Mr.. BoycE rose and said
Mr.. Chairman, | desire to make some re.
marks on the subject Of the tariff 1t ap.
pears, from the report Of the Secretary OF
the Treasury, that the surplus balance on
hand September 30, 1853, was S2S'2i7,-
sS7 IS. Moved by such vast and ncreas-
ing surplus, the Secretary very properly re-
commends modification Of the tariff. His
proposed modification may be summed mp
in three ideas. Duties Of one.hundred per
cent, on l.randes and cordia!s, a greater ex.
tension of the free list, aud 4 uniform duty
of Twenty-Five per cent. on all remaining
imports. Though l have the very highest
respect for the Secretary of the treasury.
am compelled to differ from him on this sub.
iec. As regards the one hundred per cent,
duties, they are utterly indefeusible as
financial measure; they are FIVE times higher
than the revenue standard, and must dInIln.
ish the revenue. and imjuriousiy affect our
commercial relations with France. can
see no possible reason for such exorbitant
duties, but desire to Ieg<late indirectly IN
a great social question, with which con-
ceive we have nothing 10 do. Passing by
these one hundred per cent duties, which
are in no harmony with the Secret"ry's gene.
raj tariff policy, approach the two leading
principles urged by him-the free list, aud Il
uniform duty of twenty 1--we per cent.
1t is important to observe what the free
list does not contain aud what it does con.
tain. 1t does not contain articles of foreign
manufacture, which may come in .compet'.
tion with home manufactures. 1t does con.
tain the raw materials of domestic manuiac.
lures, and certain exports for which our
manufactures are exchanged, as lea and
coffee, for instance. 1t is also important to
consider what articles will pay the duty of
twenty-five per cent, coniessediy high
duty above the revenue standard-live per
cent higher than the maximum duties under
the British revised tariff of 1912. 1t will be
found that among. these articles are all for
eign products which may come in compell.
ton with domestic manufactures. From
these facts, the object of the Secretary S
tariff becomes luminous. 1t is evidently
designed to give domestic manufactures the
utmost practical protection; and it accom-
plishes this purpose most thoroughly; for
the effect of admitting the raw material duty
free, and taxing the manufactured article
twenty five per cent, isto extend protection
in some Instances, to forty aud forty-fve
per cent. This free list is great invention ;
for while it confers an exclusive privilege on
the manufacturers, that of importing the
commodities they need free of duty, it cre-
ates an apparent necessity, and affords the
pretext for high duties on their rival imports
What system! Those commodities which
the manufacturers need pay no duty Those
which the people need pay duty amoun'
ting, practically, to about one-ihiid OF their
value.
AZ regards the uniform duty of twenty
five per cent, it rests on the radical error
abat all imports can pay the same rate oi
duty, whereas the fact is exactly the reverse
Some commodities cannot pay more than
five per cent, and others more than ten per
cent, aud hence every tariff we have ever
had has proceeded on a graduation Of duties
TO apply uniform rate Of twenty-five per
cent, is to prohibit many articles, and dimln'
ish the revenue There is one article to
which the Secretary proposes to extend even
more than an ordinary share of protection
that is iron; of ak imaginable things that
which the universal industry Of the country
in every form and section, is most interested
to obtain cheap. Yet, under the euphonious
term, specific duties, this article is to receive
the lions share of protection. | entirely
dissent from the Seeretary's recommends.
tions. | object to every one'of them, his
one hundred per. cent. duties, his free list,
his horizontal tariff Of twenty-five per cent,
his specific duties on iron. This projected
tariff is protection and monopoly.in their
worst because their most covert forms. ]
will not dwell longer on this report. satsf,
ed to call attention to its protective features
pass on to the general consideration OF
the subject.