Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: Gianni
The Constitution does not authorize tarrifs that are 'protectionist in nature'...

Read the Morill tariff . The legislation provided for the payment of outstanding treasury notes and authorized a loan in addition to fixing tariffs. That seems to meet your definition of the Constitutional purposes of a tariff and disputes your claim that the Republicans made no pretense of it being for any other purpose. Tariffs were implemented first and foremost to fund the government. They had, as an additional purpose, the protection of domestic industries, including the ones in the south, but did not in any way violate the Constitution.

420 posted on 05/16/2003 6:19:40 AM PDT by Non-Sequitur
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 418 | View Replies ]


To: Non-Sequitur
Tariffs were implemented first and foremost to fund the government.

What on earth are you smoking, non-seq? The Morrill Act was by definition protectionist. It was openly proclaimed as such by the newspapers of the time and, after they were outed, its own sponsors. The bill was openly justified on the plank of the 1860 GOP platform calling specifically for protectionism. Lincoln himself touted its importance in a highly publicized speech where he reiterated this call for protectionism.

Your entire line of argument on this issue would be laughable if I did not think you actually hoped to accomplish something with it! It's becoming more absurd by the day...absurd to the point that you are even denying what the bill's supporters in its own day knew, admitted, spoke of, and publicly proclaimed to have been their agenda by passing it.

I'm not sure what to expect next from you in this little charade, but I have no doubt it will be amusing. I wait in anticipation, Mr. Perot. Roll out that next chart.

466 posted on 05/16/2003 6:35:37 PM PDT by GOPcapitalist
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 420 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson