The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1859-01-11
TWO CENTS


change o the tonnage allowance always oiiowed every
change in the salt duty IL originated with the salt
duty, with the salt duty pershea with the sat duty
revived with the salt duty increased with te
salt duty and has been continued with the salt duty, bar
has not been reduced with the duty.
Thus sir upon the face Of the acts themselves, thnh
X is perfectly manifest that the purPnse OF Congress was
to ErIt drawback but no bounty in respect Z these
tonnage allowances find that la n rs, when resolu
tion offered lE their repeal Mr. Reed maintained
thai the tonnage allowance not equal % the draw
back De stated that thangb L might eEced y ora some
vessels in the aggregate i iell shoTt Of the Drawback
Such perhaps the fact
The fishermen themselves always understood and con
straed the law AZ giving drawback and nos bounty
such has been tine construction of the Treasury De
partment from the time Of Mr. Hamilton down to that o
Mr. Woodbury. Cor in ali their annual reports yon will
find that they exhit the proceeds Of the salt duty in this
manner first, they show the aggregate number ef bush
eis imported then the aggregate nnnber exported then
the allowances TO the fishing vessels then they e0nvert
those allowances into bushels o salt at the existing rate
oi aaty- and subfrnc them from the gross uunabef ~
bushels imported and then give the result a. ths net
amount Of salt paying duty
Ii appears, then, by The language Of the acts them
selves by the arguments of the advocates of those acts
by the memorials Of the fishermen praying Tor those acts
BY the construction Of those acts BY the fishermen and
by the construction of the Treasury Department., that
Congress gave intended 10 give and the fishermen
asked or profesed to ask, nothing more than dWbaok
and no bounty.
But SIR what is the fact this time Instead Of
ly receiving drawback they receive large amount
Of bounty This has resulted from the reduction Of the
salt duty, without any correspondents reduction Of the
tonnage allowance Up 1880 TO which time the salt
duty twenty cents the weighed bushel Of ffsix
pounds, which equal 70 about thirty cents the
measured bushel Of eighty pOunds-up to 1850 they
received anything than draWbac ii WAS probably an
inconsiaeble amount but in that year the salt duty was
reduced from twenty TO fifteen cents per husle ia 1852
to ten cents and w the compromise act Of 1883 pros
pectiYe scale Of reduction made under which 1t sank
to six ninety eight one unredts in ls4B and at this
day ii amounts 20 only about two cns per bushe Tie
difference between the drawback which would be due and
the bounty which is received may be estimated by multi
plying the nunbcr Of bushels Of SALT allowing twelve t0
the ton by the duty and subracng il from The amount
paid cut have done that, and have prepared table
exhibiting the tonnage Of the vessels engaged in the cod
fisheries, the allowance pad them, the due as draw
backs and the Of bounty drawback for the
period Of ten years past. shall trouble the Senate
10 hear it all but via append IL to my ramarEs viii
call the attention Of the Senate 70 four periods Of time
equdistanl, TO show what has been the operation and
effect OF these laws within the last years. in IS4s
the tonnage eightytwo Thousand SIX hundred aad
lfty-two tons the allowance paid 10 the fishing
vessels s243, Asa the due drawback, at the
rate OF duty paid at that time, s22,sII; the ex-
cess Of bounty over drawback, S220 622. In 1851
the allowance paid s32s 26T the dse draw
back at the rate Of duty then existing So 1913 and the
Of bounty drawback S305 o74 In 1854 the
tonnage hundred and two thousand one hundred
and ninetyfouT; the allowance S374 2s6 the due
as drawbaok S3l 26l and the excess OF bounty over
drawback SS43o00. In 1851 the tonnage reported
hundred and fur thousand five hundred and seventy
three the allowance paid S60I 453 the dae as
drawback, at the existing rate Of duties S29, ls5 and
the Of bounty above drawback, s57z, ,2es The
average tonnage per year for ten YEARS past ninety
three Thousand hundred and eghty-two the
age allowance the fisheries S323 e46 the average
sums due drawback, s26 the average annual ex
Of bounty drawback 1922 433 and the aggre
gate of bounty drawback nearly So 600 000
1856 Thus it appears that the effect OF these laws
has been widely different from what intended by Con-
gres in passing them and what supposed expected
bg air
that the reason Of the law has ceased
Mr. TOoMBs. What part Of the whole salt duty did
they absorb
Mr. CLAY AT this day and during the last ten wears
instead Of realizing simply drawback Of the duty the
salt consumed by them the fisheries they have realized
all the salt duty and not only all the salt duty but or
several years than the salt duty This however is
not full exhibit Of the Tax cf this system the people
of the United States because have estimated the draw
backs due the fisheries upon the hypothesis that they inn
ported all their salt whereas the manufacturers Of salt In
Massachusetts tell that they supply the larger part Of
what used in the fisheries 1t Is pFedicated the
further hypothesis that they twelve bushels Of
SAT- 10 the tom in other words that they catch twelve
quntas OF fish 10 the ton whereas Mr. Zeno ScGdder
formerly representative in the other house from the
Barnsabe district, the largest fishing district in New
England, which has received than two million dbl
lars in the shape Of allowance and bounty said, ia Au
gust 1852 IN the other branch Of Congress- that they
average but nine quinta the instead Of twelve IL
he corrsct should add twentYdye per sent. to
the exeess Of bounty, as it has been estimated By
Nor, SIR does that exhibit fully the tax upon the gov
ernment Of the Inited States in support Of these
fisheries You must take into consideration the Of
collecting and disbursing this bounty estimated BY all
political economists less than two per cent? and
ranging from thirty hut putting it down to the
lowest amount The S6G0 900 paid last year it in
considerable Nor does this exhibit ala the tax of
this system for Won must remember that there have
been boats employed for series of wears partly
in order TO watch these fishermen and prevent their
mttng frands upon the treasury and their violation Of
the laws regulating the cod fisheries and that there have
been four revenue cutters employed partly for the
purpose. at annual expense Of about eleven Thousand
dollars each stationed upon the OF New England
alone while from New York to the month of the Rio
Gran1e inclusive, have but nine employed Ny at
tention directed TO this and ON inqurns at the
Treasury Department the reason learned that 0f
these supernumeary cutters and boats had been
employed at the instance Of the collectors in the fishing
districts IN New England to watch the fishermen and pre-
vent their violations Of the law have the evidence at
hand 70 exhibit when this charge controverted Thus
we pay the fishermen bounty for caclng cod and pay
officers and Of cutters and boats that
they do their work honestly and do deaud tie gov
ernment
Now, Mr.. President why shall rot these laws be re-
Peaiect show that the Inducements 30 the laws-if
revenue commerce. or seamcn were the Inducements
no longer exist show that the reason Of the law has
ceased 70 exist show that the effect II the law is what
intended expected OF desired BY the fisher
men, I show that they realie bounty, and il be-
hooves their advocate 10 show the authority Of Congress
b grant Il. deny that have any such power under
the constitution challenge the citation Of that clause
Of te constitution which bounfies the ta-
ton OF any express ran Of power 10 carry out which
these bounties indspsnstby necessary On the con-
trTy, maintain that ths power is plainly Forbidden in