The Portland daily press., 1865-01-31
Tuesday Morning, Jan. 81, 1865.
The Interests of 0ommerce-Taxes on
47sa lo sso' d Tonnage, sd i3bstas.s rs :

I| .H Is
On the 25th of January, In the U. S. Senate
Mr.. FARwELL offered the following resolution
and asked for its immediate consideration:
Resoloed, That the Committee on Finance consider
the expedency of relieving the tonnage Of the country
from all taxes and dues collected under the Internal Re-
act and also consider the expedency Of reduc-
ton Of the dues on chain anchors and canvas,
By unanimous consent the Senate proceed
ed to consider the resolution, and Mr.. FAR
WELL Of this State, who is practical ship
master and shipbuilder, addressed the Senate
atlength. We copy from remarks the follow
ing extracts, which will be interesting to the
commercial men of the State:
There are some articles which will not bear
taxation. That principle has been admitted
and has been acted upon by the Committee
of Finance and by the legislation of Congress.
1t was stated as one reason why the recipro-
city treaty should be rescinded, that it pre-
vented the taxation Of some leading articles
in the country. Why does it prevent the tax
alton of leading articles? Simply because no
adequate protection can be given to them by
taxation Of foreign articles which come In
competition. Now, sir, the tonnage of the
country comes particularly under this denom-
ination. The tonnage of the country cannot
receive any protection by legislation. It is
obliged to compete not only with the tonnage
of the British provinces, but it must compete
in open market with the tonnage OF the world.
The only measure OF protection that has ever
been attempted in this country is to exclude
from the coasting trade foreign tonnage.
do not ask for the repeal of the taxes mp
on the tonnage of the country for the purpose
of relieving class of citizens. There is no
class Of citizens in this country, or any other,
so completely independent of the legislation
OF the country, SO far as their property is con-
cerned, as the owners of tonnage. 1t is a
property appreciated everywhere. Every
market in the world is open to it; and in every
maritime country except this, the greatest IA
cilities are offered for the naturalization of
tonnage. You can make an English ship Of
an American bottom almost anywhere in the
world; in Nassau, IN Halifax, in Australia, or
in Liverpool. The English law grants the au-
thority to their consuls to give national
charter to q foreign ship, and she may be sail
ed under the English flag merely with con-
suIar certificate The English Government,
who have always fought desired, and resolv-
ed to be all-powerful on the sea, have invari-
ably exempted her tonnage from all taxation.
To be sure, the light dues have been paid by
her tonnage in part, but they have been SO
assessed that they made no Interference with
an open and fair competition. All vessels
going to England from foreign ports of what
ever nationality pay the light dues for thesup-
port Of the lights upon her coast. We have
for years, while supporting our system of
lights and buoys along our coast and giving
the use and benefits of them free to England,
been contributing largely to pay the expenses
of her system. OF lights, which is managed by
a corporation. 9&ts@ 0A AIAAI
This have always regarded as bad policy,
and think the Government should put upon
tonnage arriving from foreign ports, both for
i -, lao
upon the foreign, a tonnage duty. Think it
would not be injurious to the tonnage of the
country to place tax upon it that should even
yield as mnch revenue to the Government as
is now collected from it, il it can be levied di-
rectly from the tonnage arriving in the United
States from foreign ports, for that would leave
us even competitors in the trade. If we pay
it, foreigners pay it at the same time. l sug-
gest, too, that this would be collected with
very little or no expense or trouble, being
paid at the custom-house upon the entry of the
ship, instead ofhaving the assessors all over
the country assessing it in half dozen differ
ent ways, as it is now assessed, and great
deal of it never collected in any way.
Sir, we have imposed a tax oftwo dollars
gallon upon whisky. Suppose we had done
that and placed no tax on the imported article,
what would have been the result? Simply
that we should get no tax, that we should
make no whisky, that the foreign article
would supply the whole demand, and the
men who have invested their property in real
estate and machinery for the purpose ofdistil-
ling, would be ruined. The same principle
will hold in regard to the tonnage of the coun-
try. Ii we tax the tonnage of the country, and
it has got to compete with the untaxed tonnage
of other countries, the result will be that our
tonnage will go, as it is fast going, into the
hands OF foreigners, where it is not taxed.
But the same result will not come to the own
er of the tonnage that would come to the own
er of the distillery. Why, sir, he can tske it
anywhere and sell it; he can whitewash it, as
the phrase is, and, as great deal of our ton.
age is being done now, put 1t under foreign
flags, and own it AMI pay no taxes at all upon
it depriving the Government of all the benefits
and getting rid of all the burdens.
There are gentlemen, and many gentlemen,
concerned in this species of property who will
never do this, who will not own property COW
cred by the British or any other flag except it
is the flag of our own country and trust the
legislation of Congress will be such that these
men shall not be driven entirely from this class
ofproperty. 1t is favorite class Of pro- perty.
1t is a kind Of property which gentlemen who
have been engaged in owning dislike to aban
don. There is sort OF lottery about it some.
times itpays finely makes magnificent returns,
and again it is is blank, it is failure. 1t is
AfaVOrlte property In tnlS country.
But, sir, within the last three years, / think,
for we have no data brought up to recent
time; but think when a data is brought up
shall he found to be correct that one half of all
the sea going tonnage of this country has gone
from under our flag. This has not been en-
tirely owing to the legislation of Congress.
English pirates have been out proving upon
our commerce. This has seemed to create a
great hardship, and no doubt it has been to
the people owning this sort of property bu
upon the whole l am not sure that it has not
been fortunate for the country that England
has allowed these pirates to go out and prev
upon our commerce. l saw it stated but a
short time since that the Admiralty of Eagland
were compelled to haul up, dismantle, and lay
up one Of her largest-class figates requiring
something like a thousand men, because they
could not ship the men to man her and to day
England has more men in her commercial ma
rine than any other country in the world
How have we got the fifty thousand sailors
that have been enlisted in our Navy within the
last three or four years? 1t is stated by the
Secretary of the Navy that sixty-four thous.
and have been enlisted. It is because the
English pirates have driven our flag from the
sea, have driven our seamen from the ocean
and consequently they have gone into the Ma
Wy OF the United States. So it will be with
the English when there shall be war between
England and great naval Power whose cruis-
ers shall drive her ships to sanctuary: then
inrtead OF laying up vessel for want of men
she can man thousand such vessels with her
seamen. sfss s'ts5sos8h q &
doubt very much If members mon this
floor have any idea ofthe taxes that have been
laid upon this species ofproperty. which I con.