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

Upon thele confiderations the articles of beef, pork and- butter, were all ftruck out. On all candles of tallow per lb. Mr. FiTZSIMDN'S Moved to lay a duty of 2 cents. Mr. Tucker Obferved, that fome flates were under the necefliey of importing coniiderable quantities of this article alfo, while others had enough, and more than enough, for their own confumption, therefore the burthen would he partinlly borne by fuch Hates. As the committee had juft reje£led I'ome articles upon this principle, he would move that this be ftruck out likewife. Mr. FiTZsiMONs. I am not for ftriking out, bir. Every article imported into the Ifate that gentleman reprefents, from which reve- nue is to be raifed, he moves to have If ruck out but I wifh ; the committee to conlider a moment before they join in I'entiments with him. The manufadure of candles is an important manufadlure, and far advanced toward perieftion. I have no doubt but in a few years we fliall be able to fur- nilh fufficientto fupply the confumption of every part of the continent, in Pennfylvania we have a duty of 2d. per •lb. and under the operation of this fmall encouragement the manufacture has gained confiderable Itrength. We no longer miport candles from Ireland or England, of whom a few years ago we took coniiderable quantities ;the ne- cefTity of continuing thole encouragements which the ftate legiflatures have deemed proper, exilf in a confiderable degree ; therefore it will be politic in the government of the United States to continue fuch duties till their. objed.is accompliihed. Mr. Tucker Said he f!:ould be .glad to know what article it was thstt South Carolina would not contribute her full proportion of tax unon —he faw none ; on the contrary, fo far as the  68 D E B A T E S A. i^Sg. enumeration went, the impoft would bear unequally upon her, and he ieared many others in the liil would encreafe the impolition. He thought it the duty of the committee to guard againft an unequal dtftribution of the public bur- then in every cafe, and therefore wilhed the duty on this article to be a moderate one not becaufe it afFecled the ; ftate he reprei'ented, for it did not do this to any degree, as wax candles were there principally confumed, the mate- rial for which was the production of the fouthern ftates, but becaule other flates not having this advantage might be^ppreiled. Mr. BouDiNOT Apprehended moflftates imported confiderable quantities of this article from Rufiia and Ireland he expedled they ; would be made cheaper than they could be imported if a fmall eiicouraoement was held out bv the o;overnment, as the materials were to be had in abundance in our country. jMr. Lawrance Thought that if candles were an objeft of confiderable importation, they ought to be taxed for the fake of obtain- ing revenue, and if they were not imported in confiderable qaantrties the burthen upon the confumer would be fmall, while it tended to cheriih a valuable manufafture. He leconded Mr. Fitzfiiiions's motion for 2 cents. Which was carried in the affirmative upon the queflion being put. On all candles of wax or fpermaceti, per lb. 6 cents, theefe - - - 4 cents. loan - - - - 2 cents., boots, per pair, - - 50 cents. On all Ihoes, flippers, or gololhoes made of leather, - - - 10 cents. On all fiices or flippers made of filk or ftuff, 10 cents. On all ileel unvvrought, for every 11 2 lb. Mr. Lee Moved to flrike out this lafl: article obferving, that the Confumption of fteel was very great, and eflentially necef- fary to agricultural improvements. He did not believe any gentleman would contend, that enough of this article to anfwer confumption could be fabricated in any part of the union hence it would operate as an oppi-eflive though in- : direft tax upon agriculture, and any tax whether diredl or indireft upon tills interefl:, at this j unttui'e would be unwife and impolitic. Mr. Tucker Joined the gentleman in his opinion, obfei'ving that it was jmpolhble for fome Itates to get it but by iuiportatioii from A. 1789. O F C O N G K E S S. 69, foreign countries. He conceived it more <feTervmg a bounty to encreaie the quantity, than an impoft wSkh would lefl'en the conlumption and make it dearer aU'o« Mr. Clymer Replied, that the nianufafture of fteel in America was rather in its infancy, but as all the materials neceilary to make it were the jn'oduce of almoft every flate la the union, and as the manufaclure was already eftabliftied, and attended with confiderable fuccefs, he deemed it pruilent to emancipate our country from the manacles in which ihe was held by foreign manufadures. Afurnace in Philadel- phia, with a very fmall aid from the legillature of Pennfyl- vania, made 300 tons in two years, and now makes at tlie rate of 230 tons annually, and with a little further encour- agement would fupply enough for the confumption of the union ; he hoped therefore gentlemen would be difpofed, on thefeconfiderations, to extend a degree of patronage to a manufadure which a moment's reflection would couvince them was highly deferving protedion. Mr. FiTZsiMONS Judged that the gentlemen who were ggainH: the article had taken tor granted what was not founded in fad. It was laid that it would operate as an oppreflive tax upon agriculture, and could not be obtained otherwife than from foreign countries. The firfl objedion depended upon the funi with which the blank ihould he filled up, for his part he had not an idea of encreaiing it beyond 5s. per cwt, this would affed the agricultural intereil very little, even luppole it was to be paid upon all that was ufed ; but he hoped to prove that iufficient quantities could be made in America for her confumption. My colleague has ilated, and I believe very jultly, that in Philadelphia they made in lefs than two years 300 tons, and if the demand was en- creafed, they could njanufadure as many thoufands with a fmall encouragement from the general government ; fup- pole 5s, per cwt. was impofed, it might be as itated, a partial duty, but would not the evil be foon overbalanced by the eltabldhment of luch an important manufadure ? a great and principal manufadure for every agricultural countrj', but particularly ufeful in the United States. When viewed in this light, he had no doubt but every member of the committee would readily alfent to a fmall duty. Mr. Madison Thought the objed of feleding this article to be folely the encouragement of the manufadure and not revenue, for 70 D E B A T E S A.i;^^, on any other confideration it would be more proper, as ob« ferveci by the gentleman from Carolina (Mr. Tucker) to give a bounty on the importation, it was ib materially con- nefled with the Improvement ot agriculture and other ma- nuiaftures that he queilioned its propriety, even on that fcore. ^ duty would tend to deprefs many mechanic arts in the proportion that itprotected this — he thought it bell to referve this article to the non enumerated ones, where it would be fubjeded to a per cent ad valorem. 'j Mr. Tucker. Confidered the rmalleil tax on thisarticleto be a burthen on agriculture, which ought to be confidered as an intereft mofl del'erving jn'otection and encouragement, on this is our principal reliance, on it alfo our iafety and happinefs depend. When he confidered the (late of it in that coun- try which he reprefented on this floor, and in fome other parts of the union, he was really ^italofs to imagine with what propriety any gentleman could propofe a meafure big with oppreilion and tending to burthen particular Hates. The fituation of South Carolina was melancholy, while the inhabitants were deeply in debt, the produce of the ftate was dally falling in price. Rice and indigo were •become fo low as to be confidered by many not objecls worthy of cultivation and gentlemen will conlider that it ; is not an eafy thing for a planter to change his whole fyftem of hulbandry in a moment, but accumulated burthens will drive to this and add to their embarrafl'ments. He thought an impoft ot 5 per cent as great an encouragement as ought to be granted, and would not oppofe that being •laid. He called upon gentlemen to exercife liberahty and moderation in whac they propofed, if they wilhed to give fatisfaiHiion and do juflice to their conftituents. Mr. FiTZsiMoNS Thought if gentlemen did not get rid of local confide- •rations, the committee would make little progreis every ; ftate will feel itfelf opprefled by a duty on particular arti- cles, but when the whole fyftem is perfected the burthen will be equal on all. He did not defire for his part to ob- tain exclufive advantages for Pennfylvania ; he would con- tend and undertake to prove that by the duties already ."greed to, that Hate facrificed as much as any other, indeed if he had laid more he believed hi nifelf capable of proving the.pofition, being ot this opinion he hoped the committee would agree to grant her an advantage which would revert back upon the other parts of the union, without operating  ; A-. l7^' C>T C O N G R £ S S. yi even for the prelent to the material difadi'antage of any ; fonic ftates were from local circumltances better lituated- to carry on the manufafture than others, and would derive forae little advantage on this account in the commence- ment of the bufinefs, the eaitern ftates were fo fituated, perhaps fomeofthe middle ones ajfo, but will it therefore be ii'iiifted upon that the fouthern ftates i)ay more of the impoft on foreign goods than thei'e ; for his part he never could conceive that the confumptiou of ihole articles by the negroes of South-Carolina^ would contribute to the revenue as much as that of the white inhabitantg of the eaftern ftates. But laying alide local diftincftions, what operates to the benefit of one part in eftabliihing ufeful- inftitutions, will eventually operate to the advantage of the whole. With thefe confiderations he chearfuUy lubmit- ted the article to the difcretion of the committee, moving- to fill the blank with 66 cents.. Mr. Bland Confidereda tax of 66 cents a very heavy duty on agri-. culture and the mechanic arts, and wasaverie to grantingit. Mr. BoUDiNoT Moved ^56. cents, which fum was agreed to* On nails and fpikes, it was agreed to lay cent per lb. On tarred cordage ----- i i^o cents per ii2lb. On untarred do. ----- 60 cents per ii2lb.. On twine or pack-thread - = - 100 cents per ii2lb. Mr. Madison, Said that he was not clear as to the policy of taxing cordage be thought fliip building an object worthy of legiftative at- tention, and queftioned the propriety of railing the price of any article that entered, fo materially into their ftruc- ture. But if