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

• reltrauu upon commerce, if it was polhble to do without encumbering it with proteding regulations ; then, with + efped to the duty on tonnage, it will be neceiTary to afk, if it be reafonable in itfelf, and ftich as will in an adequate degree fupply the wants of the union, without adding too great to the emharraiTments which trade labors under ? for my part I conceive the beft evidence on this point, the houfe is in poffellion of, arifes from the condud of the dif- ferent Itates throughout the union. It will appear, by re- ferring to their laws, that they have generally adopted the idea of difcriminatioa, and often laid it upon the tonnage. Pennfylvania has laid a duty per ton on velTels of nations in treaty, and a much higher on thofe who are not in treaty, Maryland has laid is. 8d. per ton on thofe in treaty, and 2s. 8d. on thofe who are not in treaty, except the Britilh ; the Britilh veflelspay 6s. 8d. befide 2 per cent, on goods imported thei-ein, over and above what is paid by others. Virginia lays ^s. 6d. upon thofe in treaty, and 6s. 6d. their money on the nations not in trea- ty, befide the addition of 2 per cent, ad valorem on all merchandize fo imported. Carohna lays a duty of 2S. pd. ftej-ling upon Britilh fugars, and is. 8d, only on thofe oi  214 DEBATES A. 1789. other nations ; this duty both in principle and confequence is the fame as the one now under cohfideration. Thefc duties upon the veflels of foreigners in alliance with us, average at about 23. 6d. per ton; confequently we are within the mark when we propofe 30 cents, or a fum equal to about 2s. 3d. This being the cafe, I (hould conceive, if there was no farther objection, that a duty of 30 cents was 'yaH and reafonable, and could not have a bad effedl in any part of the United States. But gentlemen have flated ob- je^lions from the peculiar circumftances of fome of the fiates, thefe objections ought to be attended to, and feriouC- ly confidered; the fpirit of accommodation evinced by both fides of the houfe, is really a fubjeCl of congratulation, and gentlemen will not prefs hard for a meafure that militates againft: the intereft of others. The ftate of South-Caroli- na requires us to be tender with regard to her in this in- ftance, fhe wifhes to emancipate herfelf from the flavery in which, by adventitious circumftances, fhe is inthraled. Now, fir, I am of opinion that the true way to enable her to regain her ftrength and vigor, would be to render her independant of the attendance of foreigners upon her, I think too that it might be done in a little time j becaufe, under a fmall encouragement, our navigation would grow «p fo that her fifter ftates might fupply her with veflels enough, with this aiTiflance fhe would foon clear herfelf of her encumberances. When (he comes to confider the prefent regulation in this point of view, Ihe will be faiisfied ••vith it, although it may leem to bear a little hard at firft. To prove that thefe expectations are not chimerical, I need, only mention the prefent lituation of our India trade, a commerce of butyeflerday, and yet there are no lefs than 47 fail of vefl'els at this moment on voyages to and from — that country -It thefe go fo far in fcarch of freight, I fliould imagine employment nearer home would be more agreeable ; I think nothing but an impofition on foreign ihipping, equal to what the Americans fuftain in other countries, can ever enable us to be a maritime nation; and without this the abundance nature has lavifhed upon us will be of little avail. But thefe advantages ought to be grafped at with caution. I would not materially injure any Uateby our regulation, if the objeft could be accomplifhed by other means. I am willing to go fo far with the gentlemen as to reduce the duty to 25 cents, but to encreafe it hereafter in the manner propofed by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Madifon}. This, 1 take it, will furnifli us with a con. A. 1789. Of C O N G R E S S. ^15 fiderable revenue, and as the quantity of foreign fhipping decreafes the revenue will itill be the lame by an encreafe of the rate of tonnage ; it will alfo be ferving the fouthern ftates, which I am wilHng on every occafion to do as far as good pohcy admits. Mr. Tucker. It appears to me that we fhould rather ftudy to give re- lief to the citizens of the United States, than to add to their — burthens If we enquire particularly into themeafure now before the houfe, we IhalJ find it a very exceflive burthen, — and one that will bear unequal it will be harder upon fome flates than on others, and fome will not at all be af- fefted by it — thofe dates that have fhips of their own pay- but 6 cents per ton upon what they ufe others who have ; none are obliged to pay a much greater proportion toward the revenue, while it is a principle that all duties fhall be equal— the exports of South-Carolina are more bulky, and confequently employ a greater quantity of tonnage than the eaftern ftates. The gentleman from Virginia (Mr, Madifon) favored us with a flatement of thfe tonnage em- ployed in feven of the United States, it amounted to 437,- 000 tons ; the proportion employed by South-Carolina, by his ftatement, is about 60,000 tons, and this appears from the returns from the cuftom-houfe of the port of Charlefton alone ; there are other ports in South-Carolina, the ton- nage employed therein, amounts to feveral thoufand tons more than dated ; this too was a report for the year 1787, iince which time our exports have encreafed conliderably ; certainly the quantity of rice made and exported Lift year, is 20 or 30,000 tierces more than was iliipped the year be- fore, of courfe there mult be more Ihipping employed now than there was then ; thefe confiderations may juftly be al- lowed to increafe the proportion of the tonnage of South- Carolina to 70,000 tons — Then is 70,000 tons to 437,000 the proportion by which Ihe is reprefented in this houfe ? the reprefentation of that Itate is one-thirteenth part of the whole, but the revenue ihe is to contribute, is in the ratio of a fixth or a fevemh. Now, on this calculation, it appears ihe pays a tonnage duty nearly equal to double what could be required of her by dirc6l taxation. Gentlemen have Ihewn themlelves extremely tenacious whenever they apprehended their ftates were likely to fuf- fer more from a regulation than others, 1 do not mean to reflect upon them for this condudl, they may luppofe them, felves better acquainted with the local circumitances and a- 2t6 bility DEBATES A. 1789, of their immediate conftituents than other gentle- men are, and can forefee the probable effeds better ; un- der theie impreflions they give oppofition, they not only have a right to do fo, but it is their duty, and they would be blameable if they did not—-I do the fame on this occa- (ion, on the fame principle. It ought to be confidered farther, that the flatcs who have no fliipping of their own, pay the duty to go out of their ftates, becaufe the price of freight will be the fame for A- merican fliipping as for foreign ; the duty on the whole quantum will be paid, but a great proportion does not go into the public treafiiry, it goes into the pockets of the own- ers of American vefl'els. tt has been obferved, that the exports of this country cannot be obtained from any other quarter, and hiferreJ therefrom, that however much we encreafe the price it muft be paid by the confumer. The weight of the ob- fervation has been in a great nieafure removed by the re- marks of feveral gentlemen, but I do not think the infer- ence is fairly drawn. It is a faft, that the merchants who' have had this produce have not been able to increafe the demand, fo far from it, infome years, they have loft 30 or 40 per cent, by the bufmefs this then is a proof that the ; burthen falls upon the planter and not on the confumer. The quantity we fend to market muft be ufed, the price depends upon the quantity and demand * As a farther proof \ need only mention, that laft year there was more rice ex- ported from South-Carolina than in former years, and the price at Charlefton fell from 14s. to los. per cwt. By thefe obfervations, I have only attempted to fliew the efTedts of a general regulation, but if any difcrimination takes place, and bears exclufively upon particular ftates, the meafure moft undoubtedly becomes more exceptiona- ble. The difcrimination on fliipping will certainly raife the freight to the amount of the higheft duty, both the A- merican veflels and our allies will take advaiUage of the (i" tuation of South-Carolina, and receive the fame fum from us as the Britiih, who pay a confiderable part of it into the treafury. From fome accounts of the cuftom-houfe, it ap- pears that the tonnage employed at Charlefton amounts to' 62,000 tons, add the tonnage of the other parts, as 1 faid before, and it will be 70,000. Gentleman have contend- ed, that two-thirds of our flapping are American, if their proportions are jufc, then South-Carolina will have to pay the higheil tonnage we lay on the whole 70,000 tons ihe A. t-^Bg. Op C O N G R E S S. Hf employs, confequently two-thirds of this fum is given as a bounty to American Ihipping, and but one-third goes into the treafury to encreale the revenue. I'hen it appears that the objeft of the tonnage duty is not fo much to raife revenue, as to give encouragement to the Ihipping of the other ftates. The northern Itates will pay none of ihefe burthens if they export their produce in their own bor. tdms, or if it Ihould happen that the owners of Ibips take the advantage of the high duty, the confequence will be that they only pay a bounty to their own Ihipping, and the money does not go out of their ifate ; but when it is paid by the fouthern ftates it goes for the benefit of others, out of the country never to return. The gentleman from Jerfey (Mr. Boudinot) has made fome calculation of the tonnage duties under the former confederation, and it appears to him from hence, that the ftates are willing to come into a tonnage duty nearly to the fame amount of what is now propofed. That this, is every where the cafe I deny. But admitting it, for argument fake, to be as he has faid, that all the ftates have laid duties of this nature, it only proves two things ; firft, that they Were in a ftate of independence, at libei ly to do what they pleafed in their own ports : and fecondly, that the duties or impoft fo collected continued in their treafury for the.ir own ufe and convenience. It was a matter of no imal! confequence whether the fupplies were obtained in this way or another, for it was only a transfer from one tax to another, it was paid to the itate and did not leave the country. The fouthern ftates are willing to Ibbmit to the inconvenience of a general regulation of commerce, but let them not bear an undue proportion of the burthen ; rhey are willing to accede to iomething farther for the encour- agement of American navi^^ation ; 20 cents on one clafs of foreigners, and 30 on another, will give the ihipping of the United States confiderable advantages, thele we are. willing to lay. 1 hope gentlemen will not inhit upon 40 or 50, becanfe I think it really oppreilive, and will certainly give difpleafure to the fouthern ftates. Mr. Bland Hoped gentlemen would get more information, and b« better prepared to determine the queftion to-morrow, whesa he expected the fubjed would be taken up again, at pre* fent it was growing late, it was high