Amendments to the Constitution, [8 June] 1789 — reading text

Pennfylvanici, which he thought leflened the force of the objection taken agalnll taxing molalies as a neccflary of life. A. 1789. Of C O N O R E S S* 49 thofewhoufed it efcaped the tax on fugar, in lub'lince at lealt To much of it as the one was a fahtlitnre for the o. ther ; he feared that there was no other way of coming aC the duty on country rum, but laying one on the material from which it was extrafted, and he did not think 8 cents out of the way. Mr. Goodhue. Replied, that Scents was nearly half the fir(i cnfl, and confequently difproportioned to the tax on foreign rum. He alfo obferved, that the gentleman from Virginia, when he was dating the rum exported abroad, muft lurely have read wrong, for to his certain knowledge, feveral velTels were loaded principally with this article every year.* Ma. Thatcher. It appears to me, that for want of a certain and fixed principle to aft upon, there is a great danger of making fome improper efiabliiliments. It is for this reafon that I wilh not to hurry on the bufl- nefs with fo much precipitation — did gentlemen confider when they agreed, to a high duty on ardent fpirits, that it would be a pretext for encrealingthe duties on a necefliary of life. I prefume a principle reafon why a high tax on fpirits was admitted, was in order to difcourage the uie of it among ourfelves. If this was the intention of the com- mittee, I have no objeftion to the burthen but even here ; I fear dlfaculties will arile, did we judicioufly examine whether the fpirit of the law accords with the habits and manners of the people, and did we aflure ourfelves of the full execution of the law, if we did not, the acl becomes impolitic, becaufe a law which cannot be executed tends to make the government lefs relpeclable. Conikier molalTesasa raw material and on thisaccovmt you cannot agree to burthen it with an unequal tax ; confider it as a necelfary of life entering daily into the confumotion of the poorer clafs of people, and the duty on it ought to be extremely low. I do not fee how we are to get clear of this cmbarrairment, unlefs we refcind what we have al- ready done ; becaafe of the principle for taxing ardent fpi- G * This article i?i the exports from Majfachufetts Jia^ids thus — — < " Country rum hogfpeads Jhipped to the federal parts of the Uni'- " ted States, 5327, 'value £.j^C),g4^-^; to No-va-Scotia 89 hhds. " 'value £.8oi; to Europe, l^/^ hhds. "value £.\2o6; and t9 ^f Africa and the Eaft-lndiis '6<^-j hhds. 'value £.'6o-] t,.*^  50 DEBATES A ly^, ritsbe, to lefTen the confumption in order to preferve the ^ health and morals of the people, it will apply as forccably to tax country rum Scents as is now propofed, as it did to tax Jamaica rum 15 cents; I am not an enemy to ma- king the impofi the principal inflrument of revenue, yet I fear we have not proceeded with due deliberation, it v/as my wilh to take up the fubject as has been frequently men- tioned, and form a lavv' on the mofi fimple principles, leav- ing time, im formation and refleftion, to forma fyftem of impofi on more extenlive and. particular principles fitted equally to affed the whole and every part of the union. For thefe reafons I fhall move, if I am in order, to take i^p the refolutionof Congrefs of 1 783, and lay on duties as r.early fimilar as can well be, to thole recommended at that period and then move for a committee to go on to re- ; view and coniider of certain regulations necefiary to form a permanent fyflem at fome future period. Mr. Clymer. The advocates for a low duty repeatedly mention this ar- ticles as a raw material necefiafy to Ibnport a confiderable irranufafture ; but do they conbder that the confumption of country rum is attended with an injury toa much more valuable manufacture, the raw material for which is fur- niihed by our ov/n agriculture, and which is divefted of the pernicious qualities attached to ardent Ipirits^ I mean the juanufavPture of malt liquors. Mr. Ames. I have not lind the advantage of liearing all the argu- ments in fupport of the 8 cents propofed but thofe I have ; heard I am not fatisfied with. The principles on which this tax is founded, I underlland to be this, that^ it is an article of luxury and of pretty general confumption, 'lo that theduty is expected to fall equally upon all; but that it will not operate in this manner 1 think is ealily demonftra- ble. Can a duty of 50 percent, ad valorem, paid as it were in an exclufive manner by the ftate of Mafiachul'etts, be equal ? No, .Sir ; but taking it as a part of the gene-* }-al fyltem,can it be equal unlefs a proportionable duty, equal to 50 per cent, is laid upon articles confumed in other parts of the union — no. Sir ; and is it in the conteniplation of gentlemen to lay duties fo high as to produce this equa. ]ity ? 1 truft it is not ; becaufe fuch duties could never be 'rollefted. Is not therefore 8 cents difproportioncd to the rates fixed_, or intended to beimpofed on other articles? I A. 1789. Of C O N G R E S S. 51 think it is, and if to thefe confidcraticns \vc aJcI what has been (aid before, relative to its bein^ a raw material, im- portant to a ccnfiderable manufacture, we caniiot hefitate to reject it. The people vill indubitably continue to ufe ardent fpi- rits, untill the flow operation of the law iliall produce otlier habits; and while they contiriue to ufe them, ic is better for this country that they ufe the kind \vhich is wiJlicd to be indirecT.ly taxed. It lault be better, becaufe it is manu- fadured within ourfelves, and gives tifeful employment to a confiderable number of our fellow citizens ; It mulf be better becaufe the goods which we export for the ravv' materials, area drug upon our hands, certainly the trade is nnitually beneficial to the parties concerned ; but it is lo in a greater degree to us than to them. We exchange for molafies thoi'e fifh that ic is impolhble to difpofe of any where clfe ; we have no market within our reach, but the iflands from whence we get molalTes in return, which again we manu- facture into rum. Thefe circumllances form a material link in our chain of navigation, and upon our fuccefs in navi- gation the mo (t important intereits of the United States de- pend. It is fcarcely poflible to maintain ourfifheries with advantage, if the commerce for fjnimer filh is injured which I conceive it would be very materially, if a high duty- is impofed on this article, nay ic w ould carry devaluation throughout all the New England flatcs,it would ultimately afFed all throughout the union. V/ill gentlemen, who de- clare themfelves the friends of manufactures, fupnort the opinion, that a raw material ought to be iaddled wich an ex- cefTiveduty, that the impofition iJiould be at a hicherrare than what is laid upon maunfactured articles ; at a time too Avhen the price is fucb that the home manufacT;ure cannot fupport a fuccefsful competition with the other, even in our own markets. No, gentlemen will not be fo inconiiltent theyknpvv and advocate the policy of lupporting the manu- fadures of our country, by giving them fuch advantages as are conhftent with the general go§d. I fhall proceed to ihew^ the importance of the prefent fub- jed, in another point of light. The taking of filh on the banks is a very momentuous concern, ir forms a nurfery for feamen, and this will be ilie Iburce from v/hich we are to derive maritime importance. It is the policy of feme na- tions to drive us from this prolific fburce of wealth and flrength ; but what their deteflable efforts have in vain endeavoured, you will accomplilh bv a hich dutv on this 52 DEBATES A. 1789. article. Our fituation with rcfpc^l to the filliing banks and our vinciniiy to the Wcft-lndia iOands, are natural advantages, which all the inachinations of jealouly cannot prevent us the enjoyment of. The habits of our fifhcrmen are well calculated to improve thefe advantages to perfec- tion, and no nation can carry on the bufinefs at fo fmall an expence ;it is thefe circumftances that render our fifh cheap, while this cheapnefs infures us a fale, and enables us to be fuccefsful competitors in e\^ry port that will receive us, Our befl fifh will find its way to the beft markets, M'hile the flaves in the Wefl:. Indies will confume the refufe. If we can exchange that part therefore, which would o- therwile be thrown away, it is i'o much clear gain to the community. l^ence this country by encreafing the demand of our fi/h, increafes the navigation ; gentlemen will therefore be cautious how they adopt a meafure that afFefts, or only feems to affed one of the moft important interefts of the United States, However gentlemen may think the ufe of this article dangerous to the health and morals of our fellow citizens ; I would alfo beg them to conilder that it is no more lb than every other kind of fplritous liquors; that it will grow into an article for exportation, and altho I admit we could export it even encumbered with the duty propoled, yet by it we run the rilk of having the manufaciure totally ruined, for it can hardly now ftand a competition at honje with the Wcffc-India rum, much iefs can it do fo abroad. If the manufacturers of country rum are to be devoted to certain ritin, to mend the morals of others let them be admoniflied, that. they prepare themfelves for the event But in the : •way we are about to take, diflrudion comes on a fudden, they have not time to feek refuge in any other employment whatfoever. If their fuuation will not operate to reitraia the hand of iron policy confider how immediately they are connected v,'ith the moft elTential intercib of tlie union, and then let me afk if it is wife, if it is reconcilable to na- tional prudence, to tfke meafures fubveriive of your very exiftence ; for I do contend that the very existence of the eaftern ifates depend upon the encouragement of their na- vigation and fillicry, which recei\'e a deadly wound by an cxccliivc impoit on the article before us. 1 would concur in any meafure calculated to exterminate the poifon covered under the form of ardent ipirits, from our country j but it ihould be without violence. I approve A. 1789. Of C O N G R E S S. 53 as much as any gentleman the introdinTfion of malt liqi:ors, believingtheni not I'o pernicious as the one in common ufe; but before vve rellraiu ourfelves to the ufe of them, we ought to be certain that we have malt and hops, as well as brew houfes for the manufadure. Now i deny that we have thefe in fufficient abundance to the eadwaru, but if we had they are not taxed; then why ihould the poor of JMaf- fachuietts be taxed for the beverage they i";'e cf fpruce mo-