Weekly Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1853-1861, 1855-08-02

SI52, ,935 80. How the balance of the near sever
millions of dollars refunded from the Treasury
of the United States, was distributed among tn
several States, / do not know; it is fair to sup
J pose that it was divided as was the four mil
lions: and If so, it went principally to Pennsyl
vania, New York and New England, and help.
TO account for their numerous roads and large
wealth.
9th. By the Tariff Act of 1912, (see u. S
statutes at large, vol. 5, p. 55l) a specific duty
of SOS per ton was laid upon railroad iron; but
this was not to take effect until the Sd of March
of the following year.
18th. In 1916, by the act of the 30th of July
a Democratic Congress reduced the duties OF
S25 per ton upon railroad iron to 80 per cent
upon its actual cost
"From this history of the legislation of Con
gress upon railroad iron, we see that for the
FIRST eleven years it was exempted from all du-
ties if laid down within three years from the
date of its importation. Iflaid down afterward
special acts were passed, refundng from the
Treasury the sums paid therefor. During the
succeeding four years (from lS42 to lS46) spe-
clhc duty of S25 per ton was imposed, and du-
ring the succeeding nine years (from 1876 TO
1850 there has been collected duty of 80 per
cent. upon the cost of imported railroad iron
eleven years free from duty, thirteen years sub
ject to duty.
at will readily occur to the intelligent reader
that the principle involved in making railroad
iron duty free, and of refunding duties years
after they have been paid, has been sanctioned
| by all parties, and been quietly acquesced in,
if not directly approved, by the greatest and
the best men of the country in public life, du-
ring one of the most brilliant periods in Amer-
can history-from 1881 TO lS43.
"The general act of 1882, and the numerous
special acts, were passed during the Presiden-
cies of Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren and
John Tyler. In Congress were the following
remarkable men, all of whom, so far as have
nOtired, acquiesced in, and most, if not all of
whom, directly sanctioned the principle of ma
king railroad iron duty free:-Messrs. Calhoun.
Clay, Woodbury., Webster, Buchanan, X. j.
Walker, Marcy, Bell of Tennessee, Clayton,
Boyd, McDuffie, Polk, Livingston, SilasWright,
Tazewell, w. X. King, Abbot Lawrence, Ber-
rien, Crttendon, Whittlesey, Cave johnson,
Governor Troup of Georgia, Sewer, Governor
Dickinson of New Jersey, b. w. Leigh, Hugh L.
White, Caleb Cushing, General Hayne of South
Carolina, John Q. Adams, p. p Barbour,
Wayne, DC, &c."
have spoken of the railroad enterprises, now
SO borne down, as an interest affecting the com
munity at large. In the new States of the
West and Southwest this is eminently the case
Not only are We dependent upon the compile
tion of leading lines for necessary means of in
tercourse and access TO market, but the mass of
the people, rich and poor, either directly or in
directly, are TO a great extent the stockholders
Whatever of foreign capital is furnished, is
mainly in the purchase of bonds, made secure
in any event by prior mortgage upon the iron,
road bed, DC. But the stock subscription,
amounting generally TO half the cost, and de-
pendent for any value upon the completion of
the roads, is home interest. Prompted far
more by public spirit, generous and noble in its
aspirations, than by any prospect of dividends,
our western people have contributed to the full
extent of their ability, first as individuals, and
secondly in county or other municipal subscrip-
tions. In most of the Western States county
subscriptions have very generally been made,
| by counties, townships and municipal corpora
tions, in which every tax payer is involved
The argument advanced against this proposed
| relief, upon the ground of its more favorable
bearing upon companies, in disregard of the
masses cf the people, however respectable the
quarter from which it comes, is therefore with
out force. Nor is there more Justice of truth in
the idea that the agriculturisthas not interest
in the completion of our leading works para
mount to all considerations connected with the
question of duties upon iron. If any point has
been clearly established by past experience, il
is the great additional value given to farming
lands and to the product of the farmers toll by
the opening of railroads. That this interest
more than any other. is benefited by railroads
no one at this day will controvert The year
ly surplus of Wisconsin farm of 300 acres may
be 5000 bushels of grain or its equivalent
The saving of transportation to Lake Michigan
} by railroad, if IS miles distant, cannot be less
than $lOO, including necessary imports. Now
the duties upon every particle of iron used by
this farmer could not exceed ten or twelve dol
; lars annually. Even the saving of the farmer
time in going 10 and from the place of market
would exceed in value the duties on all irol
used in his business.
Thus readily are all such arguments disposed
of-assumptions shall call them-based upol
the idea of an antagonism of interest betweel
the farming, mechanical, or manufacturin.
classes, and the internal improvement of tn
! country-assumption too often substituted 70
legitimate reasoning by those who find it easi
er to declaim than TO analyZe. There is n
such antagonism. The construction of sin
gle line of railroad across the State of low
from the Mississippi to the Missouri, woul
, add ten millions To the value of the lands an
! other real estate within the extended range {
It's influence, no part of which would accru
to the corporation constructing the road, bu
, would be distributed, like the fertiliZing rair
! upon all classes and upon every interest
r And this is but an illustration of the benef
cent influence of similar leading lines in ever
part of the Union, not already supplied wit
means of inter-communication.
! Ii is estimated that six to seven hundre
. . millions have already been expended in til
construction of railroads in the United State
and that of this large sum, at least three fourth
!, has been furnished by our own citizens. Take
;, as a whole, no class of investment has contr
buted so largely to the general convenience an
. wealth of the country, nor has any brought S
!, : small return to the stockholders Senator Wi
" son, of Massachusetts,, in the late debate on thl
subject. expressed the opinion that the entil
! | railroad property of New England IS wort
not over SO per cent. of its cost. With fe'
;, exceptions in other parts of the country, raj
- road stock can be bought much below par
y The present effort of the country IS to con
% plete unfinished portions, to connect the SCI
, eral systems of roads, and to extend the lea'
- ing lines TO important points in the new State
with the twofold object of rendering avall
.e BILE previous investments, and opening impo
~ tant and much needed avenues of trade
y Shall the enterprise of the country, VIII
thus directed TO the promotion OF the gener
~ good, be chilled in its ardor and held IN chez
Z by the demagogue cry of wealthy corpor
ne tions." while the custom house is still perml
PC ted to exact, out of the scanty means of the
,e n companies, 80 per cent. upon the cost oil the
.e iron, lust paid for at great sacrifices from hor
% resourcesf Is nothing due TO that energy al
rs public spirit which has built, within fc
a wears, for the understandable for its mi
u service and for its defence-2O,O GOO miles oil ra
~, road.
Il The train of remark is Of course based up
the idea that the Government is not in urge
n, need of the revenue collected from iron rails
ls "Too much money in the Treasury under ex
as ting Duties" was the language in substance
Nm Senator Cass in his remarks upon the Tal
rai proposition, on one of the last days of the Il
on session of Congress.
in Surely no argument based upon motives
by present economy, nor any objection founded
,ut an adversion to special class legislation, "
he have controlling weight against the propos
ad relief to this struggling interest Of the n
States. Considerations of this nature have
st, prevented the most liberal action Of Congress
&C., wards objects peculiarly interesting to the S
her board At the late session SS5S,OO0 annua
rch for five years, amounting to over four and qu
ter millions was appropriated TO sustain
icb gle line of steamships to and from Liverpool
ere Let me not be understood as undertaking. tn
rom feelings of national pride, that forecast VIII