Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1860-04-07

movement has been made in tho Kentucky
Legislature, with view Of promoting tho Tobae-
interest OF the United States, or at least remov
ing the heavy burdens so long imposed upon it by
the import duties in foreign countries. Without
undertaking here to discuss the policy Of the mea
surcs proposed for this purpose, we find 80 much
interesting statistical information upon the sub
iect in the following article. thai we copy il en-.
tire:
From tho Ioulsvi lille Journal
The ToBAcco INrrREsr.-A series Of resou-
tions reporte by Senator johnson, Of McCrackcn,
pissed both Houses OF the Legislature ut its re
cent session, by II unanimous vote. They dlrce-
tod tho attention Of Congress und tho country to
the facts that Tobacco. ono Of our great American
staples has been for more than fifty yenrs the
subject of the most burdensome taxation, by being
subject to foreign duty before il can he sold in
the principal foreign markets, of S77 90 per hun
drcd pounds ,hat the Federal oyornment hns tho
power to fix the do as Of commercial heaties mp
on the principle OF reciprocity and mutual expeo
ted benefit and that such treaties have now be-
come the policy Of all civilized nations, our own
included; and while every other product OF this
country has beon placed upon the most favorable
footing, tobacco has been entirely neglected, and
this great interest has been loft to langui n Mt
home and feed aud cl"thc and pamper princes
and mobiles abroad and that it is tho duty If the
United States in all future treaties with Great
Britain aud other foreign powers, where Ameri-
tobacco is sold, 10 insst upon placing tobacco
upon u footing with other productions exported
from the U. States To fnrcign countries.
II other means fail the resolutions OF Senator
johnson demand counteryailing duties upon the
productions and manufactures of those govern
ments who have filed their exchequcrs and sup
parted their royalty by oxto ions wrung from
American labor. This certainly is IN object of
vast importance to tho West and Southwest, and
it more than proper. while there is u
tariff of thirty per cent, protection ON sugar, and
cotton is admitted duty nce in all ports Of the
world. aud brradstun., beef, pork and lard are
subject TO the payment OF only nominal duty, that
tobacco, our great Western staple, should he sub
icsed to restrictions Of ~ oncrous q character
These duties tobacco were originally imposed
to prevent its introduction and cause the abandon
ment oi it's culture, but Great Britain monopolized
the trnicn the reign of Charles l. for the OF
thc crown 4; from la00 10 1880, the enormous sum
oi 81 80. .0O0. 900 the aggregate Of duties paid
L. the English crown, md 1t Is now estimated that
Great britain unl Ireland consume annually
nbout &C 300 TONS or some 59.000,000 pounds
the revenue from which is Mt least $4,000 600 a
year. Indeed most Of the Hoyercisns Of tho world
derive the most considerable part Of their income
from the cultivation Of tobacco. Tho monopoly
under tho Reggie system commenccdi iii 1911, when
the revenue was 81, 200 600. nnd now it has in.
crenied to about So 100000. The United States
supply nearly four fiths o all the tobacco used
in France, and tie average profits OF the Rcs'o
are said to average $50 per cent We supply also
two .G(,hs of all the tobacco used throughout
Europe, and it is clear that if these government
monopolies were abolished, and moderate I'D
vaorem duties substituted tho demand would be
increased ten-fold, The value of tho exports of
tobacco from this coantry for four years is thus
shown
1855. .&4,,i?tds 1877 .......s? s6oISs
1850. l2.22 st3 ls55. lIoep,iG7
which il about once ELEVENTH of the value of all
agricultural exports and much greater than the
total value of the products of forests, of the
prnducts OF our animals. Nothing but cotton and
hcur exceed it in importance simple for export.
Indeed. il il only when we investigate the sub
iect and examine authorities TINT the immense
value of the tobacco trade is realized. The Cyclo-
pada of Commerce says tobacco is next to snlt,
pr ,bahly the article most consumed by men. In
one form another, but most generally in the
form Of fumc or smoke, there is no climate in
which it is not consumed, aud no nationality that
has not adopted it. To put down its use has
equally bufied legislators and moralists, mud in
the word. Of Pope ON higher subject, it may be
said to be parinkcn of by saint, by savage, and
BIZ sage" Despite Of its heavy taxation, it, use
is universal. Great Britaia charges ad
orcm import duty on raw tobacco Of 1888 per cent;
Russia, OF lGl per cent, and the Lol Verein, OF
4J per cent France, irum Isl to 1852 sold by
the Rcgieto the amount OF Sl32, ,l34. In
Spain the privilege Of tho tobacco monopoly is
rented to individuals, and yields to tho crown
from 81, 600 900 to sc, 600, 900 per annum. Aus.
tria, in 1853, received Sl00l9. JOG from its
nopoly But there is another feature which
shows the exorbitant nature Of these government
monopoies. In 1850, by tho census report, we
find the number Of pounds OF tobacco produced
per acre was us follows: Kentucky, 575 pounds;
Maryland, $50 pounds; Missouri. 775 pounds;
Ohio 730 pounds; Tennessee, $50 pounds; Vir
snia, $50 pounds. The whole number of acres
under cultivation of tobacco was 100000, which.
at an average Of GOO pounds. would produce 24O,-
00O 900 pounds annually. The gross product for
the saino year was estimated to be worth $13,-
982, CSC. being about one.half tho duty levied by
Great Britain on 27 100000 pounds only. That
is, Great BritaiA charged more duties on about
one-ninth of our gross product than our whole
product was estimated to be worth The tariff,
restrictions, prohibitions, and custom house regu
lations applicable to American tobacco, in the
principal commercial countries Of Europe arc full
Of similar evidences of exactions. The quantity
of manufactured tobacco annually imported in.
to these countries as defined by the census Of
1850, is, for each inhabtnnt Of Great Britain ID
ounces, in France 10 ounces. in Belgium 2i
pounds in Holland q pounds, in the Hanse
towns pounds, in Hanover 81 pounds, in Mech
enburg Schwerien and Mecklenburg Strclitz 2
pounds. in the Zollverien l pound, in Russia
ounce. in Austria one ounce, in Spain ounces,
and in Portugal u ounce. The aggregate guam
tity OF tobarco raised in these countries exclusive
of their colonies is about 2l0 000, 900 pounds, and
the aggregate in the United States in 1850 wus
l99.752,5l5. f
The foregoing statistics nre oil taken from, Off
cial sources. We see paragraph in our ex-
changes. the authenticity Of which We cannot
question: which says the stock OF leaf tobacco in
this country and Europe at the opening OF the
present year was 81 900 hhds, and the incoming
crop is estimated at 226, 900 hhds making the sup
ply for 1860, 1923 900 hhds. The years consump-
tinn Ia estimated at 2O7 900 hhds which if correct