The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-12-27
BALTIMORE.
MONDAY. DECEMBER 81, 1858.


clover, it happens unfortunately that the exstenc
of the one by no means ameorates the Legislation
of the country as the cultivation of the other i'm
proves its fertility. Each new Congress seems t.
regard every question as an open one, and eacl
new member to look upon himself as bound by
destiny and duty to shed strange light upon it
On no subject whatever have we so many of thes,
special revelations as upon the knotty points O
political economy, and year after year we ar,
shown the truest and most constitutional methods
of deriving the least possible general good out O
our Neutrality-suspicious. Revenue system. Since Mr.
CALHOUN made up the notification issue on thi:
question, it has been regarded almost as chival.
rous to assail the Manufacturing interests of the
country with lead-headed arguments, as TO assault
non-ressting abollonists with lead-headed canes
Since the late happy adjustment of the difficult
ties between the Tammany and Anti-Tammany
factions in the city of New York, the settlement Of
the Tariff becomes the question of next Importance
to our countrys statesmen; for, clearly it were a
most useless and unproductve effort of Executive
wisdom and authority 10 prescribe the principles
and provide the ''weights and measures by which
the spois might be divided, unless full supply OF
spoils were also assured. We suppose, therefore,
that we are performing most timely and accepta-
BILE duty, in offering some general considerations
on the Revenue system Of the country trusting
that they will be duly pondered, especially by the
advocates of Free Trade with whom, on alb
stract principles, we entirely agree.
To base Revenue system-by which we mean
the regular and permanent supplies of the Govern
ment-on import duties, is, apart from all COL
lateral considerations, the policy of sem-civiza-
tion 1t is to found our resources on the hone
that we shall continue to be dependent on foreign
countries for long list of articles of prime neces-
sity and in giving that hope legislative express
sion, we shall be compelled to promote importa-
ton and check domestic competition Imports
ceasing to arrive, Revenue will fail to be collected
and in carrying out strict Revenue policy, such
public misfortune, arising from any cause must
be foreseen and ayerted. Lower rates of duties no
indicate the adoption of Free Trade principles
at one time, than an advance of the rates at an
other, necessarily presumes a committal to the
doctrines of Protection. A Revenue Tariff policy
must change the rates of duty as the wants of the
Government and the state of mportations
may require. It's one principle must be-to sup
ply revenue from an arrangement of duties the
most skillfully devised, not only TO meet present
but future necessities-and while alternately tow
ing with the Free Trader and Protectionist as re-
sources overflow or dry up, it is the deadly enemy
OF both. 1t is the fast and eternal friend of GUS
tom-houses and revenue-ertters-of ad valorem
duties and commercial crises-the corrupter of
eections-the promoter of those tremendous spoiIs-
quarrels which make. and unmake PRESIDENTS
threaten the dissolution of the Government
fill all old-womandom with dismay, and tax
the whole of the craftsmanship of the country
to compromise and SETTLE every four years.
ga Tariff on strict Revenue principles, is a
system which, in its inception, assuming the dis
honest reluctance of property to be taxed, and
deferring to the selfshness and power of wealth,
imposes the support of government on naked
ness, hunger and thirst. To no social necessity
or duty would truly enlightened people submit
so cheerfully as to the levying and payment of
taxes, justly and impartiay distributed accord
ing to every mans abty-to be expended in
carrying out every conceivable function of wise
and nenefcent government. Disgusting taxation
by indirect methods of raising revenue, therefore
is at once an insult to the intelligence, and an
imputation upon the integrity of the people
Yet this, and more than this, is done by "a
Revenue Tariff" 1t is not only the fruitful
parent of frauds and peruries in its particulars
but is in principle the grossest of all frauds Arbi-
trarily Selling upon the products which mercan-
tile enterprise has brought to our ports, it i'm
poses on the unwilling importer the necessity of
of making up the cost of his goods to an extent
sufficient to cover the exactons TO which he is
compelled to submit. We do not, of course, pre-
tend that this process is not understood by the
wel-informed and rejecting; but in nine cases
out of ten the tremendous tax which not only
supplies the Legitimate wants of the Government
but pays the cost of its collection is not suspected
to Turk in the price of the commercial articles Of
daily consumption. In this system of fraud and
injustice, the Revenue-Tariff advocate sees no
cause for shame-no room for improvement
The ease with which the tax is collected the vast
supply of ready cash it Affords the patronage and
spoils connected with it in his eyes, are full COM
pensaton for even a double amount of evil. Akin
In ingenuity to the system which proposed to
make ''every man his own washerwoman" he re-
joices in the fact that it makes every member of
the community his own tax-collector. Upon the
principle that
''He that is robbed knowing what is STOLE
Let him not know it, and he's not robbed at ALL"
he does not hesitate to raise millions by additional
duties, while he would shrink from demanding
from the STATES, the reimbursement of the small
est portion of the funds of the Government, de-
posted with them.
We trust the intelligent rskder will understand
that not blind to the fact, that as far as re-
CARDS the operation of a Protective Tariff in the
particulars advered to, there appears at first sight
no difference between the two. In fact, on many
plausible grounds, the Protective can be shown to
be more arbitrary and unjust in its exacons than
the rival system. But in examining the principles
upon which Tariff, intended merely to furnish
perennial supplies to the Government, must de-
pend, we shall only confuse ourselves by consider
ing at the same time one with ultimate objects
reaching very far beyond its capacity to produce
revenue. 1t is not just to take a common view of
two systems which, however they may for time
run side by side, soon reach point of divergence,
in the fact that one if true to itself and its custom
houses, must soon discriminate against domestic
manufactures; while the other, making temporary
use of the same agencies, expects and strives to
dispense with them by rendering them, sooner or
later, useless.
1t Is truly amazing to witness the confusion of
ideas ON these important points-to see how little
the real relations between the three systems of de-
irving revenue-one from Protective Tariff. with
Revenue as the incident-one from Revenue Tar
if, with. such protection as cannot be avoided-al
protection being sooner or later fatal to it--and
square Free Trade with direct taxation-are under
stood. The ease with which the advocates of the
Revenue Tariff can form alternate alliances with the
Protectionst and the Free Trader when their votes
are wanted to counterfeit the fluctuations to which
revenues resting on duties are exposed, is as re-
markabe as the GOODNESS with which the allies are
alternately sacrificed. Whenever the Government
has more money than can be disposed of by all
the ordinary and extraordinary expedients of ex-
travagance and corruption, a reduction of duties
is always carried ON Free Trade princi-
pies Whenever a Government, within
year or less, passes from redeeming its
bonds at premium of some sixteen per cent into
the necessity of borrowing back double the amount
redeemed, at par-the protection of langushing
Manufacturing Home interests is made the pretext.
The great principle seems to be wholly lost sight of
that, as permanent thing, protection cannot be
ooffen ont of Ravanua Tariff NOR ravanua darrad