Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1866-09-12

slate, marble, brick, tiles, window glass,
painters colors, hnseed oil and other
/ vegetable oils, lime and Roman cement,
and also exempt from taxation repairs OF
all kinds. Also agricultural implements
and products, such as machinery TOR the
manufacture of sugar, syrup and molas-
sss from sorgum, impbee, beets and corn;
plows, cultivators, harrows, planters, seed
drills, hand rakes, grain cradles, reapers,
mowers, threshing machines, wInnoWlng
mills. corn shelters and coffin gins; such
articles of prime necessity as gypsum and
| fertilizers, of all kinds maple, beet, sor-
ghum and beet sugar and molasses vine
oar. saleratus, starch and soap valued at
! less than three cents per pound Ameri-
can steel and rail road iIon and finally,
all tombstones valued It less that SlOO,
and all monuments. whether erected by
nubIic or priyate munifcence, to COM
emorate the services of Union soldiers
who had fallen in battle or died IN the
service. They reduced the tax on cloth
inc and boots and shoes from SIX per
cent: exempted milliners and dressma-
lxers from tax, and exempted shoemakers
and tailors whose work, exclusive OF ma
teriaIs. does not exceed 800 per annum.
The tax on slaughtered animals, being
a war tax, was repealed. Except COTTON
and tobacco, no agricultural products Is
now taxed at all.
No licence or special tax IS now requl-
red of farmers, while all other pursuits
ard professions are required to pay such
a tax from ten to one thousand dollars,
and more in proportion to the amount OF
business.
AS an illustration of the vicious Sys-
tenn of duplication of taxes, it was found
that by the time an American book had
beeutold in the market there had been
paid from twelve to fifteen separate taxes
upon it. Each constituent part OF the
book-paper, cloth leather, boards, thread
cline. gold leaf and type material-had
maid a tax of from three to FIVE per cent,
and the finished article, when sold, had
paid a tax of five per cent. upon the sell
| ling price, The law was, therefore, so
amended as to remove the tax from the
separate parts and processes, and levy 1t
on the finished product. On this principle
the tax was repealed on mineral coal,
pig iron and castings for parts OF machl-
merry, and placed upon the emachine when
finished. Also, the tax was removed
from crude petroleum and placed upon
the refined article when ready for USE
The tax on stoves and hollow ware artl-
cles, for domestic use, was reduced from
six to three dollars per ton. That our
educational forces might not be wet tken-
ed, the tax on books, magazines, newspa-
pers, printing paper and all printing ma
terial was greatly reduced. The heaviest
taxes are now levied on distilled spirits,
ale, beer, tobacco. cigars, refined petro-
leum, cotton and gas, carriages OF high
value, gold watches and gold and silver
plate; but silver table ware used by any
one family, not exceeding forty ounces,
is exempt from any tax.
Fifty per cent. of all our internal taxes
are raised on manufacturers. Stamp taxes
another very productive source of reven-
ue, are nearly all paid by the business
men of the country.
TARIFF.
Our second source of revenue is the
tariff duties on imported goods, from
which we realize about one-third of all
our revenues.
A carefully revised tariff bill passed the
House but was postponed in the Senate
till next session. 1t provided for increas-
ed protection on American wool, linseed,
and cigars, iron and steel, and
the various articles manufactured from
them. A bill was, however, passed, which
will indirectly effect a considerable in
crease of tariff duties. AS the law before
stood, the ad vslorem duties on imports
were levied on the price at which the
were purchased in the foreign
country, exclusive of cost of transporta-
tim fn tho hnorI o,,I kIo
charges. Under the law importers
bought their goods far in the interior
and consequently paid the duty on a
price much lower than the article could
be bought for at the point of export
By the new law the duty is to be levied
on the articles after they have been
added to the original purchase price all
the cost of transportation, storage, way
age, wharfage and port charges. This
will both increase the duties and protect
the Government against fraud.
On the general question of protection
there are great extremes of opinion
among the people of the United States
and their extremes appear in full strength
among their Representatives in Congress.
One class would have US place so high
q duty upon foreign merchandise as to |
prohibit the importation of any article |
which this country produces or can pro-
duce. Besides placing ourselves in an
attitude of perpetual hostility to other !
nations, and greatly reducing our carry
ing trade, this policy would tend to make |
of all the leading manufae- |
turers of this country, who could fix the |
price of ali their products at their discre- |
ton. If, on the other hand, we should /
adopt the theories of the radical free ira |
der, and declare that our tariff shall be !
only for revenue, and nothing for pro-
lection, and particularly were that doc |
,rine to be put in practice at such time
IS 1886, when we had no debt, and a |
srge surplus in the Treasury to be given !
lway, no one can fail to see that we
ihould break down the dixie which our
have erected for the defense
If American industry, which produces
mel half of the annual income of the
people (for the manufactured products
# this country in 1860 were valued at
., 900, ,000,000). We should revolution
re our industrial system and place US at
he mercy of foreign manufacturers. Let
ither of these parties frame the tariff
nd the result will be calamitous in the
highest degree. One of the worst fea-
ures of our industrial system is the ir-
egularity and the uncertainty of the
agislation in reference to the tariff 1t
ubjects the business of manufacturers
o the uncertainty of lottery invest
nent. If the prohibitionists succeed one
ear, the profits of the manufacturers
re enormous. If, as is quite probable,
he reaction of the next year puts free
raiders in power, the losses are equally
reat. What, then, is the point of sta
lie equilibrium where we can balance
hese great industries with the most reas-
nable hope of permanence? We have
cen that one extreme school Of econo-
nists would place the price of all manu-
actured articles in the hands of foreign
,roducers. but rendering 1t Impossible
or our manufacturers to compete with
hem, while the other extreme school,by
making it impossible for the foreigners,
o sell their competing wares, in our mar
zet would have no check upon the prices
which our manufacturers might fix upon
L fharafora that a