Resolves on the same subjects, by the Legislature of Massachusetts, Report on the same subjects, of a Committee of the Legislature of Further Resolves of the Legislature of Ohio, on the same subjects, Resolves on the same subjects, by the Legislature of Indiana, Report on the same subjects, of a Committee of the Legislature Resolves on the same subjects, by the Legislature of Alabama, · Recommendations of the Legislature of Alabama to the President of the United States, to the State of South Carolina, and to Report upon the same subjects, of a Committee of the Legislature Resolves on the same subjects, by the Legislature of Mississippi, proposing a Convention of the States, erroneously certi- fied by the authorities of Georgia, as having been adopted by the Legislature of that State, Report of a Committee of the Legislature of Massachusetts, on the a Convention of the States, 258 267 269 Resolves of the Legislature of Georgia, proposing a Convention of the States, as in fact adopted, Report of a Committee of the Legislature of Mississippi, on the 271 297 280 Georgia Resolves, . Report of a Committee of the Convention, on the mediation of Virginia,. 66 with amendments, as adopted, Ordinance of the Convention, repealing the Ordinance to nullify the Tariff Laws, Report of a Committee of the Convention, on the Act of the Congress of the United States further to provide for the collection of duties on imposts, Ordinance to nullify an Act of the Congress, entitled an Act further to provide for the collection of duties on imposts, commonly called the Force Bill, 321 328 331 347 355 352 363 373 REPORT. The Committee to whom was referred "the Act to provide for the calling of a Convention of the people of this State," with instructions "to consider and report thereon, and especially as to the measures proper to be adopted by the Convention, in reference to the violations of the Constitution of the United States, in the enactment by Congress on divers occasions of laws laying duties and imposts for the purpose of encouraging and protecting domestic manufactures, and for other unwarrantable purposes," beg leave respectfully to submit the following REPORT: The Committee deeply impressed with the importance of the questions submitted to them, and the weight of responsibility involved in their decision, have given to the subject their most deliberate and anxious consideration. In stating the conclusions to which they have arrived, they feel that it is due to themselves, to this Convention, and to the public at large, briefly to review the history of the Protecting system in this country, to show its origin, to trace its progress, to examine its character, point out its evils, and suggest the appropriate remedy. They propose to execute this task with all possible brevity and simplicity, sensible that the subject is too well understood in all its bearings to require at this time a very elaborate investigation. In the natural course of human affairs, the period would have been very remote when the people of the United States would have engaged in manufactures, but for the restrictions upon our commerce, which grew out of the war between Great Britain and France, and which led to the non-intercourse act, the embargo, and finally our own war of 1812. Cut off by these events from a free commercial intercourse with the rest of the world, the people of the United States turned their attention to manufactures, and on the restoration of peace in 1815, an amount of capital had been already invested in these establishments, which made a strong appeal to the liberality, we might almost say to the justice of the country, for protection, at least against that sudden influx of foreign goods, which it was feared would entirely overwhelm these domestic establishments. When therefore in 1816 it became necessary that the Revenue should be brought down to the peace establishment, by a reduction of the duties upon imports, it was almost by common consent conceded to the claims of the manufacturers, that this reduction should be gradual, and three years were accordingly allowed for bringing down the duties to the permanent revenue standard, which (embracing all the ordinary expenses of the government, with liberal appropriations for the Navy and the Army, an extensive system of fortifications, and the gradual extinction of the public debt, then amounting to $130,000,000,) was fixed at 20 per cent. If the manufacturers had at that time even hinted that permanent protection was deemed indispensable to their success, if the slightest suspicion had been entertained that instead of the gradual reduction expressly provided for by the act of 1816, there would be claimed a gradual increase of the protecting duties, and that instead of being brought down in three years to 20 per cent., the duties were to be carried up to 50 or 100 per cent., and in many cases to prohibition,—the painful contest in which the country has been engaged for the last ten years on this subject would have commenced immediately, and it is confidently believed that in the temper of the public mind at that time, ample security would have been found against the introduction of such a system. But in defiance of the clear understanding of the whole country, and in violation of the principles of justice and of good faith, that part of the act above |