Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1850-10-12
THE TARIFF.

The editor of the Lewisburg Democrat |
in reporting the remarks Of Mr.. Gamble at
Lewisburg, has evidently misunderstood
him. We have conversed with Mr.. Gam
bic on this subject ard know that his opin-
ions do not widely differ from our own.--
Some Of the original projectors and warmest
friends of the tariff Of 1916, acknowledge il
to be defective in many particulars. Mr..
Walkers numerous orders TO collectors, to
prevent frauds, are of themselves a tacit
admission of the fact. Without 'home VAL
uations" and in many instances 0speclfic
dutiesY the present tariff will never answers
and this opinion is becoming pretty general.
Facts are far more important than the alb
stractions of theorists. Under specific du-
ties wines and brandies that were valued at
S1O7 have continued to decrease in value,
until they are now deemed worth at home
only from 4S to 60 cents per gallon.-
Shawls that are appraised at the Boston
Custom House worth in England 81 shil-
lings, are appraised at the New York Gus
tom House worth "a shillings. So that our
revenue system must depend in a great
measure upon the interested judgment of
foreign merchants, and the judgment and
easy conscience of some of our Custom
House appraisers. Besides out of about 80
Custom Houses only 5 have appraisers.
But to return to Mr.. CANDLES speech,
from which we quote the following extract:
'What is the minimum principle 1t is 10
fix fictitious value upon an article far above
its real value and then tax it accordingly.
For instance, under the tariff '42 every square
yard of cotton goods imported into the coun-
try, was assumed to be worth 20 cents per
square yard and taxed at that rate conse-
quently, the poor man, who purchased
ward Of muslin or calico, which in London
cost only cents per yard paid just as much
duty on it as though it had cost twenty cents
per square yard. A being laborng man,
and scarce in money, buysa shirt, The mus
lin of which, in, London, cost 2 cents per
yard, being in more fortunate circumstan-
ces, buys shirt, the muslin of which, in
London, costs twenty cents per yard. The
minimum principal of the Tariff of 1912, AS
sUMEs both these pieces of muslin TO be
worth 20 cents per square yard, and lays an
equal amount of duty on each; consequently
the poor man, who purchaces the cheap art-
Gle, pays TEN TIMES the amount of duty on
the first cost of his article, that his rich
neighbor does upon his Was there ever
such bill of denominations palmed off onuhe
credulity Of man. 1t Disseminated for the
RICH and against the poor-for CAPITAL, and
against LABOR"
We can hardly believe that Mr.. Gamble
gave utterance to the following for these
reasons First that the raw material or
cotton alone is worth more than two cents
per yard on good muslin, and the fact is no.
E torious that although there was duty
amounting to Gets per yard on British mus
Inns, yet at the same time American mus
linS had been sent to English markets and
sold cheaper, after paying duties, than the
English could sell them. Yet according
to the above theory the poor man has been
paying tax or duty on his muslin, of G
cents per yard, although it will not be
denied that our own manufacturers were
producing the same article at home, at from
to cents per yard. Then what be-
comes Of the tax of cents per yard unless
we presume the manufacturer steals the
material and works for nothing. MIR.
Walker made some amusing theoretical blum
ders of the same character in his report
one of which was that every one using a
ton Of coal paid a tax of S1,75, and yet
nearly half the coal used in the United
States did not, on an average, cost the con.
> sumers much over that sum, and we, poor
simple souls, were paying $l,75 duty when
} but for the tariff, we should have had it fol
nothing. Such is the result when facts are
made subservient to theory.
0- The Sunbury Section, No. 1877
. . Ca1ofc of nt THAR mo- pp