The Ohio Democrat. [volume] (Canal Dover, Ohio) 1840-1900, 1842-05-12
BY M,TCHENEn 4 MATHEWS
LEF'EVERY TAX PAYER READ If,
SPEECH OF MR., ALLEN OF oHIO


ing resolution, formerly submitted oy hn'
Resoyed That the ssecfetary oflhe Treasury he d.
racIed 10 inform the Senate, as practicable,
,,bether in his opinion the Government can, in the
present exigency Of its financial af1airs be carried on
without either recalling to its service the revenue de>
rived from the sales O! the public domain, and which,
without drawing from the people IN ndduon to Their
present taxes an amount equal to that revenue and IN
conse Iuence of It's distribution, by Of increasing
the taxes now levied upon them in the form oftarf du-
ties; or by imposing new and direct tax upon the n;
or by borrowing, upon tey credit in the orm OF direct
loans or Of Treasury notes TO be paid eve nuay out
of their labor and property And If, in his opnlan the
Government cannot be carried on without thus recall
ling the land revenue Increasing the taxes or the
loans to an amount equal to that revenue and IN cnn-
sequence of its Distribution then which Of these alter-
natives will in his opinion, be the most economical TO
the ,eope- the recall of that revenue, the taxes or the
loans. Asu that he be directed 10 lay before the Sen"
ate the estimates and the reasons upon which such hl'
opinions may be founded.
Mr.. ALLEN said:
Mr.. President-For the second time have called up
,hs resolution, and ask the final action of Ihe
Senate upon it. am obliged to Admit, however that
from the hostility hitherto manifested towards ii by the
majority here am without hope that shall be allow
ed thus 10 obtain from the Treasury Department those
official estimates from which it was my purpose to prove
this important fact that by the act OF distribution sup
posing that act continue, positive loss oinesr two
millions of dollars will be annually thrown upon the
great axpayiug body of the American peopIe-a loss
10 them as absolute as fteir property to that amount
were each year taken and consumed by fire. have
asked for these estimates, not that the official commune
cation of them is at all indispensable to my object bu'
because, beiug official, and coming from source no.
likely to underrate the blessings of the distribution act
they would be less The subject of cavi, and, in the
judgment OF the country, conclusive evidence of
the fact seek to establish.
In the absence of these official estimates and fearful
that those who in this body have the power will con-
time to interdc, them, shall proceed with my own
estimates to make good il can, this my charge OF pro
fiigacy and waste But before btgin desire Sena.
tors the other side to specify when have done, in
what particular my estimates square not with the facts
and to show, lfpractcable wherein my conclusions
at all unsound
In the first place, then, there three propositions
in which, presume, all will concur; frs that E con-
sequence of the distribution of the three millions annu-
ally brought into the Treasury from the public domain,
the Government, 10 supply its place, must increase the
taxes upon the people, in the form oftarg duties;
ond, thatt the effect upon t,epeuFe wnIue me same,
whether this increase be made 10 result from additional
duties upon goods now paying none, or from duty Of
20 ger cent upon article, OF one per cent. upon
20 articles; and third that il IN order to replace the
millions distributed, burdens have to be imposed upon
the people, IN any form, over and above that amount,
the srpus thus imposed must be loss to them-a loss
resulting solely from The distribution act as from that
act alone arises the necessity for such BURDEN These
propositions no man will disputes anAnow it becomes
my duty to prove, FIRST the fact Of this surplus, and
mex, its amount. In doing this, shall be understood
we'll enough by the Senate but desire to be understood
likewise by every citizen who may do me the honor to
read what speak. shall therefore udopta mode Of
reasoning so plain, ard so Direct as to admit Of no
qubbe or obscurty. Ishall make a short unambitious
speech beginning with admitted facts, and ending with
conclusions, proven throughout, by the simple process
offgures With this view of making the matter per-
fec,y familiar to all, I will take single article ofmer
chands e. with given per cent OF duty upon it. and
single individual to represent each of the several agen-
ces in the process ofcollecting the duty. This will
illustrate fully the whole operation.
Frst, then, the three millions distributed are TO be
replaced in the Treasury by tariff dutes tariff duty
is tax upon the people, and is low led by the Governs
ment in this way. An Americon merchant, called,
an importer and resident in the Atlantic cits
ies-IwIll suppose in the city Of New York imports
into this from foreign county, nerchandse-l will
suppose Office, for which, when purchased he paid.
suppose, one thousand dollars. When The coffee is Ian
ded and before he is allowed 10 sell it, il taken to
the Governments officer called The collector or he goes
on bourd the vessel before the coffee is landed In either
case the collector proceeds ascertain The kind qua>
y, and cost of the coffee where it came from. This
bel ng done, he says to the importer: 'belore you
be allowed 10 sell this coffee in The United En'os, you
must pay to me, for the of The Government, two
hundred dollars that being the tariff duty Of twenty
per cent fixed BY law the original cost Of the coffee,
which was one thousand dollars" This two hundred
dollars duty, thus pad by the importer tax to the
Government is Ow added by him To-, and forms one'
sixth part Of what the coffee cost him before he is al
lowed to sell it, and which amour s. oGconrse, to
twelve hundred dollars. The importer next proceeds
to calculate and fix the price at which he cun profaby
afford to sell the coffee to the retail merchant who IL
called the retailer. This price the importer must o
necessity fix sufficiently high 10 include the interest OF
the total cost Of the coffee ITSELF compensation for
his risk and trouble. The retailer has, for the same eJ
son to do the same thing, when he sells the coffee Il
the rarner who, in the end buys and it, and FOL
that reason called the consumer of the coffee,
Thus It is that the two hundred dollars paid IN the