Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-12-14
The Message aud the Tarin-sound
WING Doctrine


a. The really most important subject. perh.ps.
submitted by Mr.. BUCHANAN in his recent mes
- sage, as imperatisely desaanding the propn,
consideration and action of Congress, is the
modification of the existing tariff. Amer
stating that the amount of Imports from for
eign countries has been so much reduced that
the revenue has proved inadequate TO meet
the necessary expenses OF the Government
thatto supply the deficiency Congress. in 1857
authorized the issue of $50 600 600 of Urea
sury notes, and this proving Inadequate. thew
in 1858, authorised loan of $40. 900 600
more-that to go on borrowing in order to
meet the necessary expenses of the Govern
ment would be ruinous policy-tbat II is
our true policy to increase our revenue by a
revision and modification of the tariff so as to
equal our expenditures-that the incidental
protection thus afforded by revenue tariff
would at the present moment, to some extent
increase the confidence Of the manufacturing
interests, and give fresh impulse to our re-
viving business" Mr.. BUCHANAN proceeds 70
say:
In regard to the motives of assessing and
collecting duties under a strictly revenue
tariff have long entertained and often ey.
pressed the opinion that sound policy requires
this should be done by specific duties in cosee
to which these can be properly applied TLcv
are well adapted to commodities which are
usually sold by weight or by measure. and
which, from their nature, are of canal or nj
nearly equal value. Such, for example, are
the articles of iron of different classes. raw
sugar. and foreign wines and spirits
In my deliberate Judgment, specific duties
are the best if not the only means of secnrino
the revenue against false and fraudulent in.
voices, and such has been the practice adopt-
ed Tor this purpose by other commercial ma
lions Besides, specific duties would afford "a
the American manufacturer the incidental
advantages to which he is fairly entitled I'M
revenue tarlf The present system is a slid
ing scale 10 his disadvantage. Under it. when
prices are high and business prosperous. the
duties rise in amount when he least reouires
their aid. On the contrary, when prices fall
and he Is struggling against adversely, the du-
ties are diminished in the same proportion
greatly to his injury.
Neither would there be danger that high
er rate OF duty than that intended by Con
gress could be levied in the form of specific
duties. 1t would be easy to ascertained the
average value of any imported article for a
series OF years; and, instead of subiecting it
10 an al UdtoTen duty at a certain rate per CEN
tum, TO substitute in its place an equivalent
specific duly"
Here is an explicit recommendation to
abandon ad UaJoren duties and fall back upon
the good old wing principle of specific duties
In all cases TO which the latter can be proper
ly applied, as 1.-The best, il not the ONLY, means
OF securing the revenue" from the frauds
which have been constantly, and to an enor-
nous extent, practiced under the ad pdLoren
system which was ingrafted in the Democratic
tariff OF 1916, in despite of the conclusive ar
guments urged against it by the Wings, and
In total disregard of the practical workings
oil the system, as recognized and declared by
all Governments which had tried it to any
considerable extent, particularly by that of
Great Britain. where. years ago, The then
chancellor of the Exchcquer stated in the
House of Commons that the question of the
relative merits and advantages of The two
systems had been fully and finally decided in
the Judgment of all men acquainted with the
subject,in favor of specific and ag anst ad va-
loren duties.
Besides recommending the restoration of
specific duties in all cases to which they will
properly apply, which recommendation is an
important step in the right direction, Mr..
BUCHANAN recognizes, as just, the claim of
the American manufacturers to the 'inciden-
tai protection" to be afforded by revenue
tariff
What, then, is "revenue tariff" and what
under it, are the nature, and extent of the
''incidental protection" to which, in Mr. BucH-
ANAN's opinion, the American manufacturer
is 'fairly entitled" For the correct under
standing and clucidation OF these questions,
We ask the patient attention of our readers
for very few moments, while we turn to the
recorded opinions and official acts of the
great lights of the Republic, and first to the
proceedings of