New-York daily tribune., 1861-06-08
SHALL WE SELL QUIZ gNDEPEND-
ENCE TO SAVE OUR UNIONe

The Late Cegrcss oil TIE United States passed
on act revising the Tariff OF Duties on Goods
imported into this country. 1t was no hasty,
ill-considered measure: on the contrary, no pre-
cedng Tariff was ever so long mOoted or so
thoroughly considered. Its essential features had
been earnestly commended in three several
annual messages of President Buchanan; The bill
was drafted and submitted to Congress some two
years prior to its passage; it was adopted by
the House by decided majority at the session
Of 1890, and only defeated then in the Senate
by crowding other measures ahead OF it Gts
enemies having control Of tho Chair and the
leading Commttees); and it was finally carried
by decisive majorities in both Houses, and signed
by the late Democratic President We know it
is said that it might have been defeated in the
Senate had there been no secessions from that
body; but 10 this Insertion we oppose the fact
that, at the previous session Aforesaid, when
there had been no secessions, the friends Of the
measure struggled resolutely for vote on its
passage, and challenged their opponents to per-
init one, but without effect The adversaries Of
the measure dared not, when the Senate was
full--and Arkansas, Florida, and Texas were
there TO balance New-York, Pennsy sylvania, and
Massachusetts-take vote on the passage Of
the Morrill, Tariff" And the bill, as it passed
the House and was lodged by the Senate in
1860. was more obnoxious TO the foreign manu-
featuring and seabosrd importing interest than it
is as it passed in 1861 and stands to-day on the
statute-boOk.
Still, it is decidedly obnoxious to those inter
ests, for precisely the reasons that commend it
to our judgment as highly advantageous and be-
neficent to an immense majority Of our people.
Its duties are, 80 far as practicable, Specific, as
the experience and the judgment of oil enlightened
nations whether they incline TO Protection or to
Free Trade, decide that they should be. An
impost of so much per tun, per pound, per
bushel, per yard, reduces the importance and
the emOluments Of good swearers ot the custom
house. and enables honest, well known, respon-
sble men, to import goods on equal terms with
anony nous, slippery, unscrupulous rogues, who
have every advantage under the Ad Valorem
system from which We have just escaped. We
know that honest merchants gave up importing
goods under that system because they had rivals
III the business who could outswear them, and
that honest importers who ordered goods from
Europe expecting to pay the just and full impost
thereon, were favored in due course, and utterly
to their own sstonishment, with one invoice by
mail TO swear by and another and much higher
in the cases which contained the goods whereby
they were expected to pay, after having with a
clear conscience sworn tho goods through the
custom. house as costing only the sums specified
in the invoice By mail; and when they required
an exclamation they were assured that the dodge
was intended for their benefit and for the good
of trade, and was in accordance with estab-
lshed custom but even where Invoices are
honest the foreign manufacturer eau nearly a.
ways swear that the goods he sends here cost
him less than the coat Of Ike goods TO the
American importer, which goods were bought
from him and on which he has charged profit.
And stll the objections to Ad Valsrefn duties
ore not bali exhausted. They tend inevitably
to the importation of flimsy aud refuae goods,
made, like Hodges razors, Ito sell, " and which
can be sworn 10 have lost little or nothing;
whereas an inpost Of 20 muck per pound or per
yard tends to repel worthless fabrics and Insure
the importation mainly Of those of good quality.
Ten cents each, for example on iirst-rste razors,
would be o moderate duty; while on Hodges
soyt it would operate as q prohibition
But again: An Ad vsIorem duty falls as the
market s depressed and rises a. prices advance.
When good Bar Iron commands $50 per tun
an Ad Valorem duty Of twenty per cent amounts
TO $40 per tnp; but let the demand stagDate,
and the price rapidly fall to $50, aad now the
duty will have fallen to So 80 that I'D Valorons
duties gire to cur producers he ieaa protection
,sh.n they med most and h> most EheH hey netd
least. The new Tariff aims to correct this radi-
cal vice, by making oil duties Specific SO far as
possible.
OF course, il is one object of thia Tard-an
object frankly ayowed and steadily pursued-to
give to American producers an advantage in cur
own markets over their foreign rivals. II is TN.
doubtingly believed advisable by the authors and
friends Of that Tariff, 10 encourage the produc-
ton of Iron, Steel, Hardware, Cloths, CARPETS,
Crockcry, &C., &c, on our own sol rather
than TO import them from Europe and send tl:ther
Wheat, Cora, PORK. Wool, &C., TO pay FOX them.
Not that we propose to abolish foreign trade
fur from it. On the contrary, we propose to
take freely from other nations mha;erer reaa
that NGtare enables them 10 produce essentially
eheager--that il, by less labor-th0n pc can pro-
dace for ourseio,s. Thus the new Tariff admits
Tea aud Coffee free, and admits mcst Drugs,
Dyes, and Chemicals, Caoutchouc, Tin, &c,
at insignificant duties or none at I'll. IL,
by reason Of our new Tariff, We shal, within the