Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-09-22
plIcaied machinery Of lhe tonnage duties


and Missouri enter into compact 70 improve
so much Of the Mississippi as lies between
those States, and that they establish and levy
a tariff OF tonnage duties, TO obtain the re-
quisite means TO carry on the w0rk-that
Tennessee and Arkansas do the same thing
as 10 so much Of the river as lies between
those states, and Mississippi and Louisiana
likewise, and thea Louisiana alone as TO 80
much of the river as is wholly within her
limits. How are these duties 10 be collected
Does the honorable Senator contemplate The
erection of forts, to compel steamboats, TO
come to aud pay toll, at all the various
points OF exaction2 We will suppose the
honorable Senator 20 be in command Of one
Of these forts-he hailsa steamboat and says
UHallo, Mr. Captain, there is little toll due
here; please call at my log-cabin and settle
What would the captain dot Why, rush by
in spite Of any fire the honorable Senator
could open ''On his rear. What next 2 Why,
the Senator would have TO call around him
feet Of revenue cutters, and give chase to the
delinquent. No one can doubt his qualifca-
tions as admiral, for we all know he contem-
plated, not long since, taking the chief COM
mand, not only of the army, but Of the navy
Of the United States, though he happened to
slip up at Baltimore. "Plty ts It's true p
But as have said, the admiral must give
chase-they go rushing down the "Mississip-
pi;" would not the craft of our friend be
quite as likely to be Pierced by Polkstalk
as the fugitive steamboat? Heaven forbid
such an exposure Such excited statesman
ship should be reserved for SO, and not be put
so wantonly at hazard
WHO IS TO PAY THE TONNAGE DUTIES.
But, Mr.. President have little bit Of
colloquy to hold with the honorable Senator,
on subject Of deeply interesting import to
his constituents and the whole Northwest,
and here institute the inquiry: Who is to
pay these tonnage duties, in case this ill-ad-
Yised scheme is carried into ehect2 We.will
suppose that farmer in Northern Illinois
raises 500 bushels of wheat which he sends
to the New York market, to obtain means TO
pay for his land, or support his family, or
both. On arrival at Chicago, some tax-gath-
eEer, orpublican, las they were called in old
fines, makes grab at it in the nature of
tonnage duties to improve the harbor Of that
place, at the St. Clair Flats another publican
makes another grab, to open channel there;
at Buffalo another grab, for the use of the
harbOr at that place. and, finally, at Albany,
another grab, TO subdue the overslaugh below
that city. How much of the wheat of the
poor farmer would remain after running the
gauntlet of all these tax-galherers, and after
being subjected to all these exactions2 Or,
if the farmer Of northern or middle Illinois
chooses to ship his wheat to New York Uia
New Orleans, how much viii remain after
being. taxed to improve the harbor of ST.
Louis; to clear the snags and sawyers out of
the Mississippi from st. Louis to New Or
leans and even to clear out and deepen one
of the mouths of the "Great Father of Wa
ters p
NOTION OF GEN. CAss ON ThB SUBJECT.
The honorable Senator from Michigan r Mr.
Cass1 seemed to have some just notion on
the subject. He ordinarily knows what he
is about; and that is more than can be said
of every Senator. He asked, emphatically,
where is the burden TO fall? | can tell the
honorable Senator Mr.. Douglas that it is
to fall on the necks of the farmers of the
West and Northwest. / care not which way
the freight is gOing-whether up or down.
If going down to the ultimate market-such
as -four, wheat corn, pork, beet, butter,
cheese, lard, hemp, wool, tobacco, and other
agricultural products can demonstrate that
every shilling of these duties is to come out
of the pockets of the farmers Of the West
and Northwest. And can demonstrate, al
SO, that every shilling levied upon freights
the other way-such as tea, coffee, sugar, salt,
iron, woclen and cotton goods, and ten
thousand other articles of consumption
also come out of the pockets of these same
farmers. Yes sir THE pre-emptoners and
the log cabin boys are thus to be visited by
the hand Of oppression and taxation The
honorable Senator has proposed 10 go into
tenn Of t6hhBipg hfahBip ia the NQ5EtaReat 5 them on
the hard-fsted and hard-working boys of that
region Of country.
LAWS OF TRADR-PREsIDHNTIAL NOMINATIONS.
And now let me recur again for moment
to freight from the point of production to the
ultimate markets, for example, wheat
raised in northern OF middle Illinois, to be
transmitted and sold in New York who will
pay the proposed tonnage duties Who will
have to meet the contemplated exaetions at
Chicago, st. Clair Flats, Buffalo, and Albany2
l say, unhesitatingly the producer will have
to pay it; OF rather it will, with other charges,
be taken out Ofthe value or price of his wheat
at the ultimate market, whether that he found
at New York, Boston, or elsewhere. The
reason is, that the Northwestern producer WILL
when he arrives at the ultimate market, have
to compete with the growers of wheat else
where, Whowould not be liable 10 any such
charges. l lay it down as a universal law of
trade, that where an article comes from two
different sources to one aud the same market,
in one case without burden, and in the other
with, in the latter case the producer loses the
charge, duty, or burden, whatever it may be.
1t came out Of the price. This is inevitable:
otherwise the producer not subject to charges
would underbid and engross the market
But there is another law of trade which is
equally cogent and universal, and here
would suggest that it might be well for the
honorable Senator (Mr. Douglas) to study
more the laws Of trade, and less those of Pres
idsntial nominations
HOW PRoFrTs ARE DIMINISHED TO PRODUCERS.
have to say, then, Mr.. President, that it
is an inexOrable law of trade that the price of
any article depends on the relation which the
supply bears to the demand If the supply
is very large, much beyond the demand, then
the price will be proportonately low. If the
supply is less than the demand, or much less,
then the price will be high, or very high
Hence, no matter what charges are laid on
Northwestern wheat they will not augment
the price; the law here adverted to will rule.
Besides, the wheat of that section, as already
observed, viii, when it arrives at the ulti-
mate market, come in competition with the
wheat Of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylva-
mia, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, and
must be sold at the same price. Hence, the
profits TO accrue to the Northwestern pro-
d;cer must be diminished by the charges i'm /
posed, whatever they may be- Already the
agricultural products from that section are
subject to enormous burthens. The farmer
there has in effect to pay the usual charges
for freight storage, commissions, insurance, !
and drayage-a dark catalogue, |
sufficient of itself to bring down the compen-
sation of my log-cabin friends to very small |
pittance. But the honorable Senator is not |
satisfied with these burthens; he proposes to |
add a system of tonnage duties to be demand I