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

gone into. If we confider the i'mall proportion of fliipping be- longing, to nations in commercial alliance with the United States, a duty of 30 cents per ton will be found to affeft, in a very fmall degree, the intereft cf any particular flate ; if it encreafes a fupply from that quarter, the burthen will lighten in proportion. With relpe^t to the claufe which follows, I have in view to maike a propofition to obviate the complaints of the fouthern ftates, I mean that the duty fhall be light until the ift of January 1791, when it lliall be encreafed ; this will give a conliderable opportunity- for thofe (hues that are able, to make gradual preparations to fill up the vacancy that will be left by the withdrawing of foreigners. The more I have been able to collect; and compare fafts, with refpeft to Amefican and foreign Ihipping, the more I am perfuaded that it is in our power, in a very ihort time, to fupply all the tormsge neceflary for our owa commerce. It was faid that the foreign tonnage confifted of two-thirds of what w-e employed ; the fafts before me Warrant a refult more favorable to the navigation of Ame- rica. It appears from the returns of Maflachufl'etts, that Ihe employs in her commerce 76,8'57 tons of American^ and but 8,794 foreign; New-York 55,000 American, and 30,000 foreign ; Pennfylvania 44,089 tons of her own velTels, and 28,01! belonging to various other nations; Maryland gives employment to 35,671, i-2 tons, the pro- perty of citizens of the United States, and 26,061, 1-2 be- longing to foreigners ; Virginia employs rather more fo- reign vellels, namely, 29,567 tons, and lefs American, viz. 26,705 ; South-Carolina has engaged in her trade 31,904 American, and 25,073 foreign ; and Georgia employs but 6,500 American, and 13,500 foreign ; fo that, befide this latter, no ilate employs fo great a proportion as two- thirds foreigners. New-Hampfhire, Connedicut, New-jerfey, .ind Delaware I have not been able to afcertain, but I think there is good reafon to believe, that the proportion in thofe ftates is confiderably in favor of American vefl'els. The tonnage employed in the feven ftates 1 have enmnera- ted, amounts 10437,641 tons, of which 160,907 are all that is owned by foreigners. If I can draw any conclufion from this ftatement of facts, it is that we have a greater* proportion of ihipping than has been fuppofed. This cir- cumftance, annexed to our capacity of encreafmg the (juaR« Dd aio D E B A T'E S A. 1789. iny of our tonnage, gives us a favoui-able prefage of our future independence. It has been faid that the eaftern ftates have not veflels to tranfport our produce. I believe, from a variety of cir- cumltances, that the vefTels of Maflachiifetts have not been fo readily emplbyed in the fouthern commerce as could be wifhed ; this will perhaps continue to be the cafe, except our own citizens carry on our trade. At prefent it is al- nioft exclufively in the hands of Britifh merchants, ^nd as long as their veflels are upon an equality with ours, they will naturally be inclined to give a preference to their own; but I hcj^e to fee this matter foon redified, and the citi- zens of one fiate enabled to afiifl: thof6 ot another and receive mutual beneHts and advantages. To accomplifh this, without doing an injury to any part of the union, I would propofe to reduce the duty only to 25 cents, and cncreafe it at the end of the next year to 60 cent's. Mr. Smith (of Sout'h-Carolina) I appi'ehend, Mr. Speaker, that on the queflion of in. tereftv/ith relpcct to the navigation law, that the intereiU of the northern and fouthern itates are more at variance than gentlemen feem apprifed of. In my opinion it would be the interefl of the fouthern flates to give a bounty upon tonnage. In the opinion of th6 gentleman from the northward it is proper t'o lay a heavy duty. T6 be fure I miift acknowledge the fiberality of gentlemen in not go- ing quite i'o far as their intereft would feem to lead them, but 1 feai" they go faTther than wil! ferve the interefl of the fouthern firn^s. The fta'te of South-Carolina is in a very deplorable condition from the ravages of the late war; the inhabitants were niollly plundered of the conveniencics and neceffaries of life, they had to incur confiderable debts in eonfequence ; but very heavy debts exilled before the war, iubji^d: to an inrereft of 8 per cent. The ftate is alio c^onfiderably in debt, the domeitic debt alone ahiounts to a million flerling, and there vsill be no vay to pay this ofF but by recoi^rie to direft taxation. The ftai^ owes to fo. reign€!rs about ioo,oool. ilerling, which muft be paid ih^ fpecie, and alfo raifed by direft taxation. Under thefe circumfiances the people riiud endeavour to obtain the beft price for their jn'oduce ; sny meafure therefore that tends to diminifli that price will'add to their embarrallment. Gc^ntlehien tdll us of the quantity of Aiijerican ihips w6 may expccT:, of the low price oi labour, and the luperabun- dance Of materials to conftru(^ them, th^y can probably be A. 1789. Of C O N G R E S S. an built at this time for half of what the BritiHi build theirs ; yet they do not come much among us ; our foreign tran- fportation is made principally in Britiih vefl'els ; indeed we are at the mercy of foreigners in this particular, and unlefs they come to us we mull be ruined ; it would be unwiic therefore to adopt a meafure that would amount to a pro- hibition. The American tonnage employed in South- Carolina has been dated at 31^904 tons, but it is to be con- fidered that thefe are principally coafling veflels, carrying little or none of our produee, and that they enter eight or ten times in a year ; this reduces the apparent quantity to a very inconfiderable aftual amount, and leaves us more dependent upon foreigners than we appeared on the firft view to be. When thefe circumllances are duly weighed, J hope gentlemen will not attribute a want of liberality in %he fouthern ftates, becaufe they are not willing to go fo far with them as to dellroy the agriculture of their country. I have fome doubts in oppofing rny judgment to gentle- #nen who have better information, but, fo far as I am able to form an opinion, I think the demand for the rice of South-Carolina will depend upon the price, and that the freight which is paid for taking it to market will fall upon the ihipper. Rice is carried to thofe countries where it will come cheaper than the grain ufed for bread. Great Britain takes conliderable quantities of rice, but it is not for her own confumption, fhe feeks out markets of this kind, and difpoles of it to a profit, to pay her circuitous freight ; Ihe will not be abie to continue this traffic, if fhe has to pay us half a dollar duty, for whatever is added to the freight muft be taken off the commodity, the planter will have to lower his price, or the exportation muft be cut off. If this is the cafe, it is evident that a duty on navigation is againft the inrereft of South-Carolina, and all the agricultural ftates. I think we have already flievvn jfufficient attention to the manufafturing ftates by the im- poft duties which are agreed to. Gentlemen will pleafe to remember, that the revenue from moft of the article; that are taxed, will be drawn from the fouthern ftates. We muft give an encreafed price for our neceffary fupplies^ or refrain from their confumption, or we muft part with our produftions at a lefs rate ; this will be an evil we are unable to fuftain in our prefient diftreffed condition. Yo-j will confider again, if the confumption of the imports is "nied, there will be lefs reafon fur Britiih ftiipf. to cQms,, %i% DEBATES A. 1789, to us, if the quantity of tonnage is diminifhed, I need not repeat to the houfe the confequences. The Britiih mer* chants will hardly fend their fhip in balcift to South-Caro- lina for the fake of carrying our produce ; t|ie principle reafon why we have the advantage of their trade is becaufe "we take their manufactures, and give our produce in ex- change. It is faid we ought to encourage our allies to come among us and participate in C4r trade ; I do not think the difference propoled between foreign nations can accompliin this objeft, nothing lefs than a duty equal to y prohibition on Britifh fhips can do it ; our connexions are kept up with them by the vaft debts due to her mer- chants and faftors, it is their policy to continue us hi thefe commercial fetters, year after year, tliey in)port freih car- goes, and give us credit for the articles we want, taking from time to time our produce in payment j nothing therefore will be a coujplete remedy, uniefs you can pre- vent the confumption of Britiih goods. I believe the peo- ple of South-Carolina are willing to make facritices to ipncourage the manufacturing and maritime interelts of ?heir filter ftates ; but I hope gentlemen wijl not prefs the jnatter too far, and while they are fecuring advantages to themfelves bear too hard upon others, f wiili therefore for their confent to reduce the tonnage on the vefTels of our allies to 20 cents, and on Britilji bottoms to 30 cents | but if gentlemen pe^-fill in keeping up the rate laid in the fommittee, it will be injurious tp the trade ot the fouthern ihites generally, and oppreihve to the planters in particular, who have not yet recovered from the lofles and misfprtunes entailed upon them bj' having their country the leat of war. The diftrefs of the inhabitants of South-Caroling has been extreme, it has engaged them to pafs a law of a queftionable, not tofay falfe policy; but the time is now come |o prevent a repetition of the meafure ; yet their debts mulf be paid, and it is well known that they have not a farthing of fpecie circulating among them, by reafon of a, depreciated paper medium, trpm 10 to 15 per cent, below par. flow then can they ever look for eafe or content, put by getting a good price as a reward for their induftry j if the government prevents this by a heavy tonnage duty^^ Jhey myll be anfwerable for the confequences. Mr. GooDHUK Had no intention to injure the intereft of the fouthern ftates, he was forry for their diftrelTes, and wiihed every fnco'4rageinent ^nd protet^ipn fliould be given them. A.ijSg. Of CONGRESS. 213 With a view therefore of obviating the inconvenience fufpefted by gentlemen, he would fetond the motion of the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Madifon) if the gentle- man would bring it forward, relative to affixing a diftant ^ay for the high duties to commence their operation. Mr. BouDiNoT. I look upon this fubjed as oi conliderable importance to the profperity and weltare of the United States, of confi- derable importaiice as it refpefts the revenue, and of im, portance as it afFefts the interefts of the individual ftates. Whenever I fpeak of trade I mud own, that I feel as if I was out of my element, I can only form my opinion and tletermine fronj fuch fads as are before me, and the infor- mation I get from gentlemen on the floor. I take it the objed: in view, is to raife a revenue for the fup- port of your government, and that it mult be obtained from one quarter or another ; it mulf either come from gn impod on goods, a duty on tonnage, or from dired taxes laid upon the citizens of the union. VVeallfeem to ggree, that where it c^n be done with propriety, it is moft eligible to take it from trade ; under thele imprelhons we ^ agreed to an import upon goods, ware and merchandize. \ J believe there is no gentleman but would give up every