Arkansas true Democrat., 1858-06-08

h0"il'' 4ll......- 2lO 70 SIS 50 l53 40
 The total revenue for the following eighteen custom houses for the last fsca year. viz: Bel last, Bath, Bangor, Portland, Waldoboro', Wlcasset, Burlington, Barnstabe, Gloucester, Bnstol, Providence, Plattsburg, Wilmington, Del, Pittsburgh. Cincinnati, Slndu~kv. Toledo and San Francisco-was S1. .769 ,163 43. The total cost of the public buildings in those places Tor custom house., post offices and court rooms, llnl*hed since 1850 is E. 443,776 94
 The total expenaiture incurred for the last llscai year n collecting said net income of $1,- 769, l63 43 was S567 ,839 O2.
 Alo-her defect Of the present system is the lmmehSe patronage 1t gives to the federal gov ernment Thereare now BOSS employees in the revenue service. Under the system of direct IaXafon' winch the committee propose, the collection by each State of it's quota, one sub. treasurer for each State would be sufficient. 1 The present system Is unequal. Every tariff must be more or less protective.
 Tariff crpples the productive energies of the country by interposng obstacles to free ex- changes. The committee go into an estimate to show the immensn loss to the country by the protective features of our tariff l As regards the navigation laws. the commit tee recommend theirm2dihcation in the follow ing particulars:
 1. That American vessels shall not be re- qured to have certain proportion of the crew l American.
 2 That American citizens may sail foreign built vessels with perfect equality with Ameri- can built vessels 5 Foreign vessels admitted to the coasting trade
 The committee then consider the character of the present tariff. That its defects are l l. Too large proportion of the revenue collected received from duties on articles of prime necessity. Nearly one half of the whole revenue raised from cotton, wool, iron aud su- gar
 2. Protective in its character. ,. Free list too eXtenSive; tea and coffee es- l pecally, should no. be exempt from duty. Ii the policy of collecting revenue by tariff is to be permitted. we recommend the following notifications of tie tariff:
 l. Total abandonment of the protective po- hcy. The tariff to b. used merely as fiscal agency.
 ?. Articles of necessity, as cotton, woolen, iron, sugar. to be taxed at the lowest rate of duty; luXures, as silks, wines, etc, at the high est rate
 5 The free list to be confined to such arti ces IS do not pay for the trouble of collecting duties, and the raw materials of manufactur- | ers.
 As regards direct taxation, the committee consider what is meant by direct tayes'' in the sense of the constitution. Alter stating the I declslon of the supreme conrt and the opinion ot Judge Story, they state that the rule as to ! direct taxes, S, that they shall be apportiopcd among the States according to their respective numbers, deducting two tifths of the slaves he practical system the committee recommend $, to ascertain the amount wanted for the ser wee ot government, and apporton that to the States according to their federal population.
 The advantages of this system are
 l. Perfect equality according to the const- tuition.
 2 This system of each State collecting it's own quota would dispense with the present army of custom house officers This is one of the principal advantages of the proposed change, as diminishing patronage so dangerous to our government.
 5. Would insure the least possible amount being taken from the people-low taxes, econo- my fidelity.
 4. Least interference possible with the indus try of the country. The committee then pro- ceeds to an elaborate argument iu favor of the entire freedom of exchanges, and concludes by stating that they do not aim at immediate prac- tcal results, but to affect public opinion and accomplish their ideas practically hereafrer.- The committee submit resolutions sustaining their recommendations.