Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-03-07

Another view Of the effects Of the export duty
Our Obvious policy is to strengthen cur sea-pcrts
By making the land export duty on cotton double
that on cotton exported by sea- we at the same time
ston that retrograde movement of cotton which has
already become subject of complaint, and virtu
ally give exclusive monopoly to the cotton trade
to the ports of the Confederacy. Should we ever
attempt to do cur carrying trade, we have the
Hseans Of fostering an infant enterprise By exempt
ing our nag from the export duty, thus enabling It
to carry freight half cent cheaper than any other
| flag.
So far our reasoning has been mostly prioyf- Il
was Little more than the demonstration OF the SELF
evident proposition that natien which possesses
monopoly even partial monopoly IN any arnc ,,
OF agricultural production manufacturing skill
may Judciously tax that article Tor tne DeneAs VI
Its Government, at the expense OF aus .
Now, for few practical illustrations, oraMh tlV'9
the experience Of commercial iegisiauon 10y A-.u
Spain possesses antiquities, manuscripts, PAinuhgs
and other works OF art, which the world can pur-
chase nowhere else and which the world purchases
at fabulous prices. Both these countries levy an
export duty of ten per cent dd udoTem on al .nese
objects. Would the world buy one pSlh'l1s ilole 10y
if that duty were removed The TURKS, She most
shftiess and senseess commercial legislators nave
vet one reliable sources Of national reiennei ~ Is
the export duty on the drugs and fruits OF ASIA
Minor of which, nevertheless, the supply never ex-
ceeds the demand. Portugal, of late quite thrifty
country taxes her peculiar wines in which she fears
The Dutch. prOverbial for their practical shrewd-
ness own the richest spice islands OF the eastern
archipelago; the principal revenue Of these colonies
consists in the expert duty OF their agricultural
products Yet mankind consumes all the spices,
and all the dye-woods and all the Java coffee that
are put in the market. These Dutch colonies have
another product useless to them, eagerly sought by
others-the famous birds nests Of the East These
are taxed one hundred OF ore hundred and fifty per
cent Who pays that tax, the Dutch, who DO not
eat birds nests or the Chinese, who consider them
the height of epIcurean luxury? But the Dutch ex-
port duties not confined TO their colonies. In
their little Holland they have products OF man
ufacturing skill such as laces and certain other
fabrics which they can tax and yet sell cheaper or
better than any competitors, and for which they
tax foreign buyers accordingly. sweden taxes ner
unequaled iron which the skill OF another ma
ton afterwards throws into the market ass English
steel. Mexico derives 8 steady revenue from the
exports of her silver mines; Peru from her gusno;
other central and South American countries from
dye-woods; Brazil from her diamonds; Spain long
levied an onerous export duty on her qulcksllver
until she found competitors; she now finds Cuba an
inexhaustible mine of wealth. not by direct taxation
on the agriculture of that island nor by its import
duties enerous and injudicious those are but BY
export duties on its sugar and tobacco, OF when
every smoker of Havana cigars pays his proper |
tlonai share Yet, both in sugar or tobacco, Cuba
has never yet been able to supply the demand
These illustrations might be multiplied to any ex-
tent They are Of the most varied character, and |
it is thought they sufficient to deduce therefrom
correct rules relating to export duties, and to an
swer the question propounded at the head Of this |
article. One the other, import or export duties,
we must have. That Federal Government cannot |
safely depend on the contributions of the States
composing it, the experience of the American /
States, under the articles of Confederation, amply
proves that it cannot safely levy direct tax on
the citizens of those States isproved by the whisky
rebellion and fate of John Adams house and land |
taxation bill, and the whole history of the old |
Government To levy that tax in the shape of
excise laws is still worse Excise laws have been /
odiOus from the time of the Roman Empire to the /
present, the fruitful source of intoerable annoy
ance, and breeding swarms Of petty lazy, fruit
less officials who cheat the Government which they
make hateful to the people.
The present Congress in the Provisional Constitu-
tion has omitted the clause of the old prohibiting
export duties Shall that clause be omitted in the
Permanent Constitution also? The reply is made by
another question: "Will the Border States join
US {" But our permanent Constitution must stand
upon certainties and not upon doubtful probabilities
We must legisate for ourselves before we egislate
for others, whose intentions cannot know. Be
sides Constitutions are straight jackets in which
nations are confined; and il is always possible. and
never too late, to alter, modify, or amend, when
they cease to subserVe the objects for which they
were intended.