Statements and Evidence Offered Before the Committee on State Charities of the Massachusetts Legislature, in Favor of the Modification of the Tax on A

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1870. Excerpt: ... them an opportunity to land their passengers who are destined for the Western States, without the payment of this tax now levied, so as to enable them to charge less to passengers who come to Boston, than they charge to those who go to New York, we shall get a very strong hold on them, through their interest; and what will be for their interest will be for the interest of the port; and, again, what will be for the interest of the port will of course react in their favor. Then, Mr. Chairman, in my judgment, if we can overcome the slight obstacle which now exists to the full development of the immigration traffic, the tide of commerce will flow once more to and through this port. I said, the slight obstacle, and you will all agree that it is so; but upon it may turn the whole question of the future commerce of Boston. A very slight impediment will change the current of trade. Some gentlemen present remember when an auction tax was enforced in Massachusetts. It seemed a very slight thing, only one per cent, on all sales, but at that time all the tea which came to Boston--which was nearly all which came into the country--was sold by auction, and consequently that tax was a direct tax upon the tea trade. The importers of Boston asked the Legislature to relieve them from this burden; it refused to do so; and the result was, all the tea ships were at one stroke ordered to New York. It was a small impost which turned the whole tea trade from Boston to New York. And what followed? The Calcutta trade; and then, all the dry-goods commission houses in Boston opened, one by one, branches in New York. After the China trade had left us, and after we had lost part of the Calcutta trade, and had suffered other serious losses, the tax which had done the mischief was take...