New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-11-20

Pmssan tariff Protective tariff to manufacturers
A. Protective to certain exten errSn go Commercial
tariff Is founded A: AS resPects mSn9 St
lures it was intended that the maximum Gusg
honId he no per cent; but effect has not been gwen
20 tbat intenfjop: for on great number OF articles
the duty is from 60 to 100 per cent y 90 Has VA
been in consequence OF taxing Ine a9y ny SsTceed
a. Yes The finer articles pay duty not e Aeeg1os
ing 10 per cent; but the duty ON the cOarseI al
Is very high and really prohiDitory, e. 800 As nos
that operation greatly against BrltiSn cOB.stSS
a Decidedly. This system of taking duty Dy
weight was recognized by Mr.. Huskisson IN IS%o,
with reference TO silk and it is notorious that whe
n was tbe intention of Parliament 10 levy only 30 per
cent, there great many cases I'D Whlch ~ vi W
are levied under our tariff; We nave lntro9uceu =
standard of value with standard OF weight anu
the complication has thwaTted the purposes OF the
law The result of this has been that, while the IN
Sention of Parliament was only 70 raise ~ per c f
30 and 90 occasionally taken upon SILK goOds IIon
Germany and France and Switzerland.
call the especial attention TO this testimony OF
the Free-Trade essayists who accustomed to
sssert that the duties imposed by the Zoll-Vereln
are limited to ten per cent. Dr. BOwring had JUST
made careful scrutiny the spot of the provisions
and operation of the Zoll-Verein, and spoke from
thorough knowledge
To similar effect, Mr.. John Dillon also an intense
FreeTrader, of the Silk house of Morrison Onion
Co., London, testified as follows:
Question 2 q36-Would YOU levy duties by weight OF
dd raiOrelR l-ARsweT. That Is very dhcult CUES
fiOn there strong objections TO both lnOdeS 1ne
faIregt mode. tneOretcally is upon w
that very great practical objections lie. ~ Is eG-
posed TO evasion, and IS constantly eValeu' AZ
admitted almost By all and fe0 attempt 70 aeny Md,,
4Chen hey make returns Of rdiUe they make ldtse
returns; il is done in the most open, undlsgnsed
manner. . Aware of these evasiOns, the Govern
gC Sn JIt TO charge by Weight To that mode there
are these objections that the parties who, from
greater capital OF talent are enabled to buy abroad
cheaper pay higher rate of duty per cent upon the
cost price than those who buy badly; and that,
when the duty is so high as 30 per cent, makes
serious difference Still. upon the whole think the
best plan for the Legislature to adopt Is to levy the
duty 10y weight; not that think there are no obJec,
tiOns to that mode. but because III the cholce OF
evils, that is the least.
Mr. Dillon seems to think that, where one i'm
porter has bought his goods p per cent cheaper
than rival he ought to pay 2j per cent. less duty
on tbem-an opinion which do not share.
Early in the last session of the XXXth Congress
the Hon James Thompson Ia Democrat of the Penn
sylvania Variety enlightening the House, after
the fashion of his kind the subject of the Tariff
trying hard to steer midway between Revenue and
Notwithstanding i'll one breath the Tariff OF
1872 and that of 1s46-and saying:
Now, Sir what is the remedy for all
thisf Ii is plain Specific duties-modeIate specific
duties-mOderate, not inconsistent Win revenue
Take Iron IPigl as an example; TX price lot 1t
say So So per tun-calculate 1t at 80 II yOu
please say thirty per cent ON TINS valuation TINS
would be six dollars. Now, Sir, when II would be
come abundant abroad, and should come IN at nine
dollars 1.-THE valuation per tun) you would still get
your six dollars on the tun and the that should
come in. (the evidence of superabundanee and want
of market abrOad) the more revenue there would
10 the country Let this be the system III re-
gard 10 the great articles of manutaetuTe and pro-
duec of the country. Specific duties would give sta
bility. Our affairs would not be made to fuctuate,
nor our revenue either ~
Mr. G. J. INGERsoII of PENNSYLVANIA inquired if his
colleague did consider specific duties necessary
on Liqnors-Wines and Brandies
Mr.. THOMPsON-Id do not know. cannot answer.
] do not deal in those articles
Mr.. lNGERsOII-1Ou WILL II you consider the IN
terest of the country.
Mr THoMPsoN-I cannot charge my colleague-for
whom have the highest regard-with any want of
cOnsiSteucy-not in the least. But 1t seems to be
within my recollection that my colleague, at the last
session of Congress, proposed a reduction OIL the
duties on Liquors 10 fifteen per cent.
Mr.. INGERsOLL-l proposed IT. for there ought, no
doubt to be a reduction: but it ought 10 be reduc
ton 10 Specific Duties; they are good deal better
than your AID Valorems.
Mr.. TnOMPsoN-l am opposed to Ad Nalorems as
universally applied. think it mistaken policy IN
every point of view. l am in favor OF reasonable
Specific Duties and opposed 10 Mlnlmums
Mir GREELEY OF NY.-Wil the gentleman from
PENNSYLVANIA he good enough to tell MS how eau
have Specific Duties ,cithon Minimumsf
Mr. fHOMPsoN.-I think there is difference be
tween them; thought the trainers OF the Tarlf OF
~. They liked by law an artificial value, without
any regard to the real valne, and assessed duty
equal TO the whole value in some cases, without any
EcQard to supply, demand, market, or anything else
NoICES.-You wrong
MIR TGoMPsoN-I am not wrong, ! think The
Tariff of 1872 contained Specific Duties-and Mini
NUNS not a consequence OF Speclhc Duties, but
as a consequence of the Ad FalOTem system, With
out critically nquiTing into the matter, have not
taken the terms convertible AT all events these
Mnimums, to a greater extent than anything else,
overthrow the Tariff OF 1872
The above is, judge not much more muddled
than the average Of Congressional disQuisitions on
the various and important practical questions which
must he decided in framing or revising tariff.
Judge Thompson was anxious to sail between wind
and water-to favor such Protection obviously
required by and conducive to the wel-beDR of Penn
sylvania. and to oppose OF ignore all other. Now
Specific i,npost is especially applicable to Iron the
Pennsylvania staple while American Textile Fab
RIGS were then almost confined to NewEngland,
where the larger part of them probably still pro-
duced. The only possible way Of avoiding or mOdi-
flying the application TO these of Ad Valorem duties,
unless we adopt the ZOll-Yerein method of putting
all WOOlens into the scales, and charging much
per pound land thus good deal more per yard on
superiine BroadclOtbs the eoarsest Blankets
Carpets is by a resort TO the Minimum principle
above illustrated This allows duties to be adjusted
with very considerable regard TO the value Of the
respective articles imported, yet with decided OBJ
stacle to the importation Of cheap snowy worthless
goods on the payment OF merely nominal duties. In
other words a Minimum is device for rendering
Ad VaOyem duties nearly Specific the nature Of
the article taxed viii allow.
correspondent of The 7iaes lLOndonl writings
from Manchester III the interest of the manufactur
ers and exporters of that city, explains the existing
depression of the Cotton manufacture by the failure
of the sangune expectations formerly entertained OF
large demand for British fabrics in France through
the operation of the Golden ChevalieT treaty. The
writer vindicates the British negotiations Of that
oil