Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856.

114 ABRIDGMENT OF THE SENATE.] The Tariff-Reduction of Duties-Conzpromise Bill. [FEBRUARY, 1833. valuation," ten years hence, or the valuation as require scores; other ports a number propornow made. I consider the present valuation as tionate to their business; and no port could be virtually a home valuation: if not so, where is trusted with less than two, however insignificant the use of appraisers in the several ports as now its importations might be. Admitting every provided by law? If by the amendment the appraiser to be skilful, diligent, and honest, it price of freight is to be added at the several ports; would be impossible but that the grossest variaif the prices are to fluctuate from week to week, tions, in assessing the values of the same goods, and from month to month, as goods are plenty or must take place in the different ports of the scarce, the amendment ought to be rejected, and United States, and even in the same ports on no future Congress will regard our mandate for different days and different cargoes. But it enforcing the adoptionofits principles. If it in- would be impossible that all the appraisers tends the raising of the duties five, ten, or twen- should be skilful, and especially that they ty per cent., the people will never suffer any Con- should be skilled in the value of all the infinite gress to adopt it. variety of commodities which the genius of Mr. WEBSTER held the home valuation to be, the artist fabricates in the four quarters of the to any extent, impracticable; and that it was globe, and which the enterprise of the merchant unprecedented and unknown in any legisla- brings into the United States. So far from tion. Both the home and foreign valuation this universal, and almost miraculous skill, in ought to be excluded as far as possible, and all the appraisers, it would turn out, in practice, specific duties should be resorted to. This that many of them would be mere ignoramuses, keeping out of view specific duties, and turning worked into office by the power and influence us back to the principle of a valuation, was, in of friends, and totally destitute of the knowledge his view, the great vice of this bill. In which the place required. Even those who England five out of six, or nine out of ten were skilful in one class of commodities might articles, pay specific duties, and the valuation be ignorant of another; the man who was a is on the remnant. Among the articles which judge of cotton goods might know nothing of pay ad valorem duties in England are silk woollens; he that was acquainted with brandies goods, which are imported either from India, might know nothing of wines; the nice critic whence they are brought to one port only; or in fancy goods might be wholly ignorant of from Europe, in which case there is a specific hardware; and so on throughout the whole and an ad valorem duty; and the officer has list of the importations. With or without skill, the option to take either the one or the other. He it would be impossible that every appraiser, in suggested that the Senate, before they adopted so large a number, should be diligent and faiththe ad valorem principle, should look to the ful. Some may be too indolent and indifferent effects on the importation of the country. to take upon themselves the laborious examinaHe took a view of the iron trade, to show tions which are indispensable to the formation that evil would result to that branch fiom a of correct judgment; some may lack principle, substitution of the ad valorem for the specific and take a douceur from the importer to value system of duties. He admitted himself to be his goods low, and depress the duty; or take unable to comprehend the elements of a home the same douceur from the manufacturers, to valuation, and mentioned cases where it would value them high, and enhance the duties. Some be impossible to find an accurate standard of may take one rule, and some another, for fixing valuation of this character. The plan was im- valuations; some may consult invoices; some practicable and illusory. may go to auctioneers; some to men in busiMr. BENTON objected to the home valuation, ness; others to men out of business; and some as tending to a violation of the Constitution of may consult nobody, but rely upon the view of the United States, and cited the following their own eyes, the touch of their own fingers, clause: " Congress shall have power to lay and and the taste of their own tongues, for the collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises; quality and value of every thing that comes in but all duties, imposts, and excises shall be uni- their way. Such must be the appraisers; and form throughout the United States." All uni- in such hands an infinite diversity of values must formity of duties and imposts, he contended, be placed upon the same goods in different would be destroyed by this amendment. No ports, and a corresponding diversity must human judgment could fix the value of the same accrue in the amount of duties and imposts goods at the same rate in all the various ports levied and collected upon them. of the United States. If the same individual Mr. B. objected to the home valuation, bevalued the goods in every port, and every cargo cause it would destroy the effect, and turn into in every port, he would commit innumerable a mere illusion the ultimate reduction to twenty errors and mistakes in the valuation; and, ac- per cent., which the bill proposed, and which cording to the diversity of these errors and was the only inducement with anti-tariff memmistakes, would be the diversity in the amount bers for bearing with the heavy duties which of duties and imposts laid and collected in the are to be kept up for the first seven years which different ports. But it would not be the judg- the bill had to run. Ile did not believe the ment of one individual that would make all reduction would ever come down to twenty these valuations, but the judgments of hundreds per cent.; but if it should, the home valuation would be required. New York alone would attached immediately, and converted that

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Title: Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856.
Author: United States. Congress.
Canvas: Page 114
Publication: New York, [etc.]: D. Appleton and company [etc.]; 1857-61.
Subject terms: United States -- Politics and government

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Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856.

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