Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1861-02-14
THE TARIFF QUESTION.

the conclusion that she will stand by the South.
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THE TARIFF QUESTION.
We invite the careful and rejecting attention
of our readers to an article on the outside of this
paper, on free trade and direct taxation. Shall
the revenue of the Southern Confederacy be
raised by tariff on imports or exports, or by
direct taxation, is one of the most important
questions to be determined by US of the South,
at the present time. The article referred to,
very ably supports the theory of direct taxation.
Unavoidable evils seem to be connected with
both these methods of raising revenue The
Tariff we know from all sufficient experience,
leads to extravaganza and wild speculation in
the government This extravaganza rapidly
outstrips the willingness of the people to meet
its demands; and hence the argument that q
Tariff tends to allsy discomfort ct the expense
of government, is nullity. 1t may do so, but
only on the supposition that the public debt &C
cumulates year after year, until in the course Of
time it would bankrupt the wealthiest empire
on the globe to pay its dues. England has tried
this policy to the core. With all the revenue
accruing from her mighty commerce, through
out her vast domain on which the sun never
sets, her national debt is to-day nearly four
billions of dollars! Why? She has been afraid
to tax her people, even through the oily and
seductive agency of the Tariff, sufficiently to
maintain the dignity Of the English crown. All
the countries of Europe raise revenue in the
same way; and Europe groans and labors and
writhes under public debt Of more than ten
billions of dollars. No government can enhance
its true dignity or conciliate nm honest and in
telligent people, by system which taxes future
generations to support the present, or which
merely to keep up appearances to day, entails
bankruptcy and disgrace upon posterity.
The Tariff is, moreover, corrupting, because
it almost inevitably leads to protection and in
terna improvements by the government. In
the government which we have just left, the
most solemn promises were more than once given
to reduce, and then to keep the Tariff at a reve-
nue. standard. But these promises were as Of
ten broken; and the Tariff for forty years has
been constantly levied so as to protect New
England manufactures and Pennsylvania iron
mines What right has government to tax Ala
bana to build a railroad in South Carolina, or
to pay men here to open and work an iron or
gold mine on Kings Mountain None. The
people of Alabama would rightly kick against
such legislation.
On the other hand, it is contended that the
people would feel more acutely the burden Of q
government supported by direct taxation. The
money would come directly out of their pockets,
and they could estimate it in dollars and cents.
1t requires vast amount of money to carry on
the simplest and cheapest government; and this
sum distributed to every individual would be
so large as to make many complain of burden
some taxation. Demagogues would spring up
like mushrooms, who would rail out against the
government, and cry aloud for the oppressed
people. Discomfort would increase; society
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at its bottom and the government would trem.
BILE and totter from turret to foundation.
To all this we reply that Republicanism can.
not afford to make terms with ignorance and sell
fshness 1.-THE price of liberty is intelligence
and vrtue.' Ample provision must be made fol
the education of the ruling race, and the public
heart must throb with love stronger than gold
or death, for true and enlightened freedom o,
the government will be swallowed up either il
the Scylla of despotism, or the Charybdis of an
archy. The public mind must be enlightened
and purified enough to bear cheerfully the neces.
sary ills and sacrifices of self government OF
liberty itself is in peril. Direct, taxation, there
fore, becomes touchstone by which to test the
amount of private virtue and intelligence posses
sed by people, and their consequent capacity
for self-government. The Roman msers motto
was, "Seek money first, virtue afterwards" but
. the motto must be reversed by those who wish
to be free.
But, while the tendency of the Tariff is to ex-
travagance and corruption, it cannot be denied
that direct taxation is liable to stint and cripple
the operations Of government, and to haudcuf
the lbera.minded patriot in his efforts to serve
and exalt his country. The two systems act op.
posingly and would, we think, if judiciously
combined, thwart each others evil tendencies,
and check and balance each other admirably
The generous patriotism Of Alabama, in hei
gift of half-a-million to our new government
seems to US almost Providential. If it shall re.
suit in the establishment of system to raise q
revenue for the Southern Confed eracy, one half
through Tariff controlled by. the general gov
ernment, and the other half through the medium
of direct taxation levied by the respective States
upon their citizens-each State to be assigned
its just proportion of the debt by the Federal
Cougress-it will be to our minds happy con-
sequence. The Tariff should be limited to a
revenue standard by the Constitution; or any