Mr. J. RANDOLPH said that a sense of duty alone could have induced him to rise at that late hour. He wished to call the attention of the committee to a stipulation in the Treaty of London. [Here Mr. R. read an extract from the third article of that treaty, whereby the United States are pledged not to impose on imports in British vessels from their territories in America, adjacent to the United States, any higher duties than would be paid upon such imports, if brought into our Atlantic ports in American bottoms.] In this case, he said, gentlemen could not avail themselves of the distinction taken by his friend from Maryland (Mr. NICHOLSON) between a Territory and a State, even if they were so disposed--since the ports in question were ports of a State. The ports of New York, on the Lakes, were as much ports of that State, as the city of New York itself; they had their custom-house officers, were governed by the same regulations as other ports,--duties were exacted at them; and yet, under the article of the British Treaty which had been just read, British bottoms could and did enter them subject to no higher duties than were paid by American bottoms in the Atlantic ports. Mr. R. said that he did not mean to affirm that this exemption made by the Treaty of London was constitutional, so long as a distinction prevailed between American and British bottoms in other ports. He had never given a vote to carry that treaty into effect--but he hoped the gentlemen from Connecticut--both of whom he believed had done so; one of whom, at least, he knew had been a conspicuous advocate of that treaty--he hoped that gentleman (Mr. GRISWOLD) would inform the committee how he got over the constitutional objection to this article of the Treaty of London, which he had endeavored to urge against that under discussion. How could the gentleman, with the opinion which he now holds, agree to admit British bottoms into certain ports, on the same terms on which American bottoms were admitted into American ports, generally? thereby making that very difference,--giving that very preference to those particular ports of certain States, which he tells us cannot constitutionally be given to the port of New Orleans--although that port is not within any State, and, if his (Mr. GRISWOLD’s) doctrine be correct, not even within the United States!
Tea Review
Abridgement of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856, Vol. 3 (of 16) — Part 133
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