Friday, December 7.
Post Roads.
Mr. Jackson, from the committee appointed on the sixteenth ultimo, presented a bill making provision for the application of the money heretofore appropriated to the laying out and making public roads leading, from the navigable waters emptying into the Atlantic, to the Ohio river; which was read twice and committed to a Committee of the Whole on Monday next.
On a motion made and seconded, that the House do come to the following resolution:
Resolved, That a post road ought to be established from Knoxville, in the State of Tennessee, by the most direct and convenient route that the nature of the ground over which it is to pass will admit, to the settlements on the Tombigbee river, in the Mississippi Territory, and from thence to New Orleans; and that a post road ought also to be established from —— in Georgia, to the said settlement on the Tombigbee, to intersect the former road at the most convenient point between Knoxville and the Tombigbee.
Ordered, That the said motion be referred to a Committee of the whole House on Monday next.
Duty on Salt.
Mr. Thomas said, he rose with a view to propose an inquiry relative to the duty on salt. On this article a duty of six cents per bushel was first laid, in the year 1790 it was raised to twelve cents, and in the year 1797 eight cents more were added, making the duty twenty cents per bushel of 56 lbs.; at which rate it now stands. But, as every measured bushel of good strong salt which is imported into this country will weigh 80 or 90 lbs., this is in reality a duty of 30 cents per bushel.
Three years ago, when the repeal of the stamp act, excise, and other internal tax laws, were before Congress, an attempt was made to reduce the duty on salt, and retain a part of that system.
At that time, although he was conscious the duty on this article of real necessary consumption was too high, and fell extremely heavy on the agricultural part of the community, particularly those living back from the seaboard, who were obliged to use large quantities of it, for their black cattle and other beasts of pasture, notwithstanding the increased price at which it came to them, in consequence of the transportation, and the profits charged on the amount of duty as well as original cost by the several merchants or traders through whose hands it passed, yet he did believe it better to allow this duty to remain as it was a while longer, rather than not be enabled to abolish that expensive, inconvenient and anti-republican system of internal taxation.
And should it now be found, on due inquiry, that a reduction of the duty on this article, at this time, would be incompatible with the great object of paying off the national debt and meeting the other exigencies of Government, for his part he would not urge it; but he was persuaded this was not the case—he believed our finances are amply sufficient to authorize the measure.
On examining the report of the Secretary of the Treasury he found, that besides meeting all the calls of Government, including the sum appropriated annually towards the reduction of the public debt, there was a surplus of $4,882,225 in the Treasury, and although there are several payments to be made out of this sum, there will still be a large balance remaining.
It also appears, from a comparative view of the bonded duties of the present with former years, that there will be an increase of revenue coming into the Treasury the ensuing year, and he believed there was no reasonable probability of any new causes for expenditure.
This being the case, he flattered himself it would not be deemed unseasonable or improper to propose a reduction of the duty, on this article of necessary consumption, at this time.
With this object, however, said Mr. Thomas, I wish to couple another which I consider of equal importance, as it respects the reputation of our beef, pork, fish, and butter, put up for exportation, as well as the health of our seaport towns, and seamen employed on foreign voyages.
He said, by the Treasury accounts it appears that the aggregate amount of salt imported into the United States during the year, ending the 30th September last, was 3,858,195 bushels of 56 lbs. each, of this about one-fourth part, or 868,355 were imported in foreign vessels. All this salt was brought from foreign places, and no part of the salt prepared from the briny waters near the Onondaga, in New York, the various springs in the Western States, and the sea water of Cape Cod, Portsmouth, &c., is taken into this calculation.
Of this salt some parts came from the Swedish, Danish, and Dutch West Indies—other parts were imported from the British West Indies, and other British colonies, from the French West Indies, from Spain, from Teneriffe, and the other Canaries, and the Spanish West Indies; parcels of the same salt were likewise brought from Portugal, Madeira, Cape de Verd Islands, and Italy, and about 20,000 bushels of a similar kind has heretofore annually been brought from Louisiana, which is now a part of the United States.
But notwithstanding all this trade in salt, to so many parts of the earth, the commerce in that article between the United States and Great Britain is very extensive and important. During the year he before mentioned, the proportion of imported salt which was furnished by England alone, and of the manufacture of that country, amounted to 1,271,537 bushels of 56 lbs. So that it is evident at least one-third of the salt consumed in our country is exported from that part of Great Britain called England, and chiefly from those countries of which Liverpool is the mart.
This salt, as he understood, was prepared by the process of boiling the brine of the rock salt from Cheshire, and the water of the sea; and on account of the great plenty and cheapness of coal in Lancashire, there being also, as he believed, no export duty laid on it, this salt was produced in abundance and sold on very low terms; it is employed as ballast for British ships coming into our ports, and when arrived is sure to sell and pay the freight and frequently afford a profit; our own ships also very commonly take it in for ballast, and often as part of the cargo.
This traffic would be perfectly fair and convenient if English salt was of a strength and quality fit to preserve animal flesh for provisions. But he was clearly of opinion, from his own knowledge, this was not the fact, and he had lately observed a discussion on this subject in the British Parliament which confirmed that opinion.
The British Government long ago made a distinction between English salt and foreign salt on their importation into Ireland. To encourage the introduction of salt from the Bay of Biscay and the Portuguese dominions, they permitted it to be imported into that kingdom at the rate of 84 lbs. the bushel, while Liverpool salt was charged with the same duty of two shillings on the bushel of 56 lbs. The reason of this distinction was undoubtedly wise and cogent; experience had proved that British salt, as brought to the market, was destitute of that purity and strength which was necessary to preserve animal flesh from taint and corruption, and fit for human food in hot climates and on long voyages.
The trade of Ireland in beef, pork and butter, was of great importance, not only to that country itself, but to the whole navy and army of Britain. To keep up the character and wholesomeness of their provisions was a matter of immense national importance, and this could only be done by attention to have it preserved with salt of purity and strength. Experience had proved that the salt formed by crystallization in the open sunshine on the western shores and islands of Southern Europe, was vastly better than that produced by artificial concretion, in a boiling heat over a fire in the North. And the Government had with prudent discernment favored the introduction of Bay salt into Ireland, by permitting 84 lbs. to be imported for the same duty that was paid on the introduction of 56 lbs. of Liverpool salt.
The people of Liverpool have lately expressed uneasiness at this partiality, and an attempt has been made in Parliament, so to equalize the duty, as to give to both Bay and English salt a fair competition in the Irish market. This, however, was repelled by the Irish members, with manly discernment and spirit, on the ground that Bay salt was of a stronger quality, less easy to dissolve, and indispensable to the salters of meats; that English or Liverpool salt would not answer for this extensive and important branch of business; that the discrimination in favor of Bay salt was politic and proper, especially connected with the provision trade and the health of the fleets and armies.
It is my wish, said Mr. T., that such a distinction should be made on the introduction of English salt into the United States, as has been made by the British laws themselves, on its importation into Ireland. There certainly exists the same causes for it. Like Ireland, our country abounds in provisions—beef, pork, fish and butter, are great and staple articles of export; but their quality is very far inferior to the provisions of Ireland. The putrefaction of beef, pork and fish, to a very serious extent, has often occurred; the loss of the property thereby was great, and the reputation of our provisions materially affected. But that was not the greatest evil; there is no doubt but that the exhalation from tainted and corrupted meats and fish, in our towns as well as on board our vessels, poison the atmosphere and excite malignant fevers and other diseases.
His object was to retrieve and establish the reputation of our salted provisions in foreign markets—to prevent the loss of property by those who put up provisions for exportation, and also to prevent the evils resulting to our citizens and seamen from tainted and spoiling meats and fish. With this view of the subject he should propose, in the first place, an inquiry into the expediency of reducing the duty on salt generally; and, in the second, the propriety of making a distinction, so as to encourage the importation of strong and pure salt, in preference to the weak and impure salt manufactured in England.
He, therefore, moved the following resolution:
Resolved, That the Committee of Ways and Means be instructed to inquire into the expediency of reducing the duty on salt, and also into the propriety of making a distinction in the duty, so as to encourage the importations of salt from the dominions of Denmark, Sweden, the United Netherlands, Spain, France, Portugal, and the British West Indies, in preference to any other place or places; and that they report thereon by bill or otherwise.
Mr. J. Randolph said, that the resolution which the gentleman from New York had submitted, and in relation to which he had favored the House with such copious details, embraced two objects: the reduction of the duty on salt, generally, and the encouragement of the importation of a particular description of that article. The last subject belonging to a class which was consigned to the Committee of Commerce and Manufactures, he should confine himself to the first branch of the resolution; nor should he have troubled the House at all were not the motion of the gentleman from New York calculated to excite an expectation, which he wished to repress, because he feared it could not be gratified. It was not to oppose inquiry, but to apprise the mover and the public that the result was likely to prove unpropitious to his wishes, that he had risen. The country on which the salt duty fell with peculiar force was that middle region, near enough to the seaboard to be supplied altogether by importation, but too remote to have its consumption diminished by vicinage to the sea. Those whose stock had access to salt water felt the duty but partially; those whose situation obliged them to use salt of home manufacture only, not at all. As an inhabitant of that district of country by which the duty was principally paid, and as a friend to agriculture, he had at an early period of the session, in conjunction with his friend the Speaker, turned his attention to the practicability of reducing the duty on salt, and you well know, sir, (said Mr. R.) that the result of our inquiry satisfied us that this desirable object was not at present attainable. He mentioned this to show that other members felt an interest in this subject, as well as the gentleman from New York, although they had not brought it before the House. The Treasury statements on which that gentleman relied for the support of his position, that we can dispense with a portion of our existing revenue, establish the opposite opinion, beyond controversy.