Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1857-03-28

should modify the duties ratably, as to
give rs fhat We wanted; but at the same time we do
this We us do it according to the true principles
taxafon which require that should lay the tax not
on production, but consumption That is principle
adopted IN all countries in which there is wise system
Iegslaton and it is adopted because if you Law the
tax upon production the people have to paw great deal
more than goes into the Treasury YOU run the dan
ger Of disturbing the equilibrium of great industrial
OF the country and turning which
uray profitable out of their usual and accustomed chan
whereas when you lay the duty the article when
ready for consumption the Government gets all the duty
minus the expenses of collection.
10 Illustrate let refer to the arguments that were
used during the war between England and France under
Mr. Pltts ministry, when it proposed lay an ex-
else duty on pig iron. It opposed on the ground
that was nwise legislation to lay any duty produce
ton opposed the ground that for the 1900 900 ster-
ling which might thus be carried into the treasury the
people would have to pay 000 0OO and to show that
something like this might happen without pretending to
answer Tor the precise accuracy of the figures viii sup
pose case Suppose they had laid duty on raw cot
ton; 1t is manifest that when the spinner had twisted
that pound of cotton and sold it to the weaver the duty
would enter into the cost element of price and
upon " ne would put profit and interest for the capital
invested IN the duty When the turned over to
the printer he would put the duty thus compounded
with interest another profit and Interest," and when the
printer turned it over in the form in which was to be
consumed IN the usethat of printed caico-he would
put on THIS compounded interest and profit again.
that the people would have pay much more than ever
would reach the treasury whilst if instead of doing that
they had laid an excise duty the yard of printed cloth
consumed Government would have received the whole
minus the expense of collection
have underworld to illustrate this principle because it
pears on what conceive to be true system
say follows as result of that principle that in re-
gard to all those articles for which there would be no
mand, except such as made by the manufacturers
themselves there should be duty and those should be
iree Upon all articles on which you lay duty for
should be laid only for revenue purposes. Ar
for which there is no demand except that which
the manufacturers themselves should be Free be-
should thus cheaper the price the consumer
and because too it would enable avoid the risk of
disturbing through SYSTEM euli
brium OF the various branches Of productive industry
But in proceeding to that great end as said before
desire to go gradually desire act upon principle
which is just alike to the and the manufactu-
rer; which, In Short enables the consumer to buy more
cheapy both at home and abroad because not only di-
minshes the duty upon imports but also lessons the cost
of production to the domestic manufacturer To dimin
sh the cost OF production by reducing taxation is after
all the most Legitimate protection which Government
can give to its home industry. While, then reduce the
duties those articles which the great mass consume
will reduce pdsSu the duties those chemicals dve-
stufs &c. which the manufacturer uses; so that by
proceeding on this process Of reduction when we come
to the point where have but revenue duties on
those articles consumed by the masses shall have the
raw material for which there is demand save that
produced by the manufacturer himself free That the
end towards which think should direct our efforts
But widely different this in principle from free list
which includes articles of general consumption and fit
subjects for taxaton for to make them free throw
the whole weight of taxation upon those articles which
come into competition with domestic manufactures and
to prevent those duties from falling to the
standard.
l. do not pretend to say for it is very much the re-
verse; that the tariff act of 1916 any thing like this
but it ustifable because was great improvement
on the state of things which it substituted It recog-
nised too the principle upon which propose to act SO
believe that the modification which shall offer will be
an Improvement on that act. What is that modification?
proposeto reduce the one-hundred percent schedule
to thirtype cent to reduce the forty -per-cen the
thiry-per-cent, the twenty cent and the
percent schedules onefourth or nearly onefourth
that is to say, the fory-percen to thirty the thirty
twenty three the twenty-five to nineteen and the twenty
to fifteen. The lower schedules, which compare
lively unimportant, propose to reduce one-ffh.
This Is the whole scheme of the substitute which
shall OFFER except that make transfers of certain art-
ces in order to accommodate the bill more the prnc
Piles which have been endeavoring to enunciate
transfer some of those dye-sus which of
cek othe manufacturer to the free list and others to
st schedule; vat tire UpvI atiun thereafter of
this seheme if it should be adopted will be to approach
as rapidly as we can to duties upon all articles
consumed by the masses and at the same time when this
accomplished to give the manufacturer those articles
free of duty which used only by himself in the pro-
auctions of his art But would approach this end if
could, by steps so sure and gradual to give rude
shock to any OF the great interests of the country be-
eve that all this may be accomplished with entire safety
upon the principles which propose
But it not my purpose nor 30 think it would be
rlt 10 give 10 the manufacturer all that he desires
have Free while you tax the upon long list
articles with duties above the standard think
the two ought to ogeher and believe the substitute
which offer will accomplish that in great degree But
how is it to operate the great protected interests of
the country All those which have been heretofore con-
sered among the protected interests in the TWEEN
tyfhree per cent schedule There you find iron sugar
hemp the manufactures of WOOL and the finer manufac
TUES of cotton.
Now ask which of these interests is it that need be
afraid of foreign competition with such protection as
this? Surely not the iron interest because the TWEEN
hree per cent of duty you to add the expenses of
fright and commissions, &c., which have never seen
estimated at less than five per cent My excellent friend
fDm Rhode Island Mr.. ALLEN assures that it costs
al of that and he thinks, something more. That five
pr cent added to the twentythree per cent is twenty
eight per cent, in itself large profit. In addition to
that to remember that for each ton of which
ges by the railway, from the seaboard into the interior
fm two and half to three dollars must be added to its
pfce for every hundred miles of transportation
Now, is there any living healthy interest that cannot
stnd and stand WELL under such protection this of
tYenty-eight per cent. Twenty per cent. is large
pPft; twenty per cent any kind of production is
Large profit But has not the iron interest come to that
pint in its history when it well afford to stand
DIR far less duty, far less degree of protection?
think it has. 1t is admitted fact that in point of
ttal advantages in the production of iron the United
Sites unrvaed Of the one hundred and eighty
three thousand square miles Of coaelds of the world it
scomputed that hundred and thirty three thousand
orRearly fourths in the United States having
sseE times many square miles Great Britain and
Ireaid together. Our iron Ores too rich any
on TIL earth They rival the famous black bandstone
of ScNtland; and my friend from Pennsylvania fAIr
BRoDtEAD) told the other day, with a natural and
just telling of exultation that he believed the Pennsy
vania zig iron beginning to drive the Scotch pig
iron fbm the American market which has been hereto
in fhp Ac fail