New-York tribune., 1869-04-15
COMMISSIONER WBLLS'S LATE REPORT ON
t THE TARIFF.


| The Hon. J. s. BOUTWELL, Secretary of the Treasury
/ SIR: The revision OF the tariff with view to tho
improvement Of the revenue and the protection Of
the national industry the great source of national
wealth. will be one Of your most difonlt and impor-
tant laboTs during the recess Of Congress, which
am glad to see by resolution Of the House. You
| will be ai9ed by part Of the able Committee Of
Ways aud Means, who will remain on duty for that
| purpose, In reference 10 the subject the following
| rules, among Others should be observed:
First That the ighest rate of duties should be inn
| posed upon foreign lururie bought by the rch not
not for their intrinsic value but for their high price, and
the higher the duty and price the moro they APP
preciated. Smuggling is the only danger ard can DO
obviatsd by the appointment Of honest and yigiant
| Custom Honse officers. <-5 .''<s' s7s
Second: That the highest duties should be assessed
for and protection upon all articles that can
and ought to be manufactured at home, as the mme
diate effect Of these duties will be to enhance tho
| price and profits of the manufacturer thoreby at
tracing to it profit and labor from other employ
ments less profitable until by the acquisition Of
skill, improved machinery, increased competition.
and consequently increased supply the prices will bs
so reduced in the end 20 not only supply our own.
but to some extent, the foreign markets Of the
world This has already been the case in reference
to great many articles. among them coarse, cotons,
| plain glass, nails chemicals. &C., which have been
supplied and sold after protection had its effect by
the American manufacturer for less than the amoaat
| Of duty originally imposed for their protection.
Third: The lowest rate, no duties, should be i'm.
| posed for obvious reasons, materials, dye
| stuffs, &C., used by American manufacturers.
Fourth: That the taxes, burdens, aud expenses Of
labor should be made light possible. to enable
our labor to compete successfully with foreigners in
| our own markets. Free trade gives our markets to
the foreg gners while Protection gives them to Amer
| cans.
Fitrh: That duties should be specific, and not ad
valorem ad valorem duties being ant-protective.
they rise and fall with the foreign price, thus giving
high protection when little required, and
taking 1t away when foreign prices are low and high
protection necessary besides ad valorem duties pro-
mote frauds. under-valuaton, &c.
Snh: That the highest protection should be given
to manufactures that consume the greatest amount
of agricultural produce and employ the least amount
of labor-saving machinery.
The wdges of labor in Europe, as proved by Mr..
Wells in his late report less than half the amount
paid in the United States Is 1t not clear then that
If by free trade open ports to the free impor
tation of the production of the hafpriced labor Of
Europe. would not every ship the be at
employed in doubling their money, by importing
their low-priced goods, and exporting our gold and
bonds to pay for them. until our money and credit
were both exhausted, when American labor would
have to starye, come down to the degraded level
and condition of the low-priced labor of Europei
Mr.. Wells suggests two plans for sustaining Amer
can manufactures-the protection, the other tho
reduction Of ,cd0es. He goes for the reduction of
wages, which, even il right, is impractcable while
protection is both right and practicabe-CoDgress
having power, if disposed, to reduce the wages of
labor while on the other hand they have full power
to increase duties both for and protection
Mr. Wells at the outset, adopts as an axiom the
great free trade dogma that "a tariff on imports is
under all circumstances, tax which ia paid wholly,
in part. by the consumer" This axiom" Mr.
Wells says is to be kept clearly in view" in the dis"
cusson of this subject Now this is true in regard to
duties levied for revenue on articles not produced in
this country but in reference to articles can pro-
duce at home to the full extent of our wants Pro-
tective duties enhance prices and profits at FIRST,
thereby inducing the investment of capital. the
acquisition Of skill. improved machinery. and in
creased supply, which always have and always will
reduce the prices in the end at the same time fur
nishing abundant markets TO our farmers and profit
able employment to our labor
Mr. Wells to illustrate this free trade theory that
duties imports, under all circumstances added
to the price and paid by the consumer we'll 10
make protective duties odious among mechanics and
laboring men, says "the shoemaker is taxed by tbe
present tariff 81 25 on the coal that warns MIN. 30
per cent the flour and bread he eats, IS cents per
bushel on his potatoes etc.
Now, does Mr. Wells suppose that there Is shoe
maker. mechanic, or old woman in the country so
ignorant as not TO know that these duties have no
effect whatever on the price of the flour they get
from neighboring farmer. the potatoes they buy
or raise in their gardens Suppose the duties on po-
IN bushel
Wells persuade his shoemaker to believe that he paid
q duty of dollar bushel on his potatoes, which he
got for fifty centsi f'Ttl' '.a~.--.;sr-
Mr. Wells might as we'll contend that o duty on
dirt would increase the price of land to say duty
on flour and potatoes would increase the price on
these articles, which we now export to oil parts "
the world.
Mr. Wells seems, however, particularly hostile to
protective duties iron and wool and their manu-
factures for which we now send abroad nearly
$50 900 per year. to purchase foreign agricultural
produce worked up into these goods by foreign labor
on foreign bread and meat which thus
disguised sent here fer sale to American farmers
md laboring men.
In connection with this subject Mr. Wells has ln-
reduced another still more absurd freo-trade dog
ma, VIZ That protective duties imposed for the
advantage of the fer but 10 the detriment OF the
'dny" This will be the subject of another letter.
Ihe thorough revision of the present tariff moon
ruous and defective in many of its provisions wl'l'
my Judgment do more to improve our hnances'
roncte the national prosperity and hasten speoo
ayme9ts, by keeping our gold at home to enr''nv"
IN people instead of foreigners. than any o'".'
,easure that Congress can adopt Yours, Iespeo
llly. a.