Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1860-12-13


rsed with general appreciation, in the appointment
OF the same day throughout the Union for holding
the election of Electors for Fresident and Vice
President OF the Uuited States, NJ attention was
earnestly directed v This subject from the fact that
the 35th Congress terminated on the 2d of March,
1899, without making the necessary appropriation
for the service OF the Post Office Department, and
was then forced to consider the best remedy for
this omission, and an impediatecal of the pres
el't Concresswas the usual resort Upon inquiry,
however, ascertaned that fifteen out OF the thirty
ire States composing the coHfederacy were with
ont Representatives,, and thai consequently fifteen
States would be disfranchised By such 'c,ll-
These fifteen States will be in the same condition
ON the 4th Of March next. Two Of them cannos
elect Representatives, according to State laws un-
I'll different periods, extending from the beginning
OF august next until the 9Th of November; and
you remember hs my last message gave warning
that in time of suddsn and alarming danger, the
salvation Of our institutions might depend upon the
fpowcr Of The President Immediately to assemble n
hull Congress to meet Che emergency. rf
rARrrf-
| tits now quito evident TINT the financial neccs-
sites OF the Government will require modification
Of the Tariff during your present session, for the
purpose Of increasing
THE RxvEsUE-
In this respect desire to reiterate the recomcr-
daton con tainei in my last two ennual messages.
in favor of imposing specific instead OF od raIorem
duties on all imported articles to which these can
be properly applied. From long observation and
experience, lam convinced that specific duties are
necessary, both to protect the revenue, and To
cure to our nuf,ctnring interests that amount of
incidental encouragement which untvoidlbly re-
sults from revenue tariff. As an abstract propo
sition it my bo admitted that al calorem duties
,,t ho md Al huf IL
experience of this and Of all other commercial ns-
tons has demonstrated that such duties cannot be
asked and collected without great frauds upon the
revenue then il ia the part of wisdom. to resort to
specific duties. Indeed, from the very nature OF an
ad ra!orem duty this mast be the result under it,.
The inevitable consequence is that foreign goods
will be entered at less than their true value. The
Treasury will therefore lose the duty the differ
ence between their real and fictitious value, AMI to
this extent We arc defriuded. The temptations
which al ralorem duties present to dishonest i'm
porter, irresistible. His object is to pass his
goods through the custom house ut the very lowest
valuation necessary TO save them fromcon6sca.ion-
in this he very often succeeds in spite of the Wig
lance of the revenue officers Hence the resort to
false invoices, one for the purchaser. another for
the custom hoase; and to other expedsents to de-
fraud the Government. The honest importer rro-
duces his invoice 10 the collector stating the act
ual price which he purchased the articles abroad.
Not the dishonest importer, and the agent of the
foreign manufacturer. And here it MY be OBJ
served that large proportion of the foreign man.
uf,ctures imported from abroad, are consigned for
sale TO commission merchtnts. who are mere agents
employed by the manufacturers. In such cases,
where no actual sale has been m vie to FIX their
value the foreign manufacturer. he be dishonest,
prepares an invoice ofthe goods not at their actual
cape detection. In this mann er the dishonest i'm
porter and the foreign manufacturer enjoy decided
advantage over Oh honest merchant. They are
thus enabled undersell the fair trader and drive
him from market. In fact tho operation Of this
system has already driven from the pursuit Of hon
orablc commerce many offhu class of regular and
conscientious merchants, whose Character through
out the world is the pride Of our country.
The remedy for these evils Is to DO found in
specific duties, so firast this my be p-acticsbe.-
They dispense with any inquiry at the custom house
into the actual cost value ofthe article, AMI il
it pays the precise amount OF duty previously fixed
BY law. They present no temptitoas 10 the ap-
praisers Of foreign goods who receive hut small sal
aries and might by undcrvaluuion in few cases.
render themselves independents Besides specific
duties best conform to the requisition in the Conss
tuition that preference shall be given by any reg
ulation Of commerce revenue 70 The ports of one
state over those Of another Undcr ai uaiorrm
system such preferences to some extent, newt
able, and complaints hive often been made, that
the spirit of this provision has been violated By
lower appraisement of the sumo articles at one
port than at another. An impression strangely
enough prevails to soic extent that specific duties
arc necessarily protective duties. Nothing can be
more fallacious. Gre Britain gor;es i'm free trade
ard yet her whole revenue from imports is ut the
pre-en mt moment collected under system Of specific
duties. II Is striking fact In tn connection, that
in the commercial treaty Of 23i January, 1851. be-
tween France and Englanl. one of the articles
p Divides that the at prtorsm duties which it i'm
poses shall be converted into specific duties within
six months from its date and these are to be ascer
tainei by making an average of tho prices for six
months previous 60 that time. The reverse OF the
proposition would Dc nearer the truth, because a
much larger amount of revenue would bc collected
by merely converting the al ralorrn duties of "A
tariff into gencnersl equivalent specific duties. To
this extent the revenue would be increased and in
the same proportion the specific duty might be d.
m nished. Specific duties would secure 10 the
American manufacturer the incidental protection
10 which he is fairly entitled under revenue tariff
and TO this surely no person would object. The
trainers Of the existing tariff have gone further.
and in alib,ral spirit have d scriminated in favor
of!arge AMI useful branches of our m manufactures
not by raising the rate Of duties upon importation
ofsimiar articles from abroa', bur, what is the
sumo in effect by admitting articles free Of duty
which enter into the composition Of their fabrics.
Under the present system it has been often truly
remarked that this incidental protection decreases
when the manufacturer needs it most, and increases
when he needs il least, and constitutes sliding scale
which always operate against him. The revenues
Of the country subject to similar fluctuations,
instcal Of approaching steady standard rs would
be the under system Of specific duties, they
sink and rise with the sinking and rising prices oil
the articles in foreign countries 1t would not be
difficult for Congress to arrange a system of spe-
cifc duties which would afford additional stability
both to our revenue and manufacturers. and
without injury injustice TO any interest of the
country This might be accomplished by ascer-
tanning thc average value Of any given article for
series of years at the place of expectation. and
BY simply converting in the rate OF ad udorem dnty
upon il which might be deemed necessary for rev.
cnue purposes in the form ola specific duty. Such
an arrangement could not jure the consumer; II he
should " a greater amount ofdaty one year this
would be connterbaianced the next, and in the ag
gregate would be the same. desire to call Jour
Immediate attention TO the present condition OF the
Treasury. rbIy and clearly presented by the Sec.
Rotary in his report to Congress, and TO recommend
that measures be promptly adopted to enable it to
discharge its pressing obligations. The other re-
commentators of the report are well worthy OF
your favorable consideration. tea.3
herewith transmit to Congress the reports of the
Secretary ofWar, of the Navy Of the Interior. and
of the Postmaster General. The accommodations
and suggestions which they contain highly val
liable, and deserve your careful attention.