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

gentleman pledg- ed himlelf to reduce the duty on niolnfi'cs if the gentlemen from the eai!ern ftates would join him in a general re- ^ Ciuclioq, ) A. 1789. Of CONGRESS. 293 Mr. Tucker. 1 exprefled a wifh for a general reduction to take place throughout the whole i'yltem, but I never made a promife with regard to the redudlion of any particular article. Mr. •'-ENEY Oblerved, that the difcuffion of Mobiles had been de- ferred when the lubject was laft before the houl'e, in order to give time for a full inveltigation, but he conceived that no tuch reafon now exifted, in favor of its lying over, and thi cfore hoped the houle would proceed to decide up- on it. Mr. Ames Was willing to proceed to the confideration of that fub- ject, he did not wifh it deferred to the end of the lift, that it might be held over them in terrorem ; there were fev- eral articles m the lift, which he did not conceive to be taxed too high for collection, or out of proportion with others, therefore it was likely they would not be reduced ; if this was the cafe, the reduction would not be general, and the gentleman from South Carolina might not think it his duty to favor the reduction of Molafies ; he wijhed ev- ery article to Itand upon its own bottom ; if molafies was too high the committee would lov.er it, if not, they will continue it at the rate it is, and the bufinefs would be done with. If the committee v. ere difpoied to proceed^ he was ready to take up the fubjecl. Mr. Carroll Saw no reafon for poftponing the bufinefs at this time, when the fubject was fufpended on a former occalion, lev- eral gentlemen from Mailachuietts were abfent on bulinels, but it was furely unnecefl'ary now to have any delay, after the repeated diicuflTions it had undergone, he was fatisfied gentlemen were prepared for v decilion, and he hoped the queftion might be taken, and the committee proceed to get through the bufinefs. Gentlemen, fhould confider the daily lofs which the revenue fullained by the delay of this bill — he cautioned them againft conlidering overmuch, and letting flip the opportunity they now had to fupply the public wants. Mr. Wadsworth Would not go over the old ground, and enumerate all the realbns why a reduclicn of the duty on this article fliould take place, he fatisfied himfelf with faying it was out of proportion, and too high ever to be collected with cer- tainty ; he wiflied the committee to lower it to three or 5:94 DEBATES A. 17S9 four cents, and apply to an excife for the deficiency, not conceiving an excife on diltiUed fpirits to be inconvenient or unpopular. Mr. Ames Was fenfible that any farther difcuflion of the prefent fubjedl was unplea(ant, nay it was pauitul to the counniitee, but he had fuch impredions on hib mind with regard 10 its importance that he mull trefpafs on iheni again. On all Inbjedsdemonftration is denrable, but thtre is only one fcience capaole of complete demonltratiou, many other sci- ences admit of different degrees of demonluation, but of all the fciences on earth the Icience of poiuics is the ieail capable of affording latisfaclory conclulions, while it is the one that from its importance requires the greatelt degree of certainty. Becaufe when we are to coniider thofe thi.igs which relate to the welfare of nations, it li of conlequence and nothmg can be morf dcfirable than that we adopt juft principles in order to come 3t proper conciuluajs. in mis Icience it is dangerous to adopt the vihonary projects of fpeculators inflead of principle ; we ought to be cautious therefore in feledfmg our information upgn which we form our fyftem. He trufted to make it appear in the courfe of his argu. ments that the propriety of the particular meafure under difculTion depended upon local knowledge, and yet it would be found of national concern, he believed it could be clearly proved to be as much the intereft of one part as of another to have the duty reduced. It Vi/as laid down as a principle that all duties ought to be equal, he believed if gentlerpen gave themfeJves time for confideration they would not contend this duty was equal, he faid he had made fome calculations which demonftraied the inequality to a very fnrprizing degree, "l he tax ope- rated in two ways, firll as a tax on a raw material, which encreafed the price of ftock and narrowed the fale ; and fe- cond, as a tax on an article of confumption ; it required the diUillation and the confumption to be equal in every part of the union to render the duty equal in its operation, but no gentleman contended that the confumption or diltillatiori was equal. The gentleman from Virginia, faid on a for- mer occalion, that MafTachufetts would not contribute her proportion of the national ^revenue, bccaule her exports were not equal to the fouthern ftates, and of confequencc her imports are lefs, but if this fad is examined it w.ll be found that ihe does export in full proportion v»'irh the fot^ths A. 1789. Of congress. i^§ ern ftate ; examine her cuftom houfe books and you will find It ; but Maflachui'etts is greatly concerned in naviga- tion, and the wages of her feanien ought to be added to the amount of the profits of her indudry ; then if v. c confider her confLrnption we fliall find it in proportion a;fo ; ad- mitting the people of New-England to l.ve inOre moderate than the opulent citizens ot Virginia or Carohna, yet they have not fuch a number of blacks among them, v. hole live- ing is wretched, conlequently the average confumption per head will be nearly the fame ; the faft is that all taxes ot this nature will fall nearly in proportion to the ability to pay. Laying a heavy duty on molalTes incurs the neceffity of allowing a draw back on country rum, by this lyflem we may loofe more revenue than we gain, any how, it will render it very uncertain. It is a queflion of fome impor- tance, whether it would not be beneficial to the United States to eftablifh a manufadure, which would be very lucrative ? but waving that confideration, he would a(k gentlemen, if there was any propriety in taxing moIaOTes in its raw flate with a duty intended to belaid on rum ? certainly this had better be by way of excife, in this mode the reve- nue would efcape fraud by ftnuggling, which would other- v»'ife be unavoidable ; the tax was fuch a temptation, be- ing 30 per cent, upon its value, that no checks could pre- vent a clandeftine trade being carried on. Without the molalFes trade is continued, the fifhery can- not be carried on ; they are fo intimately connefted, that the weapon which wounds the one will ftab the other. If by fuch meafures as thefe, we fuin one of the moft valuable kitererts of the United States, will not the people have a right to complain, that inflead of protet^iing, you injure and dertroy their purfuits ? He did not mean to fay that the people Would form unwarrantable combinations, but their exertions to fupport the government will be damped, they will look v/ith chagrin on the difappointment of their hopes, and it will add to their vexation, that they have been de- ceived under the moil flattering appearances ; for who could conceive that a government, conilrtifted and adopted in the manner this has been, could ever be adminiltered to the deltruction of that welfare which it was formed to fupport. He reGommended experience as the beft guide, and faid, that it was decidedly againft high duties, particularly on molalTes ; and concluded with appealing to the jultice and 296 DEBATES A. 1789, wifdoin of the committee for a determination on this fub- jeft. Mr. Carroll Would not take lip the time of the committee with fajf- ing a word on the main fubjecT:, but begged them to con- lider of how much importance it was to the union to get this bill into operation. If every article was to be again debated in the manner it had already been, he could fee no end to the bufinel's, unlefs gentlemen cculd ad^'ance fome new, and weighty arguments, he thought the time mifpent in recapitulating thole that had been unl'uccefs- fnlly urged twice or three times before. Mr Madison Thought the aro-nnr^nts ao;ainft the duty were incon- nitent. fie: believed the gentlemen in oppofitKin had not replied to an obfervation he hnd made, ai^d which was of gceat force on his mind. The gentlemen all fay, that a heavy duty will ruin the diftilieries and fiiheries, and the people concerned in them yet they profefs themfelves ; willing to Lay the fame duty, but in two forms iniiead of one. NoWj he would be glad to know if the diftilleries and fiOieries' would not be precifely in the fame fituation let which would take place. On motion, the committee rofe, and the houfe ad- journed. May t2. The Speaker laid before the Houfe the petition of Jedi- diah Morfe, dating that he has at great labor, expence'and rlfk compiled andpublliheda geographical and hilh)rical rrea- tife of the United States, entitled, '•' The A nerican Geo- graphy, or a View of the prefent Situation of the United States of America ;" eml:>ellilhed and illullrared with two original maps, and praying that an exclufive right may be fecured to him, of publifhing the fame for a limited time. Alfo a petition of a number of the citizens of the ibte of Nesv-Jerfey, whofe names are thereunto fubfcribed, in op- pofition to a petition of fundry other citizens of the faid ibte, complaining of the illegality of the eleftion of repre. feiitatives from that flate, returned to ferve in this houfe. Mr. Clymer from the committee of eledlions, to whom was referred to take proofs of the fafls dated in the petition of David Ram!ay, fnggefting, that William Smith, eleded a member of this houle, within the date of South Carolina, Vv'as, at the time when he waselcifred, inelligible, by reaiun that he had not been feven years a citizen of the United States, reported as follaweth ;  c A;i789. Of CONGRESS, 25^7 That Mr. Smith appeared before them, and admitted tliat He had fubfi.ribed, and had caul'ed to be printed in the itate gazette of South-Carolina, of the 24th of Movember lad, the publication which accompanies this report, and to which the petitioner doth refer as proof of the i\\3is Hated in his petition :That iMr. Smith alfo adniirted, that his father departed this life In the year 1770, about live months after he lent him to Great-Britain That his mother de- ; |5'arted this life aboiit the year 1760, and that he was ad- mitted to the bar of the fupreme court in Souih-Carolina in the month of January, 1784. The committee alio report the following Counter proofs, produced by Mr. Smith, viz. Printed copies of the follow- ing afts of the legiflatnre of the Hate of South-Carolina, viz. An ad, entitled, " An acl: lo oblige every free male inhabitant of this ilate, above a certain age, to give af- fiirahce of fidelity and allegiance to the fame, and for othcr purpofes therein mentioned," paired the 28th of March, 177 'i. An acl:, entitled, " An aft difpofmg of certain edates, and banilhing certain perfons therein mentioned^" palled the 26th of February, 1782. An aft, entitled, '* An aft to altdr and amend an aft, entitled, an aft for difpofmg i)f certain and banilhing certain perfons, p ailed a