Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1860-12-06

recommendation contained IN my i",ttw annual mes
sages ID favor Of Imposing specific instead 81 40 r"loan
tes on all imported articles to which these eau NO
nronerv apli From long observation aud experience
am convinced that specific duties are necessary ootn 10
protect the revenue aid to secure to our manufacturing
ictnrsts that amount of incidental encouragement winch
uuayoidably results from revenue tarnt' ,
As an abstract proposition it mey admitted That dd
paloem duties would In theory, be the most just ahu
equal But Il tho experience of this anil of all other com
meroa nations has demonstrated that such duties cannot
be assessed and collected without great frauds upon ne
reveno then it is the part OF wisdom 10 resort to po'c
duties. Indeed from tho very natire OF an "a pgo,n'
DUTY this must be the result Under il the incvape
conseCuace ia, that foreign goods Will DO ehtered
at less than their true value The treasury WILL there
fore, lose the duty the difference between their o
ard fictitious value, and to this extent we are de'tauaed
The temptations which dd ,u'~en duties Pi. -
dishonest importer irresistible His object 10 p"
his goods through the custom house at the very io~cS
valuation necessary to save them from connsoatoh III
this no often succeeds In spite OF the vi w
revenue officers Hence the resort TO fase lh9occs quo
for the rchsser and another for the custom house. anu
TO other expedicnts to defraud the Government, u'
honest importer produces his invoice 10 inc c.eo','
statna the actual price ut which he puchaSeu Tue a
I ,Hrood Not 40 the dishonest importer and the agent
of the foreign manufacturer. And here u may 'o oo
served that very largo pcP@rton 0, the mahu'e'"eS
imported ou, abroad consigned Tor SAFE " .~umis
sion merchants who !.v,c agents employed by the
manufacturers, in such actual sale mas peeh
made to fix their value The foreign manufacturer IL he
be dishonest prepares invoice Of the goods not al the
actual Value but at the very lowest rate necessary 10
escape detection. In this manner the dishonest I'M
porter and tho foreign manufacturer enjoy decided
advantage the honest merchant They arc thus en-
acd to underss the fair trader and drive him from the
market In fact the operation OF ths system HES already
driven the pursuits Of honorable commerce many OF
that class of regular and conscientious merchants whose
character throughout tho world is the pride of our cou
Try. .
The remedy for these evils ia TO 10 found In specific
duties far this may be practicable They dispense
with any inquiry at the custom ho"se into TIC actual
cost or value of the ertiCls ana il pays the precise
amount Of dutv previously fixed by law They present
temptations to the appraisers of foreign goods who
receive but small salaries, and might, by undcrraraton
| in few cases, render themselves independent
Besides specific duties beat conform to the requston
in the Constitution that mo preference shall be given by
anv regulation of commerce to the ports of
one State those Of another Under our ID .aIoTan
system such preferences are to some extent inevitable
aud complaints have often been made tha! tho spirit of
this provision has beeu volstd by lower apprascment
of tho same articles at ono port than at another.
An impression strangely enough prevails TO somc OK
that specific duties necessarily protective duties
Nothing he allacous. Great Britain glores In
free trade aud yet her whole from imports at
the present moment collected under system Of specific
duties IT is striking fact IN this connection That, IN
the commercial treaty of Esd January, 1860, between
France and England of the articles prov:s that the
al rd,u0a duties which II imp cs s he converted into
specific duties within sly months from it's date and these
are to be a"ained by making average OF the prices
10 SIX months previous to that time The revese OF the
|
aGer amount OF revenue would be COLLECTED by merely
converting the a5 ruiG duties of tnrih into equiva.
lent specific duties To this extsut the revenue would
bo increased and In the stne proportion Inc spec'nc
| duty Yht bs dninished.
Specific duties would 10 tho American manufao-
ho incidental protection 70 which he is fairly entl-
tied under u tariff aud TO this surely no Ptson
would object The trainers Of the existing tariff have
gone further and In liberal spirit have Disseminated in
favor Of large and useful branches Of our Manufactures
by raising the nte of duty upon the importation OF
similar articles from abroad but Whist is the same III effect,
by admitting articles es OF duty which enter ilto inc
| composition of their fabrics.
Under tho present System 1t has been often truly re-
marked that this incidental protection decreases when the
manufacturer needs it mort and increases when he need"
! il least aud constitutes sliding scale which always op
crates against him. Tho revenues of the country E %
| jcoG similat nucsuation Instead OF approaching
steady standard would he the osso under system OF
specc duties they sink and rise with tho sinking and
rising prices of articles in foreign countries would not
be difficult for Congress to arrange system OF seciH du
tbs which would afford additional stability both To our
revenue and manufactures, and without injury or IN
Justice to any interest of the country This might be &C
by ascertshing tho average value of any given
article for series of years at the paoe Of expectation
aud simply converting tho rats OF al s@"ran duty upon
which might I've deemed necessary for revenue purposes
into the form of specific duty. Such an arrangement
could not njure the II he should pay greater
amount of duty year, this would be
by lesser amount tho next anu IN te ehu inc aes'e
gate would be the same
desire to call your immediate attention to tho pres
ent condition of The Treasury, ably and clearly pro-
son by the Secretary In his report to Congress and to
recommend that measures le promptly adopted 10 ena
Ill. 1t to discharge it's pressing obligations The other
recommendations of tho report are well worthy OF your
favorable consideration.
herewith transmit to Congress the reports of the
Secretaries of War; of the Navy of tho Interior and ct
tho Postmaster General. Tho recommendations and sg-
restons which they contain highly valuable and do
serve your careful attention.
The report of the Postmaster General details the c
cumstauoes under which Cornelius Vanderbilt my
Quest agreed in the month Of July last to carry the
ocean mails between our Atlantic and Pacific coasts Had
no not thus acted, this important REORGANIZATION
must have been suspended, at least for season The
Postmaster General had power to make him any other
conversation than the hostages tho mail matter which
he might carry IL known, at the time that these
hostages would fall far short of adequate conipensa
on az well of the which the same service had
previously cost the Government. Mr.. Vanderbilt, in
commcndable spirit willing to roly upon the justic.
of Congress up the deficiency and l. therefore
recommend that appropriation may DO granted for thin
purpose.
were to omit the mention Of his distinguished services
in the adopted and prosecuted by him for the
defence of the Government against numerous and un
founded claims land 10 California, purportug TO have
been made by the Mexican government previous to the
treaty of cesson The successful opposition TO these
claims has saved the United States public property
worth many millions Of dollars, and to individuals hold
ing title under them to at least equal amount.
II has been represented to me- from sources which
deem reliable that the inhabitants In several portions
Kansas have been reduced nearly to state of starvation
on account of the almost total failure of their crops
whilst the haryess every other portion Of tho countr,
have been abundant. The prospect before them for thu
approaching winter we'll calculated TO enlist the symla
thies of every heart. Tho restitution appears 10 be St
general that it cannot be relieved by private contbu
tons and they in such INDECENT circumstances MS
be unable to purchase the neoesaries of life for them
selves refer the subject TO Congress If constiu