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

would while he was up mention another idea. He had faid in a former debate, that he would rather give our allies a preference over other foreign nacions in any article than fpirits. MolalTes is an article principally imported from the colonies of nations in alliance a dilcri- ; inination therefore in favor of fuch molaffes would be a fubftantial benefit, and he recommended it in lieu of tlut on brandy. Mr. Jacksom Was oppofed to a reducflion of the duty he thought it ; ought to be laid high, in order to come at the neccflary tax on rum. He knew the tliftilleries gave a gallon ot rum for a gallon of molalTes, and therefore the impoft on eacli ought to be in due proportion, otherwife country rum would be fold 50 per cent, cheaper than Weft- India. If he confidered the iubject^ as it related to the morality and ;48 DEBATES health of kls fellow citizens, he might venture to pronounce A. 1789. the New- England rum 500 times as bad in its effects as aiiy from the VVeft-Indies if therefore the houfe wifhed ; r.o obtain revenue, or difcourage the ufe of bad fpirits, they Hyould continue the prefent rate. Mr. Gerry. It is by this time to the houfe, thnt we have in cie;>r contemplation no other mode of obtaining revenue but the import:, at leaft for the prefent the impolt mull come from ; the commercial ftates, and therefore the burthens fliould be light, or one part of the community is opprefFed more than the other. It may be faid, that the duty falls even- tually upon the confumer, and therefore all the itates par- ticipate in tlie payment. But, gentlemen will admit the importer pays the revenue in the iirll infiance, and I grant that if he fells his commodities on good terms, he provides for the re-payment ; but in cafe of failure in the perfon to whom he fells them, he lofes the duiy and the confumer does not pay it ; coniidering the deplorable condition of our country, it is not unlikely but misfortunes of this kind Tvill frequently happen. Thisargumeot is directed agai nit liigh duties generally, or, in other words, it is diredfed againft the rate of almoil every article pn the lilt. The article of mplalTes is now imported under very great dif- advantages, but if it is burthened with an imi)oil of 6 cents per gallon, the trade muft be given up the price of ic ; iias latterly encreafed in the W ell-Intlies fo much as to 3nake it fcarce worth importing. If on a cargo of 200 hogiheads a merchant has to jjay down •:>961. more for the jmpoff, he had better not bring it, but gentlemen will tell us, that he mg,y liave time bv giving lecurity for the pay- jnent. Sir, fuch is the fcarcity of money in the country, that if will pijt him under the neceffity of forcing a falefor the molaifes. Bpt if the whole of this article was n)ade into rum 6 cents would be an over proportioned dut}', both as it relates to the price and quality of Welt-India rum but when the facT: is otherw)fe, and very large quan- ; jities are confumed in the raw ft^te by the people, and the pooreit pf the people too, it certainly muft be judged too heavy. There arc no breweries in our country, it may be our misfortune, but the people there ufe molafi'es, with fpruce and heps, as a fubilitute, and why fliould they be faxed for this inoffenlive liquor, more than the confumers pt beer brewed from malt ? How would the middle {tates '^ev/ fax on malt beer? they would think it unvs/ifp anjl ?, A. 1789. O F C O N G R E S S. J49 oppreilive ; yet a tax on niolnfies afFefts the eaftern ftates in a limilar manner. This duty will prevent the fale of molafles to the diftil- ler,it muit reduce liis capital and he canr.ot buy i'o njuch as he ufed to do, to obviate this objection, it is propofed that a draw-back Ihall be allowed upon what is exported ; but why <hal] fuch policy be necelFary ; it is very well known that draw backs injure both trade and revenue, and ought therefore to be avoided. Mv colleague over the way has juftly dated the injury it will do the fiiheries, at a time when the policy of every country is pointed againlt us, to fupprefs our fuccefs in this important branch, when it is with extreme difficulty that it continues its exigence, fhall we lay burthens upon it, which it is unable to iupport ;a filherman ules while en- gaged in his occupation, 12 gallons of molailes, add to this \\ hat is confunicd in his family, and one man will on an ave- rage pay 1 80 cents ; can gentlemen tell you that 1 80 cents is no burthen upon thatclais of men, while its operation is as a poll-tax, a poll-tax toward which the poor contribute — more than the rich Every encumbrance laid upon this branch of our trade acts in the nature of a bounty to other riations— If this important interell is injured, it will not only dellroy the couipetition with foreigners, but will in- duce the people to fe!l> their property in the United States, and remove to Nova-Scotia or fome other place where they can profecute their bulmei's, under the proteftion of government. There are at this time 480 fail of vefiels engaged in the fifheries, amounting to 27,000 tons, con- itantly employed during the feaibn ;it may fairly be fup- pofed that the exportation ot the fiih require half as many more, lay 13,000 tons and is this interefl: together with ; the fliip building and filhermen to be iacrificed for a reve- aiue, which is unjuft and unequal in its principles. Do gen- tlemen flatter themfelves it will be borne without murmur- ing, it certainly will not, for thefe people in adopting the Coiiflitution expefted to be relieved from opprellion, if they find them encreafed, it h natural to fuppofe they will be difiatisiied. It has been frequently obferved that rum is injurious to the morals of the people If I could have ray wilh, it fliould : not be to diminilh but to annihilate the ufe of it, both foreign and domeific within the United States ; but to en- courage the importation from the Well- Indies and deftroy pur ovvu diltilieries, can never be good policy, yet a duty I50 DEBATES A. 1789, of 6 cents per gallon on molafles will deftroy the capitals of the diltillersand ruin the men. But why do this ? To pre- vent the ufe of rum ! yet gentlemen confider the con- furnption of fpirits as their great fource of revenue. It has been obferved that the tax is unequal, and that the duty on njolafles uled in MalTachufetts will amount to more than all the duties on nsolafles, rum and fugar, ufed in Pennfylvania ; I would be glad then to know upon what principle gentlemen extend the duty to fuch a height on mo- lafles ; will any gentleman fay it is more a luxury than fu- crar, and yet it is taxed in more than a double proportion to it : In fhort whether it is conddered as it affefts our filheries, our Ihip building and our commerce, or whether we confider it as too high for collection, which it certainly is, it muil be admitted that the objed is not worth the fa- crifice, efpecially asit may be accompliftied in a more jufl and certain manner by an excife. Mr. Sylvester Concurred in the tax for the purpofe of raiilng revenue, but he did not wiih it to bear hard on any clafs of citizens, efpecially the poorer clafs. Was all the molalles imported diitilled into rum, he Ihould not have helitated to lay even a hicrher duty, but as the gentleman had explained the ef- feft it would have in Maffachufetts, he was inclined to a- gree with the eaftern members, and reduce it one cent fc — as to (land at five but as it was growing late he moved the adjournment, which being agreed to by the houfe ad- — journed. April 28. Mr. Richard B. Lee, from the committee, to whom was recommitted the report refpeding the mode of communi- catino- papers, bills, and meflages betvvcen the two houfes, reported, that when a meflage ihall be fent from the fenate to the houfe of reprefentatives, it fliall be announced at the door of the houfe by the door-keeper, and Ihall be refpeft- fully communicated to the chair by the perfon by whom it may be fent. The fame ceremony fliall be obferved when a meflage ihall be fent from the houfe of reprefentatives to the fenate. Meflages fliall be fent by fuch perfons as a fenfe of pro- priety in each houfe may determine to be proper. This report was agreed to by the houfe. llie confideration of the report ot the committee of tlie wliole on the bnliiiefs of import was refumed. On Molafles.  — I A. 1789. Of C O N G R E S S. tji Mr. Sherman. This fubjed was fpoken to pretty largely yefterday — willi the gentleman would come forward with Tome plan that will lecure the revenue on rum, they intimated that this could be done by way of excife, if it can I fliall have no objeftion to reducing the impoft on molafTes to 2 cents, as I do not wilh to burthen the confumption of that article hi the raw Hate. Mr. Wadsworth. I am oppofed to a high duty on molalTes for the reafons afligned yefterday — beiide, the arguments refpeding the morals and health of the people are not well grounded the filhermen and feanien belonging to the eaftern Irates are the principle confumers of country rum, they drink more of it perhaps than any other clafs of people, yet they are a healthy robuft fet of men ; and as for their morals, I be- lisve they will not fuffer from a comparifon with their neighbours. But let us wave any further remarks on this head, with which at this time we have little to do, and con- lider the effe<5l a duty of 6 centswill produce : the capital employed in this bulinefs of diftiliation, amount at leail to' half a million of dollars ; it has been proved that the fillie- ries depend upon the molalTes trade, this trade cannot be carried on uiilefs the article is manufaftured into rum, and if the maiiufac'ture is encouraged it is likely to become an important branch of commerce ; confiderable quantities of New-England rum are at prefent fent to Africa and other parts, and a market is lately opened for it in the north of Europe ; this exiention of our commerce is a likely way to encreafe the number of our feamen, the fifheries is one of the beft of nurleries for this purpofe, and gentlemen ad- mit the nccelJity of improving our maritime importance, but the whole of this bufmefs is fo connected with the mo- lailes trade, that if you deftroy that, the others muft fall with it. The duty being fo high will never be colledled, the peo- ple conceiving it to be an unequal and unjuit tax, will jul- tify to ihemfelves the illicit trade which you drive them into ; every individual will be interefted to fmuggle the article, and the extent of their fea-coaft, their numerous inlets and harbours will furniih abundant means for doing it without fear of deteftion — I will venture to lay, that one fourth part of the duty can never be collected, even if you liil the country with cuftom-houfe officers ; but if it could be colleded, the trade of New-England and the lilheries 2 52' D' £ B A T K S A.T/SpV would be ruined, a capital of half a million of dollars would