The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1867-02-23
WHO PAYS THE TAXI

ing under false c%olors. We wonder how
a man with so red a head, and so little in
it-as is that of the Enterprise" man
can beget so black a progeny. We fire.
qucntly have to hold our olfaetory organ
whils reading his "Enterprise"-it is SO
pregnant with, and smells so fearfully of
Dinah and Sambo.
The United States nov pay annually
$500, GOO, 900 of taxes. Where does all
this vast amount of money come from p
From the rich men of the country ? No!
a bit of it. They are our bond
holders and pay no tax From the man
ufacturersG No! They have a protec-
tive tariff which gives them a monopoly
of their fabries--all tho tax they pay they
really don't pay-they merely advance it,
add it to the price of their goods and get
it all back when they sell them. Where
then does this vast sun of $500, 600, 900
come from annually? We answer, from
the consumer-from the laboring classes
tho men who have neither Government
bonds nor Misunderstanding who till
the soil, who consume the various articles
that are taxed,-who wear them out or
eat them up. Not only do they pay this
$500. 0OO, 900 annually, bu: as much more.
Hundreds of millions are paid into the
pockets OF manufacturers of which the
Government does not receive a cent. We
DO it in this way Say the cost of making
a yard of cotton cloth is eight cents, aud
the tariff is six cents per yard. An En-
glish vessel arrives in Boston freighted
with cotton cloth. The owner steps on
shore and inquiries what the duty is, and
is told that tits six cents per yard. This,
added to the original cost of his cloth,
makes it cost him fourteen cents, and the
expenses of bringing it across the Allan
tic one cen more; so that when he goes
into the market with his cloth, he is
obliged to charge fifteen cents per yard to
get his money back and TO make any
profit he will have to charge seventeen
cents a yard for his cargo. Just here a
Lowell manufacturer steps up and offers
his goods-no better or worse, but about
the same-for fifteen cepts-two cents
less than the importer can sell for and
the result is the importer withdrays his
bills from the custom house and departs
with his cargo. He pays nc duty to the
Government, as he would do were it not
for the high tariff. Yet the man who
buys the Lowell mans cloth, pays seven
cents per yard more than it would cost
him had there not been q duty on it and
the Lowell - the Government
pockets the amount. This il no fiction.
We derive no revenue from this class of
goods, the duty being prohibitory. Yet
the consumers pay seven cents tax on ey-
cry yard of cotton cloth they buy, and it
all goes to TO the manufacturer. This is
the reason why cotton goods are so high,
and yet not a cent of this additional price
goes to liquidate the national debt-not a
cent Of it.
The main argument used il defence Of
a prohibitory or high tariff is that it
serves to develop the Of our
county and to make US independent of
all other countries. Tt is all we'll enough
to be independent but when we pay such
a fearful price for it it behooves US to stop
and consider whether We are not paying
dearly for our whistle. Remove the pro-
hibitory tariff, and while it is true the
lords of the loom in Puritanic New Eng
land might suffer, yet there is not a con-
sumner in the United States but would be
personally and directly benefited. We
should enjoy, to some extent, the benefits
of the cheap labor aud abundant capital,
and skill, and multifarious machinery Of
Great Britain and continental Europe.
Our entire revenue system is wrong,
and it will remain so until the people rise
in their majesty and might and hurl the
dominant party from power, and install
the good old Democratic party in their
places. Who does not remember how
very light our taxes were a few years ago
when the Democracy held the reins of
Government? Place them in power
again, and we will not promise that we
will be as lightly taxed as we were then,
for that is impossible under existing cir
cumstances-circumstanc brought about
by the. Radical party-but we will guar
antee that our burdens arising from taxa
ton will be materially removed. A pro-
hibitory tariff will be removed, and the
p~uritanical capitalists of New England
will be obliged to compete with the cheap
labor and capital Of Europe. If they go
down, very well the masses will be ben
Gifted. Bondholders will be taxed and
thus made to help support the Govern
ment-a thing they don't do now, nor
will not while the present corrupt party
remains in power. The Freedmen's Blu