The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1845-12-02
LETTER TO THE SECRETARY OF THE
TREASURY ON THE EFFECT OF THE
TARIFF OF 1912,
On the Agriculture and other In
terests Of the West.
By Committee of the Democratic Convention Of Hami
ton County, Olio. ...
To ROBERT ]. WALKER.

To ROBERT J. WALKER.
Secretary Treasury, United States America;
The undersigned Committee appointed
by the late Democratic Convention OF this
county to correspond with the Secretary OF
the Treasury, concerning the effect OF the
existing Tariff, on the Agricultural and other
interests of the West, submit the following
considerations in performance of the duty
assigned them:
The Western population is engaged IN
farming, in fair greater proportion, than any
other section of the Union, although that is
the principal employment of the American
people. Hence the West presents as Sec
ton, more prominently than any other, the
characteristics of the class numerically pre-
dominant in the whole county. The unu-
sual preponderance ofagriculiure in the West
proceeds not so much from IFS extent and
fertility, as from its recent settlement; the
superior individual enterprise and lndepend-
ence of farmers, having given them The hrsi
aud almost exclusive possession OF this great
region These traits of rural character, IN
their immediate and remote consequences,
identify the opinions of the farmer with the
principles of our free government as COM
plelely as are his interests with those oi the
community. The West therefore i'll addition
TO its common interest with the rest OF the
Union in the political and fiscal action OF the
Federal government, has local, sectional
and class interest in restraining that part OF
our system within its proper constitutional
locality, as well as its pursuits, can expect
not even its proportion Of the compensation
afforded by Federal expenditure for contrl-
button to Federal revende.
The age in which we live is characterized
by the unexampled development ofcommerce
and industry. And TO whatever anlecedent
condition of moral aud intellectual power
this may be owing, it results in impari'ng
portentous form and pressure TO all lnslItu,
lions of society and modes Of thought and
action. Money becomes so universal an
agent as to be controlling one. The slave
if permitted to minister 10 n multitude OF
wants becomes master. The taxing power
of government, at all times an important one,
becomes in our present state OF civilization
essential and absorbing; a power of such
force as TO render the other functions, and
even the form, itself, of government almost
insignificant. No part Of political science is
invested with SO much obscurity and dispute
as the principles of taxation. 1t is therefore
with instructive sagacity that despotism selects
for lis designs this function of government
in modern times; it being favorable 10 the
substitution of that fraud to which tyranny is
compelled to resort when force is no longer
tolerated.
The Constitution of the United States in
comforting on Congress every form Of the
taxing power, undertakes TO prevent all
abuse by prescribing uniformity in the col,
lection of the revenue, and specific objects
for its disbursement. The effect of such a
regulation one would think would be to Sc
cure preference for the most simple, plain
and equal mode Of taxation. Government how
ever has chosen the most complex, obscure
and unequal. The system of duties OH i'm
ported commodities on which the Treasury
relies, taxes but part Of the property, OF but
part of the peope-the property and per-
sons both fuctuating continually in number,
in amount and in proportion. The p operty
thus taxed is not the equal or the proportional
product of the states or people-of capital
FOR labor Nor is its consumption uniform or
proportional, or even proxlmately so' In
| thus repudiating as the basis of taxation the
principles of equality and uniformity, Con-
Egress must we are to presume, have been ac-
luated by principles real or fancied OF higher
obligation than equality and uniformity
But we look in vain among the discussions
upon this policy at any time since its origin
for these higher principles. One Of the OBJ
jects in preferring taxation on imports is con-
venience-a negation and ofen an Hnta-
gonist of principle. But the main and
.avowed design was the encouragement OF
domestic manufacturers policy rather than
a principle. And thus to convenience and
10 policy, trivial, temporary and partial, has
principle, the eternity and universally OF con-
venence and polcy-been sacrifced and
hat principle, equality and uniformity in the
action of the predominant power of free
government The effect OF the Tariff sys-
lem, (even for revenue merely is TO aggra-
vate continually the inequality with which il
begins. For it being the object and effect OF
the system TO excite domestic competition
to produce domestic instead of a
foreign commodity, the success of the system
is attended with continual reduction IN the
aumber of imported articles, on which the
axes are to be levie thus contracting The
oasis of taxation, whether it operate on those
who consume the imported article, or those
I,who produce that for which it isreceived in