Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1845-11-13
From the National InteLiigenctr.
The Tariff. its influences upon the pri-
ces of Domestic Produce


From the National InteLiigenctr.
The Tariff. its influences upon the pri-
ces of Domestic Produce.
The following excellent article, which
we have extracted from the "Lyncbburs
Virginian' of the 29.h ultlmo, so irrefuta.
bly, establishes two points in our creed of
political economy, that we are willing 10
rest the cause of the Tariff as far as those
two points may be a, issue, upon The ar
gumenis and the facts which il adIuces:
OF all the fanciful arguments Of the on
ponenis OF protective tariff. there is not
one perhaps. Nr McDuffie's forty bale
theory not excepted, which is not more
uniena6le, and which is more decisively
relutrd by iacts, than that Of compara,ely
modern invention, which assumes, i'm so
many words. that when our duties are
high, the prices of tobacco. cotton, flour,
and other products Of the sol, are low; and
utca UCrSa, when our duiles are low that
the prices are high. If this assumption
were true, nothing would be more easy
than to demonstrate it. Being false, il is
not more difficult 10 show lis fallacv. Ii
may happen. indeed, as il has heretofore
done. tina. high duties and low prices NAV
be conlemporaneous events; but il does
not therefore follow that the one is the
consequence of the other any more than
that any other coincident things which
have no connection with each other, be-
cause they happen at the same instant,
stand 10 each other in the relation Of pa.
rent and offspring.
If. indeed, This were the act the results
wnnld be uniform and naVarying, us in all
other Gases OF cause and efect Iii only
necessary, therefore To show thar both
prices and duties have been high s; the
same time and low al tie same time
nav. that prices have been highest " ben
duties were highest. and lowest when
hey we're lowest 10 satisfy all Qgp.eIu.
dIred mud, that lhis theory Ike ever.
other which The ami tariff party nave al
various tunes relied upon 10 mlslaad Tie
pubic mind, is as substantial as the
haseess fabric of vision" In doing
this, we need not fatigue the readers al
leutlon with very elaborate statemen,s.-
We shall content ourselves with few
facts. all Of chich ,ce obtain from the
cery highest Locofoco authority. using
the very weapon with which they have
furnished us TO crack their own sconces.*
A few DAYS .,go we referred TO the pri
ces of flour at several different periods;
and we should not again do so now, but
that we wish to use them in connection
with the prices of tobacco and COTTON
We hope, therefore 10 be excused for the
repetiuon:
In 1921, when the duties were
low. The price of -four was "a 06
In 1914. when they were high,
the price was A g.
In 1899. when The duties were at
the highest notch, il was 6 81
In 1871, when they were at The
lowest point. 10
In 1897; when they were higher
than in 1911. 0 80
so much for -four. Now let MS look
at the prices Of the great staple of Virgin.
la-lobacco:
In 1921, low duties, The average
price per hogshead was $s1 90
In 1923, without any change in
The duties. II was GO 90
Why This sudden fall. while the
duties remained the same. if the
tariff controls the value! But
that II does not do 50, is still
more conclusivelv shown by
the fact that in 1896, after the
duties had been considerably
raised By the tariff Of 1924,
which is said BY some to have
been the frs, protective tariff,
tobacco rose, IN despite of that
increase Of duties, to S6 90
Again. In 1928. before the cele.
brated tariff Of tha, year passed,
and the duties therefore remain
ed as they were in 1926, tobac-
CO fell 10 "a on
Is not this satisfactory! If not, lie. US
come Gown to later period:
In 1899, tobacco went up TO The
high price per hogshead Of liz 90
But in 1910, when the duties were
still lower, i, fell to SO 90
And IN 1912. when they were at
the lowest point, il fell still fur
Their 10 GIL 90
How happens it. if prices are high as
duties are low, that we thus see prices
and duties coming down together! Iflow
duties beget high prices for our produce,
the effect would be an increase in the
price Of tobacco in 1910 and 1912; but,
instead of that, we behold diminulion in
value, amounting i'm 1890 10 $40. and in