Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1821-07-03
s,,e interest Of both Is as II ought to be-

the same. The 2o,ooo,Ooo gallons Of
spirits annually consumed in the country
would, if made at home, require sup
ply of from eight to ten millions bushels
of grain, and the people could afford to
pay the tax if the spirits are imported,
the people must pay the same tax, and
not only lose market for their grain but
be obligedto send the price ofitto foreign
countries, thus losing market for TO-
100000 bushels Of our own grain or
other materials, and creating one to this
amount for foreigners. This is mat
ter the farmer must think well ot--he
must examine for himself, he viii see
how deeply he is interested in this con-
troyersy. This nation consumes an
nually 4o,ooo,ooo dollars worth OF adj
valorem goods--at first cost, this sum is
made up of labor, fuel, materials and
subsistence, for which we furnish a
market to foreigners: if these goods
were manufactured among ourselves ii
would increase our market 100000
in the one case we send 4O,ooo,ooO away,
in the other case we keep 4o,ooo,ooo at
home. This presents true statement
of the account in national bearing. If
no tax was imposed, this would be a We
ny simple question for the people to de-
eide, and l here put it home to any man
who has vote, to answer me in what
way patriotic government ought to as
sess the public burthens l say, the
mode is the fairest and the easiest which
draws the least money from the public
or the country, which most tends to in
crease the industry and the value Of the
property of our citizens. If taxes are
laid on domestic products, the tax alone
is drawn from the people-the rest ofthe
price of the article remains at home.-|
Thus on the consumption of domestic
advalorem goods, the government raise a
tax of 100000 it leaves 100000
worth untouched if the same amount
is laid in foreign goods, the people must
pay 4S,ooo,ooO, while the demand for
their produce and labor is diminished
4o,ooo,ooo. This practically illustrates
the difference between the two systems
of revenue and the relative effect of i'm
post and excise. There is no fallacy
about tit requires no reasoning; it is
plain matter of fact; no man dare deny
the truth of the statement; every one
must feel its application: he need only
to think few minutes TO well under
stand the meaning Of words.
Foreign cloth is made OF foreign wool
every yard imported ,deprives the
American farmer of market for two
pounds of wool-every cent of duty he
pays government tends to encourage
them to depress domestic produce; but
make our cloth at home-every yard
makes demand for two pounds ofwool,
and every cent of tax is new induce
ment to the government to increase our
means of paying. When the objects of
government extend beyond revenue, by
the adoption of system for the protec-
ton of national interests and the en-
of the products Of our own
soil, the rates of duty become SO appor-
toned as,to effectuate all objects by the
same law. This was the policy of what
is called the venerable system formed
by our government shortly after its adop-
tion-excise was very prominent and
important part; so early as l79l, when
a duty was laid on domestic distilled
spirits-this was in those good old
times when this wonderful and admira-
BILE government of freemen was formed"
by the first Congress under the pre-
sent constitution. Their law of the Sd
March, 1871, affords an example of the
true principle of revenue measure
By the law of 1890, August 10, there
was imposed on foreign spirits duty Of
IL, l2a, Is, Is, 90, Is cents a gallon, ac-
cording to the proof: to have laid an ex-
else on domestic spirits without raising
the duty on foreign, would have been
destroying the discrimination between
our own and foreign products-this was
not the spirit of the good old times it
has been preserved for modern discoveries.
By the acto of 1871, the duty on the foreign
was raised to 90, 81, %, Is, so and 40
cents, and duty imposed on domestic
Of 9, 10, IL, Is, II and IS cents gal
lon, according to the proof, making a
off very decided kind in
favor ofthe product of our own soil and
labor. In thus tracing the imposition of
an excise to this early period of our his
ory, as we'll as its application to many
other articles and continuance for eley en-
years, it is seen that it is no new project
low first brought forward; twas very
essential part of the national system, and
whenever it has been abandoned the gov
.rnment has resorted to loans. The
whole system of internal taxation was re-
,ealed 9th April, 1902: on the Goth
February, 1908, law passed authorize