Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1860-12-14

ed some time since amoug portion of our
teiioW-eitlzens in favor of this trade seems IN
have entirely subsidized
| also congratulate yon upon tie public sen.
tilaent which DOW exists against the crime of
setting Gu foot military expeditions within the
llmits OF the United States, to proceed from,
thence and make war upon the peonle of p,of
Tending States with whom we ara at neaco T.,
tins respect happy change has been effsctat
E'n'e tao commencement OF any Administration.
Il surely ought to DO the prayer of ass1'.
Christian aud patriot, that such expedit;ons ,,a,
never agAin receive countenance III our country
or depart from our shores.
IL would be a uselcss repetition to do moro
than refer, with earnest commentator, to ,na
former recommendations ia favor Of the Pse;6e
rsilroad-of the grant Of power to tho Presi-
dent TO employ the naval force in the yiciptq
for The protection of the lives and uroner,r of
our fellow citizens passing 10 transit over the
different Central American routes, against suI-
.den aud iawless outbreaks and depredatjoDs.
and also TO proieeI American merchaa, vessels
their crews and eargoes, agiiust violont aud
unlawful seizure ani confseatian in the norts
OF Mexico and South American republics. vbe,
taese may be in a distur5el aud revoIutioparv
Condition. 1t is my settIed conyietiou. tba,
wlhodt such power we do not afford ,hat
protection to those engaged ia the commerce
of the country which they have right TO de-
mand.
ELECTION OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.
again recommend to Congress the PASSAGE
ot law Ia pursaanee Of the provisions Of tho
Constitution, appointing day certain, preyious
to the 4th OF March, in each year Of an odd
number, for The election of Representative
throughout all the st ties. A similar no,var
has already been exercised, with general appro-
0ati1n in tbs appointment of the sam. dsy
throughout the Union, Tor ho.dln1 the electio1
OF electors for President and Vlcs President
Of the United States. My attention was early
directed u this subject from tie fact, that tue
Both Congress terminated ON the Sd of MIrcb.
1899, without making the necessary appropsia-
ton for TIE service of tas Post Office De1aft
Inent. vas tlen forced to consider The bes,
remedy for this omission, aud an immediate call
oi the present Congress, was tke natural resort
Upon inquiry, however, | ascertained that if
teen out OF the tLirty-three States COMPOSING
tue Codfederacy we're without Representatiyes,
aud that consequently, these fifteen States would
be DISTINGUISHED by such call. These fifteen
States will be 10 the same condition on the 9TH
of March next Ten of them eanuot eeet
Representatives, according t. existing Stats
laws, until diherent p riods, extending from the
beginning Of August mex. uutil the mouths of
October sud November.
Ia my last message gave 8aruiog that, 10
time of sudden and alarming danger, the sal.
vatOo OF our institutions might depend upon
the power of the President Immediately to az
sembie full Congress to meet the emergency
TARIFF
1t i no~ quite evident that the financial ue.
cessItles Of the Government will require mod
iication of The tariff during your present ses-
sion, for tle purpose of increasing the revenue
In this respect desire ts reiterate the recon-
msndatlon eontaiued IN my last two annual
messages, III favor Of imposing specific Instead
of al catorem duties on all Imported articles To
which these can be properly applied. Fsom
ioag observation and experience | am convjnc-
ed that specific duties are necessary, both to
protect the revenue aud to secure to our man-
uEacturing interests that amount Of incidental
protection which uuavoidably results from 4
revenue tariff.
As an abstract propoSilioG it may be admit
ted that ad vai04m duties would, in theory, be
the most just and equal. But if tho 9xperi-
enee Of this aud Of all otGer commercial nations
has demonstrated that such duties canuot be
assessed aud collected without great frauds
upon the revenue, then it IL the part OF wisdom
to resort TO specific duties. Indeed, from the
very nature OF al Uatorem duty, this must
be the result Under i, the ineyitabls ccnss.
qaenge IS, that foreign goods will be entered az
less til true value. Tho Treasury will there
fore lose the duty on the difference between
their real and fictitious value, and to this extent
We are lelIauded.
The temptation Which al Uaforea duties pre-
aeas 10 dishonest importer are irFasistable.--
HIS oaJeet Is to pass bis goods through the
custom house at the very lowest valuation
necessary to save them from confseation. In
this he too often succeeds in spite of the yipi-
lanee OF the revenue officers. Hence the resort
to false uvoces. one for the purchaser and
another tor the custom house, aud to other
expeilentd to detraud the Government The
honest Importer produces his invoice to the col
le1tor, stating the actual price at which he
purchased the articles abroad. Not so the
dishonest importer and agent Of the foreign
manufacturer. Aud here it may be observed
that very large proportion OF the manptac-
tored articles imported from abroad are con-
signed for commission merch lnts who are mere
agents employed BY the manufacturers. In
such cases no actual sale has been made 10 fix
their value. The foreign menufAeturer, if he
be dishonest, prepares an invoice Of TIE goods,
not at their actual value, but at the very lowest
rate necessary 10 escape detecnou. In this
manner the dishonest importer aud the foreign
rt,fa I'D adv
the holest merchant. They asu thus enabled
TO uudersell the fan trader, aud drive him from
the market. Ia fact, the operation of this sys-
ten has already driven frou the pursuits of
commerce many of thar class Of mer-
chauts, whose character throughout the world,
il the pride of our country.