the body of their laws and the
organization of their government, and they make a great part of their
revenue; they cannot then get rid of them.

2. The plan of equal imposts presents difficulties insurmountable. For
how are the equal imposts to be effected? Is it by laying in the ports
of A, an equal per cent, on the goods of B, with that which B has laid
in his ports on the goods of A? But how are we to find what is that per
cent.? For this is not the usual form of imposts. They generally pay by
the-ton, by the measure, by the weight, and not by the value. Besides,
if A sends a million's worth of goods to B, and takes back but the half
of that, and each pays the same per cent., it is evident that A pays
the double of what he recovers in the same way from B: this would be our
case with Spain. Shall we endeavor to effect equality, then, by saying
A may levy so much on the sum of B's importations into his ports, as B
does on the sum of A's importations into the ports of B.? But how
find out that sum? Will either party lay open their custom-house books
candidly to evince this sum? Does either keep their books so exactly as
to be able to do it? This proposition was started in Congress when our
instructions were formed, as you may remember, and the impossibility of
executing it occasioned it to be disapproved. Besides, who should have
a right of deciding when the imposts were equal. A would say to B, My
imposts do not raise so much as yours; I raise them therefore. B would
then say, You have made them greater than mine, I will raise mine; and
thus a kind of auction would be carried on between them, and a mutual
irritation, which would end in any thing, sooner than equality and
right.

3. I confess then to you, that I see no alternative left but that which
Congress adopted, of each party placing the other on the footing of
the most favored nation. If the nations of Europe, from their actual
establishments, are not at liberty to say to America, that she shall
trade in their ports duty free, they may say she may trade there paying
no higher duties than the most favored nation; and this is valuable in
many of these countries, where a very great difference is made between
different nations. There is no difficulty in the execution of this
contract, because there is not a merchant who does not know, or may not
know, the duty paid by every nation on every article. This stipulation
leaves each party at liberty to regulate their own