The Ohio Democrat. [volume] (Canal Dover, Ohio) 1840-1900, 1842-08-18
.DELPHIA, OHIO, THURSDAY AUGUST ls, 1912
Fom the Baltimore Republican.
THE TAX ON TEA AND COFFEE.

FROM Inc speech OF Nr. buchanaD, made
in the Senate on Monday, on the proposition
TO strike The distribution clause ost Of The
tariff bill, we have extracted The following re-
marks in relation TO the tax on Tea and coffee.
From them it will appear how unjust is this
measure. to which the majority resort in their
unPr!nclpled attempt to obtain high scale
OF duties. 1t will be recoIlected that at the
extra session, Congress voted down this tax
on Tea and coffee, considering them equally
necessary 10 the rich and the poor, and, there.
fore. any Tax upon them was making the poor
pay as much as the rich.
There was one other point of view in which
ne would present the subject, and he would
then close his remarks. Pho bill proposed to.
raise between twenty-six and twenty seven
millions of doIlars-between twenty-five and
lwenty-three of which was supposed TO be
necessary for the current expenses of the
government; The remainder 10 be applied to
the extinguishment of the existing national
debt.
He trusted he bad never attempted TO play
the demagogue on that floor; nor could he, he
trusted by any possibility be brought TO do so
now. Ho would say this, however, If you
restore the land fund, you may take the tax off
tea and coffee; whereas if the land fund con-
tinues to 60 to the States, you must impose
a tax upon tea and coffee. The inference was
irreslsilble-one or the other must be done.
He Mr.. Buchanan had procured return
las! fall of the The tea and coffee imported du-
ring the year 1910. It tamounted TO gil 1851
1863 worth. In the year 1889, it was $l0.-
79S, 500. 1t was fair 10 infer, then, that the
tax upon tea and coffee would amount 10 two
millions and quarter of dollars
The land fund, If we should be prosperous,
year or two hence, it was supposed would a.
mount 10 about three millions. Now, (con-
linued Mr.. B., if you will Withhold the land
fond from the States, we will take off this tax
of two millions and quarter from The people
of this country; and the question must inev-
iia5ly be decided between the Cne alternative
and the other. Siike out the twenty seventh
section of this bill, and shall Immediately
move 10 make tea and coffee free articles.
Let US examine The matter for single mo-
ment. Though not an old man, can remem-
Der the time when those were considered ar
tieIes of luxury. But now their use s unver>
sal every man woman and child uses them:
the poorest man 10 the country uses as muc ch
as The rich, ay, more, perhaps; for being de-
prived Of luxures more expensive, he iDdul-
ges in those within his reach. There is no
article that you can conceive of except bread,
the tax upon which will act so much like
poll-tax, as the articles Of tea and coffee.
The cottager in Indiana uses as much coffee
as John Jacob AstOr, the richest capitalist in
America, and consequently pays as much du-
ty upon that article as. is paid by the weallhi-
esl; and therefore, say that tax is more like
a poll Tax than any other. Well, now, if this
tax could be restored land let me be UNDER
stood on this, as we'll as all other SUBJ jecis;
call il tax because we cannot produce this
article, or anything similar to it; if we could,
! admit the effect would be, as in all cases,
to reduce the price I'VE cannot by any pro-
lection, make the article one Of home produc-
lion. And what is tho effect of this2 The land
fund goes 10 the states in their sovereign ca~
pacty to relieve the capitalists from taxation,
TO relieve proper!y-hoders from direct taxa>
ton, for the support of the state government.
And 10 enable you TO make this distribution,
you levy poll tax upon the whole country.
As regards the article Of sugar, The case is
different. 1t ia as much necessary Of life as
tea or coffee; bnt we have large interest in
is manufacture in Louisiaaa-an interest
which would never abandon, because it is
connected with agriculture. We must how
ever, levy duty on sugar, or else we must
destroy iis culture. But there is no such rea-
son for laying a tax on tea and coffee; there lie
no reason that can be imagined, which is not
n favor of relieving Tea and coffee from taxa
tiou, provided we can do it, and that the in
teresls of the country be not hazarded by a
deficiency of revenue. liwOuld do it without
a moments hesitation. But if you retain the
land fund for the benefit Of the stales, it will
be impossible for you to remove this burden
from the people.
Under these circumstances, appeal 10 gen.
tlemen to reIinqcish that fund; ii may not be
necessary to do so for any length of time. Let
gentlemen wait for short time, and they may
afterwards take the land fund, afIer having
relieved the country from lis embarrassed and
impoverished cOnllioD. d,
Apprentices look at his.-Some years ago,
there was shoemaker in the lower part of
Cumberland county, New Jersey, who was re
markabe for his love Of reading. Al his lei-
sure hours were employed with book, while
his companions were passing theirs in idle
ness, or worse than idIeness--ihe celebration
orCrisnahnAs AT length he took his stick &