below the maximum or highest rate of duty imposed by this act upon the foregoing last enumerated articles, and whenever the said reduction shall be made to appear to the satisfaction of the President of the United States, then shall the duties upon the said articles last enumerated be reduced upon a like scale or corresponding reciprocal ratio, so far as regards such of the said articles as are of the produce or manufacture of such state, kingdom, or government as shall admit the tobacco as aforesaid."

Having shown the culture of tobacco, and the commerce which arises from it, to be among the most important interests of the country; that this interest has never received any aid or protection from the government; and that, as an important article of commerce between the United States and the different countries of Europe, it is subjected to inordinate and excessive duties, such as have never been imposed upon any other article of commerce, Mr. Chapman remarks:

“And now, sir, what has been done to remedy the evils under which this interest has been permitted to labor from the commencement of the government to the present time? Much has been attempted, but little accomplished. As early as 1785, Mr. Jefferson, then representing this government at the court of France, called the attention of that government to their restrictions on this article of our commerce, and remonstrated against the monopoly of the trade by the govern ment. He succeeded in obtaining a relaxation of the restrictions, and for the next year the importation into France amounted to 35,000 hogsheads. The restrictions were again increased, and the amount of tobacco imported was reduced, and does not exceed 8000 to 10,000 hogsheads.

“It would be needless to travel over the whole history of the negotiations upon this subject. It would occupy more of the time of the House than I would have a right to consume. It is known to the country that this subject was one of deep and absorbing interest for many years. During the administrations of General Jackson, Mr. Van Buren, and Mr. Tyler, several agents were sent to Europe to treat upon this branch of commerce, and our ministers to France, England, Prussia, and Belgium have been instructed to bring this subject to the attention of the different governments to which they were accredited, and to urge upon them a repeal or modification of their heavy restrictions and monopolies. A gentleman of my own state, who had given great attention to this subject, was also sent as a minister to Austria, and charged particularly with this branch of commerce. His inquiries, as well as those of our agents, were minute and particular; their efforts constant and unremitted. The impolicy, the inequality, and injustice of those duties have been properly represented to the several governments of Europe, yet no change has been made except in Holland and Belgium. In those countries the duty is not so high as to be cause of complaint.

"It will be recollected that a convention of tobacco-planters met in this city in 1838, and another in 1840, to consider what measures could be adopted to benefit this staple. They memorialized Congress, and asked that suitable action should be taken to induce foreign governments to lessen their duties upon, and

repeal their monopolies of tobacco. Agents and ministers were sent, as I have stated, to negotiate upon the subject, and yet no benefit has resulted from it, except that in Belgium the duty on all American tobacco is now the same, and the transit duty on that which is intended for the German market has been reduced. “I think, sir, I am sustained fully by facts and experience when I say that this interest has been more neglected than any other of the great interests of the country. Every other interest of the country has met with some favor or protection from the government. Cotton was protected, as long as necessary, by a duty which was prohibitory. Grain has also been protected by adequate duties. Iron, hemp, manufactures of different kinds, have each been properly cared for. Salutary laws have been passed to foster and protect your commercial marine. Your fisheries have received encouragement and aid, and bounties and drawbacks have been extended to them. But nothing has been done to ensure an increased demand for tobacco, or to lessen the restrictions imposed by foreign governments upon its admission in their ports, by which the producer would receive an increased price. I should do injustice to distinguished gentlemen who have represented the district which I now have the honor to represent, as also to those who have represented other portions of the country interested in the growth of this staple, if I did not say that efforts had been made from time to time to direct the attention of the government to the subject, and to obtain favorable action to this interest. But, sir, all those efforts have been fruitless and unavailing; and it be comes us to inquire if there is not some mode by which the government can aid and encourage this interest, to place it, by its arrangements, upon an equality with the other staple productions of the country. It were needless to inquire whether the efforts and attempted action of the government on this subject heretofore has been wise or not. They have failed. All the efforts made have been fruitless and unavailing. The same restrictions exist; the same enormous duties and exactions are levied by the governments of Europe, and so will continue, until our own government shall speak upon the subject in a language not to be misunderstood or unheeded. I am aware, sir, of the difficulties attending all efforts to draw the attention of the government to this subject, from the fact that the tobacco interest has but few representatives on this floor. But, sir, although a few, we know our rights as citizens of this government, and we ask no more than has been done for other interests, and we ask it in the confiding faith that justice will be done to us.

"We have seen, Mr. Chairman, that it is second to no other interest of the country except cotton; that it contributes more to the commerce of the country, and affords more of the exchanges for foreign productions; and that it is burdened and oppressed by such duties and restrictions as are not permitted to be imposed upon any of the other productions of the country. Sir, this staple engages in its cultivation and manufacture more than a million and a half of the population of the United States, and a large portion of our shipping.

"And now, let me ask, is there any remedy for the grievances under which we labor? Negotiation in the most amicable spirit has been tried; for fifteen years has this government had her agents abroad on this subject. Some of the ablest and most experienced men, learned civilians, accomplished diplomatists, and sagacious commercial men, have been deputed to treat upon this subject. It has been brought to the attention of the governments of Europe in the most imposing form. All that could be done by negotiation has been done. The governments of Europe are asked to place this article of commerce upon an equal footing with other articles; to admit this production in their ports upon terms approaching to reciprocity; but we have asked in vain. They talk of free trade and amicable ar rangements in reply, but their duties are not diminished, their restrictions are not

removed, their regies are not repealed, nor their monopolies discharged. The same evil exists, and is like to continue as long as this government will permit it. "Let us look at some of the treaty-stipulations which have been offered to us upon this subject. The Zoll Verein treaty was one of the efforts made to benefit this trade. It was not acceptable to the country. The concessions which it required of other interests for the small diminution of duties on tobacco were believed to be too great, and it contained principles which could not be admitted without yielding to the executive powers which are believed to reside in the legisla tive branch of the government. I mean not to discuss the propriety of the action of the Senate in laying that treaty on the table. But it is known to the country that its ratification would by implication have conferred the power of legislation upon the President and Senate, without the action of the House of Representatives, and thus have put the whole tariff policy of the country, its industry, and its revenues, under executive restraints and control. I mean not to speak of the reasons which influenced senators in their action on that treaty. The action of the Senate, and the fate of that treaty, are matters of history, and we may reasonably infer some of the considerations which led to its defeat, and we may conjecture the consequences which would have flowed from its ratification as a prece dent of executive encroachment upon the legislative functions of the government. "There is another treaty, sir, now pending, which, if rumor be true, is liable to similar objections. The particulars of that treaty have not been published, and I know nothing of it. But rumor will not be dumb, and it is said that its ratification has been opposed because of the unequal concessions made for small and unimportant advantages to the tobacco trade. I speak of the treaty with the King of Hanover.

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Such, doubtless, would be the terms and character of any treaty which could be negotiated. The governments of Europe will part unwillingly with any por tion of their taxes upon tobacco, and then upon terms so far removed from reciprocal advantage that this government will not acquiesce in the stipulated concessions.

"Mr. Wheaton, in his dispatch No. 202, dated at Stuttgard, July 22, 1842, says, “That the associated states are not at present willing to make any reduction on our leaf tobaccoes, unless they can be assured that it will be followed by a corresponding reduction on their productions and fabrics imported into the United States.'

"Such is the disposition of all the governments of Europe which levy heavy duties and exactions upon our tobacco, the second staple of our country. They are willing to abate those duties, which now range from one hundred to two thousand per cent., if such an expression is correct in mercantile language, provided this government will diminish the duties which are levied in our ports upon their fabrics and productions, averaging about twenty per cent. Where is the reciprocity? That principle was well sustained by the associated states in the Zoll Verein treaty, which was not ratified by our government because, as is believed, it contained concessions upon our part more than equivalent for the unimportant reduction which they proposed to make in their duties upon our tobacco. The difficulty of effecting any arrangement with the German Customs Union is increased by the terms and nature of that association, as every alteration in their tariff, entered into by one of the associated states, requires the unanimous consent of the states composing the Customs Union or Zoll Verein. Hence to treat with one of those states is to treat with all; any arrangement entered into with one of them requiring the ratification of all the others; the diversity of interests and contrariety of views inducing different opinions and conclusions, as their various interests may direct them.

"To show the unreasonable demands of the different states composing the Customs Union, I ask the attention of the House to a communication from the minister of Foreign Affairs of the King of Wurtemberg to Mr. Wheaton, the American plenipotentiary, dated September 25, 1842. He says,

The conference nevertheless does not, to its great regret, find itself at the present moment in a situation to take any other determination upon the question of the tariff of raw tobaccoes, or to engage in a more direct negotiation upon this subject; among other reasons, because, above all, there does not at present exist any precise proposition as to the advantages which the government of the United States, in case of a reduction of the tobacco duties, would be disposed to accord, reciprocally, to the Customs Union.'

"Now, sir, here is a sentiment which clearly demonstrates that we are to look for no change in the policy of those states. It contains the secret of their negotiation with us. They require further concessions from us; that we shall ‘accord other advantages' for a reduction of their duties on tobacco. We have seen that those duties amount to about 100 per cent. upon the value of our production, and that the duties levied by this government upon the imported productions of those states do not exceed thirty per cent. ; and yet, forsooth, they ask that other advantages shall be offered to them for a small diminution of their excessive exactions upon the only article which they import from this country, which can in any manner compete with their productions. This is the reciprocity which is accorded' to us, and we have borne it, and negotiated, or attempted to negotiate, with the hope of effecting something like reciprocity, but in vain. They would expect us to reduce our import duties, which, in comparison to theirs, are but nominal on these productions, before they would reduce theirs in any way upon the tobacco imported from this country. This is the free-trade system which Europe offers for our adoption.

Thus may we judge of the course of policy which is likely to be continued toward us; and the governments of Europe will not part with this fruitful sourc of revenue as long as they are permitted to retain it, and it becomes a question of grave import by what means they can be brought to change that policy, and to remove the restrictions which bear so heavily upon one of the principal productions of the country. The time may have passed when it was most probable that our demands would have been listened to, and this production placed upon the basis of reciprocal exchange. But it is never too late to seek what is right, and to act in a spirit of candor with that becoming firmness which the justice of the demand will sanction, that the principle of reciprocity should be extended to this article of commerce.

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Now, sir, there are two modes of commercial arrangement; the one by nego tiation, the other a resort to discriminating or countervailing duties. The first has been tried, and has proved unavailing. The only remedy is a resort to such countervailing duties upon the productions of those countries, where our tobacco is burdened with onerous duties and restrictions, as will induce those governments to open their ports upon more favorable terms, or to treat with us so as to produce a system of exchange of productions upon terms more nearly approaching to reciprocity. It is not without precedent in this government, and we can not now expect to break down the tobacco monopolies, or to procure any diminution of the duties and restrictions of those governments by negotiation alone." And he thus concludes:

Now, sir, the interest and the honor of our country demand that it should resort to some other measure than that which has failed since the adoption of the Constitution. Would the states bear this oppression, and submit to those exac

tions, if they had not surrendered to the Federal government all power over duties and imposts? No. The tobacco-growing states would unite and make common cause, and teach those governments that such injustice would not be borne. Let the representatives from the tobacco-growing states unite, and insist upon a fair protection to this staple by the only means in the power of this government to afford it, and our grievances will be redressed.

The tobacco exported during the year 1845 I have heretofore shown to be 147,168 hogsheads, valued at

$7,469,819

It is taxed, according to the rate imposed upon the exports of 1838,

at

59,857,984

And must sell in Europe, exclusive of freights, commissions, insurance, &c., for

$67,327,803

So that the planter receives for making the article about one tenth, and the governments of Europe about nine tenths, of its value. This system has been too long submitted to, and I can never give my assent to any system affording protection to any other interest, or to any diminished rate of duties from the highest standard that can be obtained, unless this production is also to be benefited by the change. I would make our duties countervailing and discriminating, and dependent upon the continuance of their duties upon this American staple. The exchange of productions should be upon the basis of reciprocity.

"Sir, no benefit may result to this great interest of the country at this time from the action which I seek to have instituted upon this subject. For fifteen years has the subject of benefiting the tobacco interest been before the government. It has enlisted commanding talents and faithful service. Negotiation has been employed between this government and the different governments of Europe upon the subject. Chargés, ministers resident and plenipotentiary, and special agents, have been employed and accredited to all the governments with whom we desired to treat on this subject. Yet nothing has been accomplished. The restrictions, regies, and monopolies remain unrepealed, unmodified, still in force; and the staple, heretofore so important in the foreign exchanges of the country, and making up so large an item in its commerce, has been reduced lower and lower in price, until the planter, in despair, must abandon its culture, and live upon the recollection of that independence which a fair price for its production afforded him. Nothing, we have seen, has been accomplished by negotiation, and nothing I fear will be; and we need no longer suffer ourselves to be flattered by delusive hope, or indulge expectations which are never to be realized. But, sir, we will not lose sight of our rights; we will not forget that this interest is as much entitled to the protection of the government as any other; and, as long as I have the honor of representing that interest on this floor, I shall, on all proper occasions, press the subject on the attention of the government, and claim the protection to this interest which has been extended to others.

"The day is not distant, sir, when the whole tariff and commercial policy of the world will undergo a change. A revolution in the international commercial regulations of the world must and will take place before many years shall have elapsed, and then will be the time for this interest, long neglected and oppressed, to be placed in the commercial system, which must be established upon grounds of reciprocal advantage. It will only require concert of action upon the part of those representing the tobacco interest in the different states, and a firmness of purpose to insist upon adequate protection, and we shall obtain it. It is the fault of our government that those enormous exactions and revenues are levied upon the productions of the tobacco-planter; and more than one opportunity has been suffered to pass without resorting to such remedy as would have secured a