The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1866-08-01
Protest Of New York against the
New Tariff Bill

The following protest passed the New
York Chamber Of Commerce on the 9Th,
without dissenting voice:
TO the Honorable the Senate and House OF
Representatives Of the United States IN
Congress assembled:
The Chamber of commerce Of the State
of New York respectfully demonstrate
against the passage Of the bill now before
the House Of Representatives, entitled"
bill to provide increased revenues from i'm
ports and for other purposes and asks
leave to submit for the consideration OF
Congress the following objections thereto:
In the first place the title of the bill is
misleading, the enhanced duties it proposes
being in many cases so high that they must
prove prohibitiye. It's adoption could not
fail to diminish rather than increase the
revenues from imports. The proposed en-
hancenent of duties is chiefly, if not alto
gethef, on imported articles which come
directly in competition with similar domes-
tic products. Such, for instance, as iron,
woolens, worsted, linens and cigars. Those
are all leading articles of our import trade;
and no one familiar with that trade can
doubt that the exorbitant duties which this
bill proposes to subject them to would
greatly diminish their import, and thereby
lessen the revenue of the Government at a
time when its gold liabilities are increasing
and it seems especially impolitic to do so
coincident with the abandonment of many
of the existing sources OF internal revenue.
There is reason to apprehend that the joint
effect Of the two measures might SO reduce
the revenue Of the Government as to leave
the aggregate insufient to meet its current
expenses and maturing interest, and thus
waste the public credit.
But your femonstrances object to the
measures on other and broader grounds.
They believe its adoption would prove in
furious to commerce by diverting it from
its established channels, by lessening our
foreign trade and by leaving our large mer-
camille marine without adequate or profit
able employment; it would mar the prosper
ity Of agriculture by Increasing the cost OF
Its supplies without enhancing the prices OF
its products, which are governed, as are
those of all exportable commodities, by the
foreign market value. 1t would injure me-
chanics by increasing the cost ofliying with
out enhancing wages, and finally. through
it's exorbitant production, it would endan-
GER the permanent prosperity, OF the manu-.
featuring interest itself, which it is specially
intendedto protect and foster. 1t proposes
to increase that production by adding from
ten to fifty per cent to the present high
rates of thirty at the moment when the
amended internal revenue laws relieve TINT
interest from heavy excise tax. The joint
Ieffect of the two measures would he to con.
fer on that interest a rate of protection, ran
ging from fifty TO one hundred per cent aud
this protection will be absolute with the ex-
else tayesannulled, and the prenium on the
adverse effects Of the deprecated currency
This degree Of protection being at least
twice as large as that interest has hitherto
enjoyed under the revenue laws, we may ex.
pect to see it enpender home q competition
Which will ultimately prove fatal to its pros
perity. We may also expect to see the
people soon become so FESTIVE under the
understandable boon conferred on e favored
interest, as to demand its repeal, and the
substitute of a tariff strictly grounded on
the principle of revenue. This, combined
with the appeals of home compitition. would
be liable to involve the manufacturing in.
terest of our country in general bankruptcy
For these reasons your remonstrants re
spectfully ask that the bill may notbecome
law.