The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-10-29

pe consumed III this country, ana which they can
sell at lower rate than any other wheagrowers in
the world. And how ridiculous, not to say insult
ing to the farmer il is to talk to him about pro
tseiirs duty of ten cents per bushel on potatoes,
when he is glad, in good seasons, TO sell them to
the starch manufacturer at from ten to twelve
cents per bushel, as thousands do in The middle
and northern States. How absurd TO talk Of pro-
tecting butter, cheese, lard, beef pork, &C., when
our farmers raise millions upon millions of pounds
more than can be consumed in this country, which
they must export to other countries Yet these du-
ties-humbug duties, they deserve to be called-are
introduced into the present tariff by its trainers, to
reconcile them to the enormous bounties which il
compes them to pay to the manufacturer, the IRON
master, the sugar-planter, the salt-boler and
to the pin-maker; for the whole nation Of women
are put under contribution, in order to raise tribute
for the benefit of one or two pin-makers in Rhode
Island, where white men ore treated like slaves, and
robbed Of that glorious badge Of American citizen
ship, the right of suffrage.
Thus the leading features of the present tariff
seem TO be made up of deception, fraud, humbug-
gerry, and oppression.
planters of this country will allow themselves to be
duped, by the humbug protection held out to them,
into the support of law which is daily robbing
them Of their substance, and transferring it TO com
para,ivey few capitalists protected by the present
tariff
/ shall now proceed to show the enormous
amount which the tariff yearly taxes the people Of
this country, in the shape of duties to the government,
and bounties to The manufacturers.
If the system of raising revenue by duties on i'm
ports exacted no more from the people than the
amount of the duties imposed on the commodities
on which it operated, it would be relieved of very
much of the objection which now exists against
such system in any form. But, in addition to the
revenue which it raises for the government, it COM
pes the people to pay those articles Of which an
adequate supply is not produced in this country, at
least four times as much more in the shape Of boun
ties to the manufacturer.
! assume that the imposition Of duty en-
hanees the price Of the commodity on which
il is imposed in proportion very nearly
the same as the amount of the duty. Moth
ing but folly or audacity would prompt any per.
son possessed Of sanity, to deny this prop
ositon. The manufacturers are not such wiseacres
to desire high duties, if they were to reduce the
prices of their fabrics. None but the simpletons
and the knaves Of the protective school advance
such doctrines shall therefore proceed in my ar
gument upon the assumption that the duty increases
pro rata the price of the commodity on which it is
imposed. Thus, the duty of 40 per cent. imposed
by the present tariff upon yard Of woollen broad
cloth, costing in England 49, would add to its price
30 cents. Therefore, when it passed the custom
house of this country, its cost, in consequence of
the duty, would be ~ 80. This duty Of so cents
goes into the treasury of the United States, in the
shape Of revenue.
But this is not the whole effect of the duty. The
importing merchant advances this 80 cents to the gov
ernment and, when he sells the cloth to the retailer
he charges his profit Of 10 per cent Cor whatever
may beg on the 80 cents duty which he has paid,
as well on the first cost of the cloth. In the
hands Of the retailer, the elements of the cost are
as follows, viz " for the CLOTH SO cents for the du
ty, 90 cents (beng 10 per cent profit the import
cry on the cloth, and 8 cents (being 10 per cent.
profit on the duy) which the importer has paid and
charged to the retailer Thus the cost to the retail
er is 80 o. But he must have his 20 per cent
profit and thus the cloth, when it reaches the con-
sumer costs the latter 80 g. If the cloth had been
sumer follows: first cost in England 20; profit Of
10 per cent.-equa to AGENTS. making,
in the WHOLE 80 90 profit to the retailer 30 per cent
on the last named summarizing the whole cost to the
g. This sum, deducted from the SO SO,
shows precisely the amount which the consumer
has to pay in consequence Of the duty, which is
81 05 more than the amount of the duty. Even
this could be borne with patience if it were not at,
tended with still more unjust effect. In conse-
quence of the duty, the price Of the domestic fabric,
coming in competition Nth the imported one, Is in
creased in precisely the ratio But instead Of
that increase of price which is also tar on the con-
sumner, going into the treasury, goes into the pockets
Of the manufacturer, and is, in fact, more than gra-
t,ity or bounty to him.
will now proceed to make a practical application
of the analytical principles which have attempted
to elucidate, to certain commodities imported from
other countries and their correlatives of domestic
or production, in order to demonstrate
the amount which the consumer pays in conse-
quence Of the duties imposed upon them in the shape
Of repcnue to the government, and the immensely
greater amount which he pays in the shape Of bounty
to the home manufacturer.
take the imporations of the year ending June
80, 1874, and the amount of domestic manufactures
as shown by the census Of 1910, with 12 per cent.
added thereto, for increased production during the
four subsequent years. | begin with the
WooIlen man,gact,res.-Th amount of woollen
manufactures imported into the country during the
year ending June 80, 1914, exclusive of blankets,
paying specific duties,) and worsted goods, yarns,
mitts &C., was IS, 445, $50
The amount of duties collected on this
sum, at 40 per cent, was. 81 17S, 260
To the amount of duty, add 10 per
cent upon the duty for the importers
profits, and 20 per cent for the re-
tailer's, viz. 30 per cent............. 653, 478
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