The Indianapolis daily herald., 1865-11-16
Newspapers--Tariss.

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organs Of The people. - high. - expensive;
We asked the question while ago. " hatnade
calicoe- and muslins 20 high. and We told YOU
Il was becsuse on every yard You bought
you paid from ten o. twenty cents 10
BE- paid over 70 the View England manufac-
turer. That's why you have 10 pay 20 much
Tor muslins and callcoes. and We advised YOU
! O. Juild mills for the manufacture ~ those ar-
tieles here. that the skinning- might ~ into
the pockets % indianapolis capitalists. who
might use the fortunes they were thus able %
make I'm building up our own city.
We now propose u answer your question.
what makes newspapers 80 high, II j. this
same Republican tariff. which law a tax on
every subscriber 70 a newspaper for the hene-
10. not u the United STATES Treasury. bat Tor
the benefit n tho paper mauufacturer. When
Mr. GAY sell. u paper on which % print the
HERALD for a day. and we pay him one or two
| hundred dollars above "a fair price Tor the
quantity purchased. that sum doe. not ~ into
United states Treasury. bat into hi- pocket
and he has legal right 70 IL. because the tar
IN has raised the price - high on the
article that we can get il no chez y
or elsewhere; and BE-. & course. will ri
the highest price he can; and We have "a
| get back the extra sum We had 10 pay for
the paper oui Of you, gentle reader. or sub.
-criber, or We shall soon 20 70 the wall. You
the consumer, pay the black mail levy ~ last.
The Cincinnati Commercial very leading
Republican paper. i getting tired 81 being
thus plundered by the tariff. We make some
extracts from long editorial on the subject
| in that paper:
I've have conclusive evidence that the
taking OF the duty would not seriously iniure
the American paper-maker; in fact that the
premium on gold would not only keep down
any heavy importation. but would also pre-
vent the importer of the foreign article from
greatly undertaking him. The gold premium
IN itself J. protective duty Of almost fifty
per cent. 10 the manufacturer, but when YOU
| add 10 this twenty per cent. more 81 duty paw
able In gold, and equivalent 10 about thirty
| per cent. IN currency, We submit whether thi-
tax Of eighty per cent. al valorem j. not a
| little too much OF good thingf
| The cry Of the adNocat Of high tariff /.
/ that we want revenue: yet this tariff ON
i printing paper produces no revenue. for the
| single and conclusive reason that ir j. prohib.
tory, and so no printing paper i imported
| We have u from the highest authority that
i not ten thousand dollars Of revenue has beer
collected ON this article from all our custom.
houses Ia the last four years. Your revenue
| tarin l. prolific goose. and lays golden eggs.
but when you have killed the goose 10y screw
| ing UP your tarih for protection instead 81
revenue, your golden eggs are no longer forth
| coming.
We have heretofore referred 10 the fact tha
the inortinate price demanded for printing pa
| per J. the principal item in the production Of ,
| newspaper that makes the consumer (and cy
| cry man who takes newspaper il consumer
pay moro than double the rates current befor,
the war. That this enormous advance j. no
| wholly unnecessary. and docs not represen
merely the natural and legitimate increase %
price growing out of the increased scarcity an,
cost OF materials and labor, there l. abundant
evidence 10 show. Papcr-making. like every
other manufacturing enterprise. has il >pccu
lative side. Taking advantage Of the cIirren
high prices and hard times and freed from al
Tear 81 that wholesome competition whicl
comes OF free trade, the eastern paper-maker
entered into a combination to raise and kcrJ
az the price of their manufactures. Thi
league. offensive and defensive. was thorough
| Is organized. and had two chief objects: first
20 = regulate" the price of paper; and second
10 prevent any reduction or repeal Of the pape
duty.
The combination succeeded beyond their tx
peciailons; they regulated" the price a
common e. news print" up and up, until
reached. At one time. tWenty-seVen cents pc
pOund-three times The price before the wal
The owners Of papernills rapidly accumulate.
| large fortunes. All The members OF the leagu
made 80 much money a. 10 render then
ravenouS for more. Indifferent 10 the com
plants OF their customers. and contcmptuou
of the opinion Of the country. they bcsicge
| Congress and IT. Committee of WAYS an,
Mans by all the familiar and not Over-credi
table methods of influence which the lobby
u W ashingtOn knows 80 well how TO Use. W
are sorry To say that they succeeded. again>
The prayer Of many thousands Of petitioner
rom among the people, and the almost unani
nous protest Of the press. The bill for tn
lbolition OF the paper duty, which had passe'
the Louise by heavy majority, was defcate'
IN the Senate.
Now, We insist that a system Of legislation
which not only permits "A small number q
manufacturers, 10y combining 10 dictate TN
)rice Of an article Of prime necessity, hu
which offers q direct premium on such monop
| oily, by laying prohibitOry protective dut
IN the article, is dangerous and injurious {
The public interest. Congress should b
| ishamed, II not afraid. to keep q tax whic
hut- out all hope Of a reduction i'm tho pric
Of knowledge, for almost the sole purpose fo
which paper is used i 10 diiIuse intelligenc
among the people. Let the people then TAX
this matter vigorously i'm hand. and by POM
Ing IN circumstances and petitions 20 Congress,
LEI that body see which j. the popular side
the question.
IL - the interest OF all men 60 make as niue
money a they can. But The inOrdnate cal
| which comes of an absolute MONOPOLY Of III
market. and Of protecting one small class {
men at the expense Of all others. i not
legitimate gain. Laws which foster such ella.
So are not equal laws, and il j. the plain dut
: 81 intelligent men everywhere TO agitat
against them until they are repealed.