, 1866-02-06

Some Erroneous Assertions Refuted-
No Profits made on Duties paid to the
Government-NecesAlt OF Correct In.

Some Erroneous Assertions Re&ufed-
No Profits made on Duties paid to the
Government-NecesAls OF Correct In
formation.
Editors Chicago Tribune:
Your Wiuona Free Trade correspondent is
becoming Is absurd and reckless In his tsser-
tons rs the b1athcrshte Secretary Of The
Chicago Free Trade League. A few days ago
he stated In his diatrihe against retaining the
duty on foreign wool, that there vera but
four OF i've thousand wool growers IN the
United States; when In point Of fact the
number largely exceeds half million, or
more than one hundred times as many al he
alleged. With equal truth be might haro as
serted that there were but four or i've thou
sand farmers In the United States, because
the number that own half e township, apiece;
may not exceed that number. -
In the last issue OF the TR1BuSE observe
that the W1nona wiscacre enters into IN elab-
oratc arithmetlca1 calculation, in which he
proves to his own entire satisfaction that the
consumers of foreign fabrics are paying I'M
portcrs aud jobbefs over four hundred MIL
millions of which Is cfcar profit made on the
tariff. The fellow actua1ly asserts thIt mer-
chants add Ssh per cent to the cost Of their
goods On account Of the duties paid thereon.
he ciphers II ont TINS:
Duties paid On imports f1D, 900 100
1mpoHets p.oht 20 per cent ........ A0o9.0oo
Cost 10 jobber. 01, 900
Johbers profit % per cent. 900
fsts,Isfs' profits s5pei ceni.:..:....... 5ioso,oS
Gsst st, e o2e,nms1; eeesn9s1 a%
Eoae to the consumer. 0o0, ,D0o
All Of which large sum might be sayad,
be argues, IL Congress would abolish the
tariff aud resort TO direct taxation Of, houses
and lands for the support ofthe Government.
A write. can prove any proposition! or aus-
tan sny t9so o. nn91 ma5s good any yat asSsFlSn S
premises. Thus, the Wfnoua man sets
ont with the absurd assumption that the
importers charge profit of twenty per cent
not only on the cost Of the goods but,twenty
per cent On the duties paid by them to the Gov
e1nmeutl Both Of which assumptions are
grossly rat1ne ,.ats Ihs Il imR95ted goRd; are
drawn out and tho duty paid on them abons
the time they are sold to the tohbera. The
importer receives no profit on the duties be-
yonnd the mere interest on the use Of the
money. If the goods remain on his hands an
average Of forty DAYS before the iobber gets
lLCfn. GnC mtGlEHk h4A us lCe4 k0Au AuG
pcr cent. But as the bulk Of the goods
pass directly from the bonded warehouse
10 the. .fobbcr or country merchnut, and the
duties are paid with the check Of the latter,
no interest accrnes. Many Of Tho heaviest
jobbers ore themselves Importers There Is
a. T. Stewart who sells nearly nfty millions
of merchandise in a year, that imports, jobs
and retails. Many Of the heaviest houses
"3ob'' their imported goods. In Boston,
Philadelphia, Baltimore, San Francisco, New
Orleans and other cities, very few Imported
GOODS ave sold otherwise, but pass directly
Rum the importer to the retailer.
The facts, therefore, knock In the head the
Wfuona mans first assumption, that the i'm
porters sell all their goods to jobbers. and
charge twenty per cent profit on the Govern
mcnf duties. his next assertion is equally
false, that the importers charge twenty per
cent profit on the cost Of the goods aside from
tie duties. A. T. Stewart, Cladin. Mellen d.
Co., Phelps, Dodge g. Co., A. A: Lane g Co.,
md others, who regulate those things,
sell their goods 10 the tTade at an naverage
proit OF three to 6ve per cent and 81 course
other Importers must sell 1t something hke
The same, or find themselves undoraold and
without customers. The assertion that Job
bers charge twenty per cent on top OF the i'm
uorters' profits Of twenty par shows the Il
norance Of the Winona free-traaer. VIII not
al1ege that he knew better; don't think
the man Is demaRoEue who puf-