, 1866-02-16
Revenue Vs. Protection.

Editors Chicago Ttibune:
As this question seems to be an open one In !
your columns, trust that you will allow IN
outsider, who has hitherto said nothing, to
collate few of the Facts which have been
elected In the course of the discussion, for tho
guidance OF casus1 renders, making snch CON-
ments Of his own thereon as may seem most
suitable.
In this connection allow me to say that
Col. Fosters address was d most ad-
mirablc one, bristlIng with facts, aud
fulnlaling q number of stumbling blocks
to Protection" who makes lame business
indeed OF getting over them. Now that this
last correspondent has syowed his real name,
let US hope, If he Is as fair man as he would
lead us To imagine, that the last shells OF old
uunker Wblggery which seem 10 be yet cling
least, when convinced Of Ills error, will not
persist In most abom1nablc heresy which 1
cannot and will not long be maintained in
free country like this, despite the spasmodic 1
efforts OF Morrill,, Carey, Greeley 4 Co.
No man ever attempts TO maintain the fair
lion whatever III Justice or equity. But, say !
It's advocates, y q must keep 1t up, to protect !
our infant manufactures against the "pauper |
labor" Of Europe. Is this eo9 Il 50, how
long mast We Keep Il up! Il IL system
OF direct robbery, and OF nothing else-if the
farmers, composing seyen.tenths Of the con-
auminE population North, South and West,
are 10 be robbed IN this style, simply to mnin-
tain this expensive System Of manufacturing,
located mainly on the seaboard, how long
shall we submit TO the plundeEe Revenue Of
course has bnt little to do with 1t, As shall
presently show.
The illustration given by Col. Foster OF The
marble block, sufficiently demonstrates this.
II our artists are rich enough to go to Rome
or Florence, and theto employ "panper labor"
to chisel ont the models OF their works ui nrt
In Italian marble, they hre permitted to In
port these works, when finished, Into this
country free Of duty. But If too poor to al.
ford q residence In Europe, or unwilling to be
c1ilcd ftom home, they attempt the same task
here, tax Of $50, 10 gold, must be paid fot q
cause revenue is needed By the nation, and It
mnst be hads Not BY any manner Of means.
Simply because Mr. MoEfills State, Vermont,
has stone quarry III 1t, and bis constituents
must be protectcd;" that Is. they must
hayc special privilege to rob every body in
bic. The present tariff is flied with such
abominatlors- ..,.-...
Col. Foster gives tho sum total Of manufar-
tures IN 1860, at 81 t0O0. COZ, 600. Though this
amount has enormously increased since that
date, lets us call 1t, exclusive Of exports Vor
|
Il for laws 10 rob lis fellow -citizens, has no
fears Of sspanper 1abor' In the markets of the
| world. aud does not hesitate TO compete with
1t In China. IN India aud in South Amerfca)
| two thousand millions consumed ut home In
1865, avery moderate estimate The heEenqe
country At 7350, ,000, coo to $400, ,0m, COO,
| and tho revenue derived therefrom to the
Government at a150, 600 600. Others say the
revenue will be s1soio 200. or this amount
certainly one-half il manufactured goods
consumed here. The estimated tariff, that Is
over nna above what tho article ought 70 and
actually did cost, is forty to fifty pei cent, OF
one-half the first cost OF the goods. Add TO
this the present premium on gold, thirty eight
10 forty per cent, importcrs' profits, Interest,
brokerage, fees, &C., and the Commission e.
timatc The actual burden placed upon the
people to be SIX per cent. certainly moder-
ute estimate, as only five per cent Is added for
every thing except premium on gold Vow
no one can calculate these things closer than
your Yankee manufacturer. He knows to q
fraction the exact cost Of importing, and his
vafe pocket, is calculated With nicely wor-
thy Of all admiration. How much does he
| make, l. c., how much does he pluck from
that great goose, the good.naturcd public ?
Calculate for yourselves. good readers; the
but thousands Of millions have gone IN this
way, within the past FIVE years. into
the pockets Of mrD already 80 rich
they don't know how much they
are worth, or what to do with their money
il after they get It. This fact cannot be denied
i or s'urred over, nor will any sophistT Of youF
Itistrue while the war was going On, while
/ million Of men were diverted from their prop
CT labors, and while farmers were consequent
\ " receiving prices for produce altogether IN.
H year, while clothing tho people Of the South,
Who were nearly naked, this state Of things
Il could be borne, or at least submitted to.
il manufacturers were taxed beyond their power
il to supply and prices went up SO high that NJ
/ unusually 1arge Importation, and consequent
II revenue, was the result. But this state Of at
1 fairs Is altogether exceptfonable. The true
Al TACT Is that from two hundred millions manu-.
II facturcd goods we get revenue Of seventy
II fire millions in Cnld. On two thousand mil.
i lions more Of manufactured goods consumed
by the nation, It gets no revenue At al, ex'
N cspt trftle Of income tax, &C., while II pays
Il INTO The pockets Of few favored indivi iduals,
\ on moderate estimate, a thousand millions
Il q year.
ii wlIy don't the West manufacture for itself
Well, there are several reasons: first, we
hav'nt the capitnl: second, We don't know
ali, We don't want to. Either ofthese Is good
enough tor US. None of them are sufficient
for more than an apology for robbtng us as We
are now robbed. Even fwc dld manutac.
ture, that would not help the matter with tht
great consuming robbed public at large. It !:
very little, If my more pleasant to know that
! your brother picks your pockets, than
stranger. ...s
But, say some Of these protcctionists, 'sthil
isn't SO; you don't pay ill thismoney, at all. ,
Horace Greeley, who asplrcs to be d sort
, Daddy amoug the protectiouists, amon&
his other queer pecullatiGes, once had th
, brass TO maintain that the hlghe
the tariff. was, the cheaper the prIce
: were, tint Is, the more you pail
out Of limited pile, the NOR
? you had left: The events of the past fe7
years, OF an increasing sense Of modedy,, O
r shame, If he has any, or regard for truth, ~
l somewhat modified this absurdty, to call !
+ by the uildrst possible term, on his part
| though he shrieks as londly for protection
i ever. Now, Ii the present discussion ha
proved anything, 1t has settled the iact tha
: suit Of clothing costing In Canada 80 7
$40 IN greenbacks, Canada tatif and all, cost
rs here SIS to 380- II this be 20, applied T.
!. the thirty millions Of the nation, what pii
!, of money the difference makes Applied onl
TO the 4, COX, ,850, ,o0O voters Of 1854, the sum
: also truly enormous, and II the manntaeSa1
I crs do not fob 1t, where does It gof Cei
i tainly the nation dues not get 1t IN the snap
TSs The0t iaet Is, that the Western farmer h.
;. three bushels out Of four taken away trol
! him to ret The fourth 10 market, and Of N