Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1857-05-08

!" 10000 %, 1854
Thus. it is seen, that the average wealth
Of all the heads Of families in the State
is about So, 500 each, the average relief
TO each head of family in the State
which would be afforded by this magnii
cent land scheme would be the prodigi-
Gus affair of one dollar and ffty-six cents!
The poor man dependant upon his daily
labor and owning but three or four huns
dred dollars OF worldly goods would be
taxed 25 cents in the year less than he is
now! The great body of men of average
moderate means would each be saved the
matter of a dollar ard half in the year.
Aud the man OF independence and for
tune of ten thousand dollars would be
relieved in the comfortable sum OF fifteen
dollars-in the event Of Virginia's receiv-
ing the largest possible stipend from the
federal government that can be possibly
anticipated by the most imag inative and
sanguine Distributionist Any less
amount than the large sum we have sup
posed distributable, would produce cor
responding saving to the poor man of q
fraction Of twenty-five cents to the man
of moderate means fraction of nine shil.
ton Of fifteen dollars
We are sorry that the enquiry does not
stop at this point. If it did. as something
is better than nothing, be it never so
small. there would be some microscopic
merit in the proposition of the DisLribu-
tionists. Who would not save the poor
man his eighteen pence in the year, the
man Of moderate n cans his nine shillings,
the man Of fortune his three guineas. of
taxation II the scheme of distribution
had but one feature in it, that Of giving
away money, it would be in some degree
meritorious. but it has another side TO it.
The money distributed is taken from the
general treasury and must be replaced dol
lar for dollar from some other source 1t is
the investigation of that aspect of the sub
ject that reveals the scheme as trick
and cheat, showing it 10 he n device for
Tobbing the masses of the people in or
der to bestow the fruit of the robbery
upon goVet nmentS Of the States.
There are but two sources of revenue
to the federal gOvernment-saleSO of lands
and duties on imports. Every dollar Of
land money diverted from the regular
uses of the federal government increases
to that extent the duties on the commerce
of the country. In view OF the present
surplus In the treasury, Congress has just
reduced the tariff from about an average
OF 80 per cent If law should be pass
ed ordering the distribution Of anything
like the sum of $85. 500, 900, say in the
period of Eve years, the duties would be
required to be raised to higher point by
several per cent. than that 10 which they
have Just been reduced-to at least an
average Of IS per cent. and every dollar
that would be thus raised for distribution
among State governments. would be Just
so many dollars Of increased taxes upon
the purchases Of the people, augmented
by the expenses of collecting the Tariff
aud the increased prices of home manu-
features produced by theprotection afford
ed by the Tariff.
Take q single article for example. The
finest broad cloth is bought abroad for
about four dollars per yard. Under the
present reduced Tariff the cost Of a coat
pattern would be as follows:
Foreign cost of yards, $500
Duty, "a per cent, 1893
Merchants and jobbers' profits
added at 339 per cent. on $9,99 3,31
Cost to consumer. 1929
The Distribution Of $85. zoo, 900 would
produce an augmentation Of duty to at
least So per cent. This duty in coat
pattern would produce cost thus stated:
- Foreign cost of TWO yards, So
Il Duty. $50
Home jobber's and merchants
joint profit at 33S per cent.
on 5000 $50
Cost to Consumer. Si4.4o
Thus. the Yirginian of moderate means,
whom we have seen to have been reliev.
ed by the States reception of her quota
of land revenue, ITO the extent of one dol
lar4and fifty>six.cents in the taxes of a
year. would have to pay almost the whole
sum back in increased duty on a single
broad cloth coatAto say nothing of the
te, - Nd ~. ,,aral - u.s.