The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1860-12-08

by the manufacturers. In such cases, wher,
no actual sale has been made TO fl their val
ne, the foreign manufacturer, If be be dis
honest, prepares an invoice OF the goods, not
at their actual value, but at tho very lowest
rate necessary to escape detection. 10 this
manner the dishonest importer and the for
eign manufacturer enjoy decided advantage
over the honest merchant. They are thus
enabled to undersell the fair trader and drive
him from the market. La fact, the operation
Of this system has already driven from the
pursuit of honorable commerce many Of that
class Of regular and conse ieatieus mereha nts,
whose character throughout the world is the
pride of our country.
The remedy for these evils is to be found
in specific duties, so far as this may be prac-
ticable. They dispense with any inquiry ut
the Custom House into the actual cost or
value Of the article, and it pays the precise
amount of duty previously fixed by law
They present no temptations to the apprais-
ers Of foreign goods, who receive but small
salaries, md might by differentiation In :
frw Crises render themsofvcs independent
Besides, specific duties bost conform to the
reQnisition in the Constitution, that no prefer
ence shall be given By any regulation Of COM
murce or revenue to the ports of one State
system such preferences are, to some extent.
inevitable, and complaints have often been
made, that the spirit of this provision has
been violated by q lower appraisment Of the
same articles at one port than another. An
impression strangely enough prevails to some
extent, that specific duties sre necessarily
protective duties Nothing can be more faf-
lacious. Great Britain glorics in free trade
and yet her whole revenue from imports. ia
ut the preseHt moment collected t.rdsr a svs-
tenn OF specific duties, 1t is a striking f.ct,
in this connection, TINT in the commercial
treaty Of % January, 1860, between France
and England, one of the articles PROV les
that the I'D yalorom duties which it imposes
thall be converted INTO specific duties within
six months from its date, and these are to be
aaeertained bv making m average OF the
prices for six months previous to that time.
The reverse OF tho proposition would be
nearer to the truth, because n much larger
amount Of revenue would be collected by
merely converting the ad valorem duties of a
tariff into general equivalent specific duties.
To thls extent the revenue would be increased
and in the same proportion the epecifc duty
might be diminished. Specific duties would
| secure to the American manufacturer the in
cidcntal protection To which be is fairly an
titled under a revenue tariff, and to this,
surely no person 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
mnnufactures-no BY raising the rate of du-
ties upon the importation Of similar articles
from abroad. but, what is the same 10 effect.
/ BY admitting articles free Of duty which en-
ter into the composition of their fabrics.
RI - L.. T. -.
truly remarked that this Incidental protec-
ton decreases when the manufactures needs
it most. and increases when he needs it least,
and constitutes sliding scale which always
| operates against him. The revenues OF the
country are subject to similar fuctuation,
instead of approaching q steady standard
| as would be the case under q system o. spe-
| cifc duties. They sink and rise with tho
sinking and rising prices of the articles in
| foreign countries. II would not be difficult
for Congress TO arrange system of specific
duties which would afford additional stabil-
| ity both to our revenue and our mannfac-
| tarers, and without injury or injustice to any
interest of the country. This might be &C.
complished by ascertaining the average value
of any given article Tor series Of years at
| the place Of exportation, and by simply con-
verting tbs rate VI ad rdlore,n duty upon
| it which might be deemed necessary for row
| enue purposes into the form OK SPECIFIC du-
! ~. Such an arrangement could not iniure
the consumer Ii he should pay a greater
amount of duty one year this would be coun-
| terbalanced by lesser amount the next, and
| in the end the'aggregate would be the same.
| | desire to call your immediate attention to
| the present condition Of the Treasury, SO
ably and clearly presented BY the Sec'y in
his report to Congress, and to recommend
that measurers be promptly adopted to enable
it to discharge its pressing obligations. The
| other recommendations OF the report are
we'll worthy OF your favorable consideration
| herewith transmit TO Congress the report
of the Secretaries Of War, of the Navy, of
the Interior, and of the Postmaster General.
The recommendations and suggestions
which they contain are highly valuable, and
deserve careful attention.
! The report Of the Postmaster General de-
/ tails the circumstances under which Gorne-
Inns Vanderbilt, on my request, agreed, 10
the month of july last, to carry the Ocean
mails between our Atlantic and Pacific
coasts. Had he not thus acted, this impor-
tant inter communication must have be N
suspended, a. least for season. The P.
Nj. General had no power to make him any
other compensation then the hostages on
mail matter, which he might carry. 1t was
known at the time, these hostages would fall
| far short Of an adequate compensation as
we'll as II the sum which the came service
| had previously cost the Government. Mr.
| Vanderbilt, in q commendabe spirit, was
willing to rely upon the justice Of Congress
to make up the deficiency, and | therefore
Recommend, that IN appropriation be gran
ted for this purpose.
should do great injustice to the Attorney
General were / to omit the mention Of his
distinguished services in the measure adop-
ted and prosecuted by him for the defence
Of the Government against numerous and
unfounded claims to land in California,
purporting to have been made by the Mex
/ lean GoYefnment. previous to the treaty Of