Democratic standard. [volume] (Georgetown, Brown County, Ohio) 1837-1850, 1842-04-12

ment in this way; An American me
chant, called an importer, and reside'
in one Of the Atlantic cities-I will SUI
pose in the city Of New YOrk-imporI
into this, from o foreign country mel
chandise-I will suppose coffee, for which
when purchased, he paid, will suPPos
one thousand dollars. When the code
is landed, and before he is allowed to sci
it, it is taken to the Governments Oticl
in that city, called a custom.hOuse; or. !
not so, the Governments officer, calle'
the collector, goes on board the vesse
before the coffee is landed. In eithe
case the collecto. proceeds to ascertain
the kind, quality, and cost Of the cofs'
where it came from This beng done
he says tu the importer: "befOre you car
be allowed to sell this coffee, in the Uni
ted States, you must pay TO me, for the
use of Government, 200 dollars, that be-
ing the tariff duty Of 20 per cent. fixed
BY law on the original cost Of the coffee
which was one thousand dollars" This
two hundred dollars duty, thus paid BY
the importer as a tax to the Government
is now added by him to, and forms one
sixth part Of what the coffee cost him be.
fore he is allowed to sell it. and which
now amounts, OF course, TO 1900 dollars :
The importer next proceeds 10 calculate
and fix the price at which he can profita'
bly, afford 10 sell the coffee to the retail
merchant, who is called the retailer
This price the importer must Of necessity
fix sufficiently high to include the inter
est on the total cost Of the coffee, and
likewise to yield profit on the coffee it.
self, as a compensation for the risk and
trouble. The retailer has, for the same
reason, to do the same thing, when he
sells the coffee to the farmer, who, in the
end, buys and uses it, and is, for that
reason, called the consumer of the cOf
fee.
Thus il is that tho two hundred dollars
paid in the FIRST instance by the importer,
as a tax or duty to the government, is,
together with the interest and profit upon
il, made to enter into and form One-sixth
part of the price which the retailer pays
the importer for the coffee. Thus it is,
too, that the same two hundred dollars,
with the importers interest, and profit up
on it, and likewise with the additional in
terest and profit Of the retailer upOh it,
are all made to enter into and form one
sixth part of the price which the farmer
has to pay the retailer for the coffee
And thus, also, it is, that the farmer who
does not sell again, but consumes the
coffee, and therefore has nobody behind
him on whom to shove this tax, has, when
he buys, TO pay price one sixth greater
fer the coffee than he would haVe bad to
pay but for this tax or duty.
In other words, when the importer pays
The two hundred dollars 10 tha govern
nent, he charges it with his interest and
profit upon it, in his price to the retailer:
ind when the retailer pays the importer,
he, the retailer, also charges the same two
hundred dollars, with the importers and
with his own interest and profit upon it,
in his price to the farmer; the importer
and retailer having, in the end, done no.
nothing more than GdUGncs the two hum
1red dollars to the government for the
farmer, who, when he buys the coffee,
pays, in the price Of it, the two hundred
lOllars back 10 them, together with the
interest and profits which both have
charged and made upon it.
The tariff duty is called an indirsct
AK, Il is called so because it takes out
Il the pockets of the peOpls by such
'oundabOut and secret process, that they
ire thrown of their guard, and pay il,
oppressive as it often is, without even no.
icing the fact that they pay any tax at
III. For this reason, have attempted
o trace this sly and slippery tax, which
8 every where felt, but nowhere seen,
trough lis circuitous passage from the
,Ands Of the people to the Golfers Of the
government and the merchants.
And now, sir, having done this as we'll
ls could; having shown that the farmer
has paid a price, one sixth higher for the
coffee than he would have paid, but for
his tax, it is important next to show,
irst, what iS the final aggregate price he
paysj secondly, what is the one sixth
part Of that aggregate; and thirdly,whsre
hat sixth part goes, IN what proportions
4 is divided between the public Treasu-
y, the government officers, and the i'm
porting and retail merchants.
And first, what is the aggregate cost
of the coffee to the farmers That cost
E sixteen hundred and ssventy-twO dol
ars, and is made up Of four items as fol-
lows:
First. the original cost Of the coffee 70
the importer, where purchased 8 900
Second. The tsiffduty Of twenty
percent, paid on the above, BY
ths importer TO the Govern oooII
msnt %OV
Third. The interest at slx per Ct.
on the above two sums, calcu- i
- i.