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

would be condudled with a favourable hand. The majiuladuring ftates wilhed the encouragement of manufaftures, the mari- time ftates the encouragenient of Ihip-buildlng. and the agricultural dates the encouragement of agriculture. Le^ us view the progrefs we have made iii accommodating to their interefts ; We have laid heavy duties upon foreign goods, to encourage domelfcic manufadures ; we are now about to lay a tonnage duty, for the encouragement of com- merce, but has any one ftep been taken to encourage the agricultural Itates ; fo far from it, that all that has been done operates againft their interell: Every duty we have : laid will be heavily felt by South-Carolina, while nothing Jias been done to afiiil, or even e:icourage her or her agri- culture. We h^ve been told that thefe meafures will benefit the fouthern ilates, becaufe we w ant Iliipping and nianutac? tures and it would be better to take them from our friends thdn from Grangers ; we know the governing principle in trade to be in intereft, but leaving that out of the quei- tion, I believe there are caufes exilting which will pre- vent the introduction of the manufadures ot the northern Itates into the fouthern ones ; befide the long conunercial cqnnedion iubliiting between South-Carolina and Great- BritairJi there is another advantage (he polTefs over others ; k is thecuftom ofBriiilh merchants to fend out their goods upan credit, they edablilh agents and houfes to deal them OL;: to pbmtersas they are wanted, and take their crops in l^etarn J now v/i thou t the manufadurers of Mailachuletts ,5i- gny pf the other dates purfue the kuie condud they A. 1789. Of C O N G R E S S. 245 v,'ouId not be able ro fell their commodities : it is well Ji!io\\ n that we have uot ready money there to pay down for tije articles we wanr, credit be\n^\ the eltabjilhed medium o!-" trade in that country ; gentlemen mull fee it would take- much tnije and ihe iirongeft efforts to alter it, tho I aii' ienljule that we [.ay ftvercly for ihe indulgence, yet the liabit being eihibliih'. d is hard to be broken. It we are hy cuitoni or neceihcy obliged to take Britifh g'jods, ihcit nauou wiii load them with heavy duties to co'int'-ract our pol'cy ; the inanufaduring liates will not fee! his evil ; cue only method we have lir, to extricate I Ciuiieives iroin our dutrcfles, is by the fale of our crops ; any imiv-fiuun la:d ur.on tonnage will afftct the price of Ihem and leil'en our j)ower to ydy our debts, and thereby ema!icij>ate ourfclves from rhe commercial ietters we are boui.'d oy, until which time it will be impradicable for us to deai wuij any other country. Mr. Law RANGE. 1 here have been circumltances mentioned in the courfe of f'l'S deuaie, which I think rijay be ufeful in afcertaining vhtiher the propuled duty of 50 cents on tonnage be too hi^ii or not ; It appears that there is a duty in Georgia equal to lb 8d. itcrling, in bouth Carolina is. 3d. betide fome- th jj;uu goods imp. ried m Joie<gn bottoms; in Virginia and Mai-yiaiid it ir. ituch greater ; iiow can gentlemen from thole itates contend mat the propofed duty is fo much too nigh as to occd'ion the tatal conl'eqaences they fore- tell ? Vy Uv n e coi.lider the valuable produce of the fouth. v>. ern Itates we aie led to believe that the difference of 10 cents per ton can nu^ke no niaterial difference in the price? will It material. y iff' ti ihe price of rice or tobacco ? neither of th;:fe articlt's vvouid pay more than 5 cents per callc if the duty (hould be rt ducted. The duty therefore cannot be fairly faid to be too high for the fouthern ilates, it is not contended to be too high for the middle ones, it is not too high ft)r us. If we confider the fubject as it relates to revenue, it will form a material object for our attention ; if the dury be confidered as a bomity to the maritime ftates, it will be ad- mitted, that it IS our irrerell: to encreafe our navigation. The regulation propofed by the gentleman from Virgi- nia, to encreafe the ducy to y^ cents at the end of two years, may never take effed ; before that period arrives, a treaty may be lormed with the nation that is our great — commercial rival 1 am, therefore, in lavor of a perraa- ,14^ DEBATES A. 1789. nent regulation, rather than one holding out an encourage, ment that will never take place. Mr. Jackson. The gentleman laft up, thinks the reduftion of 10 cents not matfrially ailed the fouthern Itates, yet he lup- T.'ill pofes it will injure iii'p-building how it can hurt one in- ; tereft by being reduced, a'.^d not wound the other by its en- creafe, 1do not clearly underftand ; for my part, I do not fee the weight of fuch arguments. Mr. Lawrance. be too fmall for I confider the difference of 10 cents to contention, the arguments of the gentlemen in oppofition, go as much againlt a duty of 40 cents, as againfl 50. Mr. Page. I have heard ail the arguments now brought againfl: this meaiure, urged over and over again when a tonnage duty was contended againft in the fame manner in Virginia. It was then merely a trial, but now we have the arguments refult- ing from experience, in our favor. We find the Britifh fhipping Itill crouding our ports, although the tonnage du- ty is twice as great as is now propofed ; and although the price of produce has fallen widiin that time, yet I am per- fuaded it muil be attributed to other caufes than this. Let the experiment be made with firmnefs, and I venture to fay, it will turn out the fame in other itates as in ours — I ac- knowledge that the gentlemen's arguments have weight, but they go againft any tax whatfoever being laid on ton- nage but experience has demonftrated to us, that fuch a ; duty is attended with advantages, it will encourage Ihip- building, and render us independent for the traniporta- tion of our produce. Let, therefore, no fuggeffions of the kind that has been offered, deter us from purluing, with firmnefs and decilion, the plan adopted by the committee. Mr. Wadsworth. If the gentleman who has brought forward this propor- tion, had propofed go cents inilead of 40 I fliould have agreed to the morion, becaufe it would have deftroyed the dilcrimination between the veflels of nations in treaty, and thofe not in treaty with us; but in every other point of view I (hould be againft a reduclion ; foreign veiTels Vvill be better circumltanced under a duty of 50 cents than Ameri- cans free of duty. The chairges on foreign bottoms in our ports are very fmall, there is not, I believe, a vefTel of ours that goes to Europe that does not pay, in light money and other charges, more than 50 cents per ton. A. 1789. Of C O N G R E S S. 247 Mr. Madison. The fubjed of difcrimination is not now within our view, ichas been decided by a great majority, 1 think there were not more than nine members againft it. I do not mean, by the arguments that I have urged, to prove that the en- creafe of tonnage has a tendency to raife the price of freight, all my object has been to quiet the appi-eheulions of gentlemen who held that opinion ; 1 do not think it will keep away foreign veflels from vifiting us, nor encreafe the burthen on our fouthern commerce To much as has been calculated, and even it it did, the txtention of our naviga- tion would be an adequate compenfation. The price of freight before the late revolution was higher than it is at preient, perhaps it may be lower when iliipsare furnilhed in larger quantities. Mr. Tucker gentlemen who look for a fufficient quantity I fear the of fhipping to anfuer the demands of our commerce in fo Ihort a fpace as two years, will find themfelves deceived. I think therefore it would be improper to lay a high ton- nage duty commencing at that period ; if it appedrs expedi- ent, a future legidature may give fuch encouragement, but they are not bound to perform our engagement, after they have feenthe eftecfof the prefent regulation, they will be better able to judge of what is right in this particular ihaa we can do. 1 am doubtful whether the meafure would place the United States in a better or worfe fituation than a duty of 50 cents ; a commutation of this kind in order to fave 10 cents for two years, and admit an ad- dition of 25 cents for ever afterward appears a doubtful policy, at any rate, the Congrefs might feel themfelves, in fome degree, bound to raife the duty to 75 cents, when their judgments might tell them it was inexpedient — they will then have caufe to complain of our anticipation. 1 fiiould, 1 think, rather be in favor of fixing a certain ton- nage duty at prefent, and leave it to the confideration of a future legillature, whether to encreafe it or not, according to the circumltances of the cafe. I think 30 cents as much as can be given, with propriety, at this time ; confidering. the interelt of the ftate 1 have the honor to reprefent, I be- lieve it will bear harder on fome {fates than on others, aa- ing partially and not generally when I fpeak of the irate I ; rcprel'ent, 1 would not be thought actuated by improper motives, I think every gentleman is bound to iupport, in a proper manner, the inicreft he is well acquainted with,  : DEBATES A t^Sg. and believes to be conducive to the general welfare. A great deal has been laid, refpedling the duces that have been laid on tonnage in the fouthern ftaies. i beg- ged the attention oi the Houi'e, on a fonutr occafionj to a firiking difltrence there is in duties iinpofed by the ftate, for its own particular adrantajre, and what are about to be laid for the benefit of the United biaies. Every du.y impofed I conlider as a tax on the inhabitants ot bouih* Carolina. If that tax is to bear harder on them, than oh itiS other Itates, 1 pronounce it unequal and unjult* i conlider the tax on tonnage in this light, but as I am v. iihiig to give encouragement to our naviga.ion, ft) I Ihal' noi op- pofe a nioderate duty on foreign vertVls, as I alio cunceive a difcrimination pr<iper between ihofe ndtiousinalliai.ee wiili usand thofe with whom we have no treaties fubliihng, 1 am difpofed to admit a larger fum than 30 cents. 1 would pro- pole 2!^) upon the exprefs condition of of reducing ttie duty already agreed to, to twenty or twenty-five, when a bill ihall come forward founded upon the principles now a- greed to. The queftion was here put on Mr. Madifon's motion, and loft. The Houfe then decided upon the original propcfition, which being agreed to, it was Refolved, 1 hat there ought to be levied on all veflels entered or cleared in the United States, the duties follow- ing, to \N it On all vefTels built within the United States, and belong- ing wholly to citizens thereof, at the rate of 9 cents per ton. On all velTels not built within the United States, but now belonging wholly to citizens thereof at the rate of 6 cents per ton. On all veficls belonging wholly to the fubjecls of powers with whom the United Srates have formed treaties; or partly to the fubje(!:l:s of fuch powers, and jiartly to citizens of the laid States, at the rate of 30 cents per tons. On all veflels belonging wholly or in part to fubjedls of other powers, at the rate of 50 cents per ton. Provided, that no veflei built wiihui the United States, and