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

at46 D JEl fi A T E 3 A. 1789 encouragement is requifite. At the conclufion of the lall War, we were left without ihipping and from our inability to carry on commerce by reaion ot the opprefiion we were fubjected to, by foreign powers. I he building of vtfTels has made but flow progrefs in the feveral itates, hence it becomes neceflary to give encouragement futficient to in- duce merchants to veil a greater proportion of their capi. tal in this way. The propofed encouragement is not verj'' high and even under it I Ihould not expect a quantity of liiipping would be fnrnifhed equal to the deriiand in lels than 4 or 5 years, it v-^ould be brought forward by How and gradual degrees, they will continue year by year to en- creale them until the number is competent to the demand The buiinefs of ihip building being lb relaxed, perfons of that occupation have turned to other avocations and fome fenfible advantage mud appear to induce them to re- turn to their original profeiiion, a proof of this is eviden- ced by the (Ituationof Philadelphin* Before the revolution 10.000 tons of ihipping were annually built in that city ; laftyear the whole tonnage was but 1,300, fo much has it declined there; if it revives from its prefent languiihing condition it muil be by great foftcring care and protection and by flow and gradual degrees ; it does not appear to me that 50 cents are more than neceHary for its-immediate en- couragement; if at fome future day It Ihouid be thought proper to extend this encouragement, gentlemen will be pleafed to recollecl that it is always in the power of Con* grefs to grant it. Yefterday, gentlemen feemed to think, that encouraging our own veflels would injure the agricultural interei!:, be- caufe they cannot get Britilh ihipping to carry off their pro- duce ; I beg to remind them, that a very coniide^ble aid isfurnilhed by the commercial, to the agricultural' intereft, in finding markets for confiderable part of their produce, which Britilh lliipping do not carry oft'. It is well known, the vell'els of that nation are prohibited carrying any falted provifion, more than they want for their ihips ule ; it is her policy, exclufively to i'upply her dependencies -with that ar* tide, fo then, none goes ofFbut what is tranfported in our own veflels. 1 think, from the account of exports of one ftate for one year40,000 barrels of beef have gone abroad, and 100 tons of butter thefe commodities could not have ; been exported, if, we had not Ihips of our own to lend them in. Gentlemen, fee what an- advantage refultsto agriculture from this one fource alone. Since the mer- A. 1789. Of CONGRESS. 241 chants of America have opened a direcfl trade with India we have ex.jjrted articles to a great amount, which were fcarcely known before lad year. Sixty or feventy thoufand vi'eight of ginfeng was ihipped, and we exported one hundred thoui'a.id weight the year before, which would ever have been fent, had not our commercial exertions opened the way for a direvH intercourf'e with that country. Advantages of a limilar nature will be fought and found, when our navigation extends into its natural channels » the Iboner we are enabled to do this, the better. Gentlemen will recoiled:, on the article of hemp, imme- diate encouragement was contended for, it was not oppofecl by the commercial gentlemen in this Houfe, but without encouragement is given to building and fitting out fhips, the demand for hemp will be fmall for very fittle advan- ; tage will arife from exporting it, the great market muft be furnilhed by ourl'elves. Upon the whole I conclude againft the motion, believing our fliip-building to need encourage- ment more at this time than they will at any fubfequenS period. Mr. Jackson. The gentlemen from Mall'achufetts have, I muft own; behaved with liberality. One is willing to reduce the duty to 40 cents, the other gentlemen is more liberal ftill, he is willing to go lower ; but not fo the gentlemen from Pennfylvania and Maryland, they are aftuated by other* principles ; they call to my mind a pafTage in Scripture, where a king, by the advice of inexperienced counfellors, declared to his people, whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke biitl will add to your burthens. ; A fteady purfuit of this counlel brought about the feparation of his kingdom. Thefe gentlemen want us even to go further, they bring forward calculations upon the moment, and pafs them for information, the mere calculations of a yefterday, and demonitrate thereby the propriety of their meafures. They may confider fome ftates of lefs in)por- tance than others, becauie they do not contribute the fame quantity of revenue ; but let them remember the widows mite is as good as the rich man's coiiers, fo the mite of Georgia is equal to the revenue of Pennfylvania. The gentleman from Pennfylvania, has mentioned the article of henip, let him take example from the conduct of its friends, they liberally agreed to lefien the duty for the prefent to encreafe it after the year 1790. What is the return remains for gentlemen to ihew. Hh 242 DEBATES Mr. Page A. 1789. Was decidedly againft any alteration ; he thought the encourageiuent contended for was fllei.tially iiectllar), but if It \\ab not, ihe meafure ought to be adopted, in order ro avoid diredl taxation, any little inequality wiaild foon !ub- iide, and the direel intercourfe promoitd by the regnlation, would conipenfate for any difadvantages it might occaiion. Mr. Tucker. It has been obferved in the former part of the debate, that the people of the louthern Itates might buy I'hips if they did not build them. There are none owned in Caro- lina, we are dellitute both of Ihips and fcamen, and utiable to procure them, it would be foily in us therefore to bur- then them with duties. Though it is true, that there are men there who live in affluence, are rich in lands and fer- vants, yet I believe they are univerfally in debt this may ; be fairly inferred from the laws they have made to favor debtors. It would take t\\elve years to enable people theie to pay their ftate and private debts, they are therefore very unable to fuftain any new burthens, efpecially when their produce is fo fallen in price as not to pay the expence of cultivation 1 do not fay this is to be attributed to the ; want of vefiels to carry it off', though there may probably be a great want in this refpeft, and if there is, gentlemen tell you, they are unable to make up the deficiency. If this be the c.-^fe, they ought to be contented with a moderate duty for the prefent and as my mind is Itrongly imprelled ; with the iioportance of eixouraging the American naviga- tion, I fhall join tliem in doing lomething that may be pro- duclive of that tffcCl. Mr. Madison. As there is a great diverfity of feniiment refpedting the policy of the duty, 1 am very happy to find it is not pre- fcribed by the geopraphical fituation of our country ; this evinces that it is merely difference of opinion, and not dif- ference of interelt ; gentlemen of the fr.me (late d'ffer as much a?> gentlemen from the extremes of the con- tinent. As no objection is jjiade to giving fome encourage- ment, we ought to endeavour to harmonize upon the quan- LLiin. I doubt very much if any proportion that can now be brouo;ht forward, will coincide with the fentiments of _ this body more than the one before us. that is I am rot aiixious to reduce the encouragement too low, nor to throw to a very dilbnt day the advanced rate intended by my  ; A. i;89. Of C O N G R E S S. 243 modification of the meafure, fo gentlemen need not appre- hend any evil to nr\fe from its adoption. Gentlemen who are oppofed to giving fufficient encoii* ragement to fnip- building, ought to recollect an argument that was conhdered of weight in the cafe of encouraging manufacfures. It is certain that manutattures have been reared up by the foftering care of the State Legiflatures, difplayed in the fhape of protecting duties, but rhe people, by the adoption of this Coniiitution, have put it out of their power to continue them The provifion for the iiipport of navigation, made by the feveral Itates, ought to induce us to fuppofe even a higher tonnape duty pleaiing to them, at lealt in thofe Ifates u here a higher tonnage duty has been laid ; thofe ftates not being able to continue their encou- ragement, expert that we will attend to their policy and protect their citizens in the property they were led to ac- quire under the Itate regulations, if we difappoint them, they will fulfer more than is confilfent wiih good policy. 1 am not appreheolive that 40 cents will be fo low as to occaiion any difcontent. It has been fuppofed, that the burthen of this duty would particularly iall upon the planters in the fouthern ftates ;there may be foir.e juftice in the fufpicion, but 40 cents, I think, will not excite com}>lainc from that quarter, when the advantages are properly confidered. A maritime force is United States, and in elleniially neceffary to the time of war will be particularly employed in defence of the weaker part, South-Carolina and Georgia having neither feamen nor ihipping, muit depend upon the other Itates for their defence ; if therefore the duty will promote this Itrength, it will render the Union refpectable and fate, and ultimately favor their intereft. Mr. Smith (of South-Carolina.) Gentlemen have endeavoured to perfuade us, that a higli tonnage duty will be beneficial to the union ; but I would as foon be perfuaded to throw myielf out of a tvvo-ftory window, as to believe a high tonnage duty was favourable to South-Carolina. Gentlemen tell us we are in great want of ihipping and a navy, that fiifficient encouragement for jhip-building muft be given before we can expect it but I think let the encouragement be what it may, many years will elapfe before we have fufficient for the export of our commodities. I know Mafiachufetts cjinnot furnilh us, becaufe there are adventitious caufes to prevent it. The courfe of the flream, in which our navigation lus fa 244 long flowed, DEBATES cannot be altered in a day. The A. 1789. debts due from the merchants of that country to the Britiih will be an infuperable bar. Suppofe they ihould fend dips to tranfport our produce to a foreign market, they have no connexions abroad to tranfad their buiinefs, no houle in g — commercial line to employ in the fales What are they to bring back in return? ihey mull come in ballait, and wili the mere tranfporiation of our crop be a fufticient induce-f ment to engage them to come there f If they had more iliipping than they wanted, we ihould ftill labour under the fame d:lficulty iind employ foreigners, btcaufe the bulmefs is unchangeably in their hands, and the very nioment the tonnage duty is encreafed, it will be an inducement to them to raife the price ot freight. It has been faid, and juftly faid, fir, that the dates which adopted this Conllitution, expedcd its adminiftration