The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1860-12-12
AFRICAN SLAVE TRADE. Erc.

the fact, that since the date of my last annual
Message, not a single slave has been imported
into the United States in violation of the laws
prohibiting the African slave trade. This
is founded upon a thorough exami- !
nation and investigation Of the subject. In
deed, the spirit which prevailed some time
since among a portion of our fellow citizens
In favor of this trade seems to have eEtirely
subsidized.
[ also congratulate you upon the public SEN
timcnt which now exists against the crime of
setting on foot military expeditions within the
limits Of the United States, to proceed from
thence and make war upon the people of I'M
offending States, with whom we are at peace.
In this respect a happy change has been eff
fected since the commencement OF my admin
i%stration. 1t surely ought to he the prayer of
every Christian and patriot that such expedi-
tions may never again receive countenance
in our country, or depart from our shores.
1t would be a useless repetition to do more
than refer, with earnest commendation, to my
former recommendations in favor of the Pacific
Rallroad-of the grant of power to the Prcsi-
dent to employ the naval force in the vicinity,
for the protection of the lives and property of
our fellow citizens passing in transit over the
different Central American routes, against sud
den and lawless outbreaks and depredations
and also to protect Am rican merchant vessels,
their crews and cargoes, against violent and
unlawful Seizure and confscation in the ports
of Mexico and the South American republics,
when these may be in a disturbed and revolu-
tionary condition. 1t is my settled conviction
that without such a power We do not afford
that protection to those engaged in the COM
merce of the country which they have a right
to demand.
ELECTION IF B OF CONGRESS-.
1 again recommend to Congress the passage
Of n law in pursuance of the provisions Of the
Constitution, appointing a day certain, previ.
GUS to the 18th of March, in each year of an
odd number. for the election of representatives
throughout the States, A similar power has
already been exercised, with general approba-
ton, in the appointment of the same day
throughout the Union for holding the election
of electors for President and Vice President
of the United States. My attention was earn
estly directed to this subject from the fact that
the Both Congress terminated on the Sd of
March, 1859, without making the necessary
appropriation for the service of the Post Office
Department. l was then forced to consider
the best remedy for this omission, and an i'm
mediate call of tho present Compress was the
natural resort. Upon inquiry, however, | as
certained that fifteen out of the thirty three
States composing the Confederacy were with
out representatives,, and that, consequently,
these fifteen States would be disfranchised by
such a call. These fifteen States will be in
the san e condition on the 4th of March next.
Ten of them cannot elect representatives ac-
cording to existing State laws, until different
periods, extending from the beginning of Au-
gust next until the months of October and No
yember.
In my last message I gave warning that, in
a time of sudden and alarming danger, the
salvation of our institutions may depend upon
the power of the President to assemble a full
Congress, to meet the emergency.
TARIFF.
1t is now quite evident that the financial
necessities of the government will require a
modification of the tariff during your present
session, for the purpose of increasing the reve-
nue.. In this aspect, [ desire to ~raiterate the
recommendation contained in my last two an
nual messages, in favor of imposing spt cific,
instead of ad valorem duties on all i'm ported
articles to which these can be properly applied.
From: long observation and experience, | am
o rvinced that specific duties are necessary,
both to protect the revenue and to secure to
our manufacturing interests that amount of
incidental encouragement which unavoidably
results from n revenue tariff.
Al an abstract proposition it may be admit
ted that ad valorum duties would, in theory,
be the most just and equal. But if the ex-
pSIlOhNC Vi tltIo anu vi al nv COulLICiSidl
nations has demononstratcd that such duties
cannot be assessed and collected without great
frauds upon the revenue, then it is the part of
wisdom to resort to specific duties. Indeed,
from the very nature of an ad valorem duty,
this must be the result. Under it the inevita-
BILE consequence is that foreign goods will be
entered at less than THAR true value. The
treasury will, therefore, lose the duty on the
difference Between the real and fictitious val
ne, and to thise extent we are defra1ded.
The temptations which ad valorem duties
present to a dishonest importer are irresistible.
His object is to pass his goods through the
Custom House at the very lowest valuation
necessary to save them from confscatiou. In this
he too often succeeds, in spite of the vigilance
of the revenue officers. Hence the resort to
false invoices, one for the purchaser and anoth-
er for the Custom House, and to other expedi-
ents to defraud the government. The honest
importer produces his invoice to the collector,
stating the actual price at which he purchased
the article abroad. Not so the dishonest i'm
porter and the agent of the foreign m~anufac-
turer. And here it may be Observed t1at a
very large proportion Of the manufactures i'm
ported from abroad are consigned for sale to
commission merchants who are mere agents
by the manufacturers. In such
cases no actual sale has been made to fix their
value. The foreign manufactures if, he be
prepares an invoice of the goods, not
at their actual value, but at the very lowest
rates necessary to escape detection. In this
manaer the dishonest importer and the for
eign manufacturer enjoy a decided advantage
over the honest merchant They are thus en-
abled to nadersell their fair trader, and driye5
from the man et. In fact the operation
of this system has already driven from the
pursuit of honorable many of that
class of regular and conscientious merchants,
whose character, throughout the werld, is the
pride of our country.
The remedy of these evils is to be found in
specific duties, so far as this may he practical
BILE They dispense with any inquiry at the
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 appraiser of foreign
goods, who receive but mall salaries, and