Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-12-06

the lnleLest upon lt OF tlou,Ouo- appropriated
by the set Of 18TH OF February. 1850. for the png-
pose al Supplying the expenses Of the Postonice
Department Tor the year endieg S0.h OF lime,
1859. This sum- therefore, Justly charsaahle
TO the year1e59, must be dedncted IRON the sun
OF s5s, ia g. IN order 30 ascertain the ex-
pe7diture OF theycar ending on the eth OF ara.
1860. which leayes 8 balance fOg the expendi-
lures OF that year Of SIS. iig iG5 So The inter-
est on the public debt including Treasury
notes, for the same fiscal year. endlng on the
slth OF Dune, 1850. amounted 10 50 lT75f4 81
which added to the above sum Of IS. ls2 t6s i8
makes the aggregate OF s.. So. $50 0s. Ifoueht
in Justice be observed, that several Oh the ssti
mates from an the departments Tor the year
BY Congress below what IsFas and still Is deem
ed Compatible with the public interest allow
ing liberal maFgin OF Sa.5e0 000 for hi rednc-
ton and for other causes. u nay be safely as
serted that the SUN OF $e1. o00, 009 or at The
most e82 COO coo, e amply sufficient e admin
ister The Government, and pay she inter
est on the public debt, unless eOntin-
gent events should hereafter render exffaordl.
nary expenditures necessary. his result has
been attained in q considerable degree hy the
care exercised BY the appropriate departments
in entering into public Contracts. i have my
self never lnterferred with the award of any
such contracts, except IN q single ease--that OF
the Colonization Society. ] deemed IL advisa-l
bic 60 leave tbs responsik ility In each case 10
the proper head Of the Department, With the
general Instruction that these contracts should
always be given 10 the lowest and best bidder.
lt Is my opinion that public contracts are not
legitimate soHrce o. patronage 10 be conferred
upon personal or political sAvorites, but that mi
all such cases plbli: officer Il hound to oct for
The Government as prudent individual would
act for himself. -.-er------
AFRICAN SLAVE TRADE. -. -
Il is with great satisfaction communicate
the fact that since the date OF my last annual
message not sinsle slave has been imported
into the United States IN violation Of the laws
prohibiting the African Slave. Trade I.nfa
statement is founded upon thorough examinar
ton snd investigation OF the subject i5idsed
the spirit which prevailed some time since
among portion Of cur feilOwcifizens IN favor
OF this trade seems to have entirely su6sided
PTLfIBusrxE1Ss.
Ialsa congratulate you upon the public SEN
timent which now exists against the crime Of
setting on foot military expeditions within
the limits OF the United States, to ProceedfToai
thence snd make war upon the people OF IN IN
offending State with whom we are At peace. El
this respect happy change ls1z been Effected
since tae commencement OF nay administFar
ton. II surely ought 70 be the prayer Of every
Christian and patriot that such expeditions
may never receive countenancs In oUF country
or depart from our shore. q D
FEE TRANSIT RoUTEs-
Il would be useless repetition 10 do more
than refer. vii earnest Communication, TO ny
former Recommendations In favor ofthe Pacific
Railroad, OF the grant Of power 70 the President
to employ the naval force IN thevicinity for the
protection Of the lives and property OF our fel-
low citizens passing in transit over the differ
ent Central American routes, against sudden
and lawless outbreaks and depredations, and
also 20 protect American merchant vessels,
their crews, and cargoes, against violent and
unlawful seizure and eonfscAfion in the ports
! Of Mexico and the South American Republics,
when these may be IN disturbed and revolu-
tionary condition. II IA my settled conviction
that without such power, we do not afford
meroe OF the country. which they have 4
right to demand
ELECTION or sEE1iBERs 10 coNeREss.
again recommend 10 Congress the passage
Of law In pursuance Of the provisions Of the
Constitution, appointing day certain previous
to the 18th Of March. in each year, Of an odd
niinber, for the election Of representatives
throughout all the-States. A similar power has
already been exercised. with great appreciation.
In the appointment OF the same day throughout
the Union for holding the election Of Electors
for President and Ni1e President Of the United
States. Ny attention was earnestly directed to
this subject from the fact that the 35th Congress
terminated on the 3D. Of March, 1859, without
making the necessary appropriation for the SER
vice of the Postofiee Department. was then
forced TO consider the best remedy for this
omission. and an Immediate call OF the present
Congress was the usual resort Upon inquiry
however, | Gseertained that fifteen out Of the
thirtythree States composing the Confedsrscy,
were without representatives. and that eonse-
quently these fifteen States would he dfsfran-
chised by such a call These fifteen States viii
be In the same condition on the 4th OF March
next; ten Of them cannot elect Representatives
according TO State laws, until different periods
extending from the beginning of August next
until the ninth Of November, and in ny last
message gave warning that in time OF sud
den and alarming danger. the salvation OF our
institutions might depend npOn The power OF
the President Immediately to assemble 4 null
Congress to meet the emergency.
TARIFF.
L. is now quite evident that the financial ne
eessities OF the Government vii require a mod
incatiOn OF the tariff during your present ses
sion for the purpose Of Increasing the revenue
Ia this respect | desire to rel erate the
recommendations contained in my last two
annual Messages, Ia favor Of imposing spe-
cihc instead Of I'D valorem duties, on all I'M
ported articles TO which these can be properly
applied. Prom lc1g observation ana expert
euce ! am convinced that specific drties are
necessary, both TO protect the revenue and TO
secure to or manufacturing interests that
amount Of incidental encouragement which
anavOidably results from q reyenue tariff
As an abstract proposition. il may be admitted
that ad valoreIa duties would in theory be the
most Just and equal, but ifthe experience Of this
and of all other commercial nations has
demonstrated that such duties cannot be asked
and collected without great Frauds upon the
revenue. then IL - the part Of wisdom to re-
sort 60 specific duties. Indeed, from the very
nature of the ad YalOrcm duty. this must be the
result Under il the inevitable consequence is,
that foreign goods VIII be entered al less than
their true value. The Treasury VIII therefore
lose the duty on the difference between their
real and fictitious value and to this extent We
are defraUded. The temptations which ad va
iorem 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 eonasea-
tiOn In this ne too often succeeds In spite Of
the vigilance OF the Reyenae officers. Hence
the resort to false invoices, one for the pur-
chaser another for the Custom House, and 10
other expedients to defraua the Government.
The honest importer produces his invoice TO
the collector, stating the actual price al which
ne purchased the articles abroad Not so with
the dishonest importer, and the agent of the for
eisn manufacturer And here II may be observed
that very large proportion OF the manufactures
imp0r ed frtIn abrOad are consigned for
sale 10 commission merchants, who are
mere agents employed by the manufacturers
in such cases. No actual sale has been made
10 fix their value. The foreign manufacturer,
ifhe be dishonest, prepares an invoice OF the
goods, Eut at their actual value, buL at the very
lowest rate necessary 70 escape detection. In
tais manner. the dishonest importer and the
foreign manufacturer enjoy decided advantage
over the honest merchant. They are thus en-
NUlt0 10 NuCitFstll Tic AIlNt nllu
from the market In fact the operation Of this
-ysiem has already driven from the pursuit OF
honorable commerce mSny OF that class OF reg
niqr and conscientious merchants, whose chSr-
aeter throughout the world, is the pride or our
country The remedy Tor these evils is 10 be
found in specific duty, 50 far as this may be
practicable. They dispense with any inquiry
at the Custom House into the actual cost or
value Of the article, aud il pays the precise
amount Of duTy previously liked BY law. They
- M suNf ON n nfSar ~
foreign goods, who receive but small salaries,
and might by underYsluation in 4 few cases,
render themselves independent Besides.
specific duties best conform TO the reqniEitiOn
n. the Constitution, that no preference shall be
given by any regulation OF comm, rec or reve-
nue. to the ports OF one State over those OF an
ether. Under our ad valOrem system, such
preferences are to some extent inevitable, and
complaints have often been made that the spirit
OF this provision has been violated by lower
appraisemenf Of tho same articles at one port
than st another. An iupressiOn straI geiy
enough prevails 10 some extent, that specific
duties are necessarily protective duties. Moth
inn can be more tillaciouE. Great britain glo-
rits in free trade, and yet her whole revenue
from imports Is at the present moment collect
ed nndera system OF specific dnties- II IL
striking fact In this connection; that in the
commercial treaty OF the 23d OF January, 1860
between France and England, one OF the arti-
cles provides that the ad vaiOrem duties which
il imposes shall be converted into specific du-
ties within six months from its date, aud these
are to &c aseertained by making an average
OF the prices for six months previous
TO taht time. The reverse Of the
propObition would be nearer 10 the truth, be
cause a much larger amount OF revenue would
be collected by merely converting the I'D valo-
rem duties OF tariff into general equivalent
specific duties. To this extent. the revenue
would be increased and in the sane proportion,
the SPECIFIC duty might be diminished Specific
duty would secure to the american manufac-
turrr in incidental protection, TO which he is
fairly entitled under revenue tariff; and to
Thia, surely no person would object The fra
raors Of the existing tariff have gone further,
and, in q liberal spirit, have Disseminated In
favor OF large and 4aeful branches OF our mann
features. Not by raising the rates Of duties
upon the importation Of similar articles from
abroad. but what j. the same In effect by admit
ting articles free Of dufy which enter into the
composition Of their fabrics. Under the pres
ent system it has been often truly remarked that
this Incidental protection decreases when the
manufacturer needs II most. and Increases when
he needs itiea6t, and constitutes sliding scale
which always operates against him. The
revenues of this county were subject TO
similar hnctuatinn. Instead of approaching a
steady standard as would be the case under
stem Of specific dnties they sink and rise
with the sinking aud rising prices Of the arti-
rIaa nF fnrafg-f ff,uufrfaz would not Ia dfff