Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1867-02-01
Breaking she Camel. Back.


The Congress Of the Ititcd States is now
debating the most important me ssures which !
has ct claimed its attention at the present |
session. We mtaa the bil 10 provide IN
creased revenue from imports, and for other
purposes. taken up in the Senate on Mons
DAY last This measure affects directly the
interest Of every man IN the community,
which cannot be sasd cf the Other measures,
involving partisan politics, which have been
under consideration.
Ii viii he remembered hat prodigio,sly |
high protective tariff bill passed the House
last summer, but failed TO be acted upon IN
the Senate. We protested against i at the
time. aud hoped that this bAntlIng Of Messrs. |
Morrill,, Stevens 4 Co. would prove to be
still born, and % DO quietly buried and fors
gotten. Bot perusal OF the I'LL just re-
ported In the Senate shows that the brat is
s,ll alive and kicking So far from seeking
to reduce the burden Of taxation, the Senate
Fiuaacc Committee seem to have entered
into an alliance with the manufactures u
ric u the tariff y,l higher lven IS efe
the House bat made a reduction, as III the
case q ties and coffee, this doggcdy puts
back the tax to the ela rates Of twenty five
cents per pound on tea, and five cents On
coffee
The one Great evil under which the Amer
lcan people now gr al rs an all pef'Ad'ns
system 81 high prices, aud !, is Just as plain
a that tao aud two make four, that high
ialsil. and heavy internal taxes arc tic chiei
causss dat swell the cost If most staple
commodities. Especially is this true in the
case oi manufactured articles 50 largely aud
90 necessarily imported from abroad. Ac-
oordlng 10 the report u the sreca commits
sioner II the revenue, the present average
tate OF duty imposed by the taiiir Of 1864
amounts 10 forty eight and one,half per
cent. on the value ol the articles and this
IS estimated in gold, exclusive Of any PIE
MUM TO represent the currency expansion.
Yet il is proposed greatly 10 increase this
percentage Of tax, aud TO impose duties Of
which the following are sample. We
quote five leading articles o! con- umpton,
With he duties charged on them by the
tariff OF 1901, 1854. fnow in force, and the
proposed tariff Of 1867, respectively
MAR IRON
Tariff OF 1861 ...............$l j per tun.
Present taii' ........... So 10 per ton.
Proposed tariff q 1856. SIS to $3i per ton.
CUTLERY.
lariT Of 1851 ....... 30 per cent. AL val
Present tsriil. 40 per cent.
Proposed tarii Of 1891 $500. % per cent.
Tariff " lsGl ........ih cents per pound
Present tariff. ...... % cents per pound
Proposed tariff Of lS61 % cents per pound.
nnowS SUGAR.
Tariti oi 1851 ......-....- cent per p und
Present tafili. cents per pound
proposed tariff OF 1861. - cents per pound
wooLEN Gsops
Tariff of 1861 lsc. per H.. aud 80 p. I dd ,at
Present tamil. 2ic per w. and sop. 4. ~ rst
Propossdtar
"a VI lsG.. lJc. per H.. and 81 D. al ri
Tie last named tax is especially oatra
geous, since II amounts TO a duty e fl,m
iil.y II one hundred per cent according 20
quality OF goods)0n the value I'll q acres airy
s.aiile ~ uAt crsal use
Concerning this wool business, We learn
tweer ,hioeNery significant facts Iron, Toms
missioner Nrs's recent report. TIL ASSOC.
ciatIon 81 Manufacturers Of American Wual,u
goods cane before the comm siun, AID de,
msnded that TT every cent ei duty impos i
On wool, q, the raw material, tour cents
per pound should lie levied on manufactured
wo0icuS "Nalhiug less, ST.! TINS modest
ASSOCIATION. than specific duty of Gly
three cents per pound on such manufactures
viii be- suiiieici.' to place TIC nal uiactulor
ia the same positioa nS II lie had his raa
material OF duty a pesitioa ,fta,h hc mist
demand ds IN am saact Ter tie frcs,,cd-
sioi, q, las .a,instry.
These Gentlemen who thus placed them
selves IA tho imperative mood. IT appears,
got all they wanted from the Congressional
Committee, AMI u little more. Mr.. Wells
tc IL Us that admissions were made to him
by ,epr, sen;aives II many OF the produc,
ing Interests Of tho country likely TO bc al
tscted by this hill, that the rates OF duty
IMPOSED by 1t are higher than are necessary
tor the adequate protection oi their inter
eats lie further shoss t. whit a severe
.Nunt these di,inierv>ted persons air
about t. pul the Neel eyer The eyes i. tie
Ameucau people ia thc ioil wing cae4i.~
~. Nastd upHu slic r.aN proposed in lhe
{ eu fwtlss N". l4= itsr t. y.
y. ,nal,u. tlc i.fe se,i i.fc oi duty upon
oasasbel 'e4 N e"'~ Ter pound, the
ptc- a. anrsai iaN NJ thc lr aeciion Fl iaiS
.sftt .+t t. tDAotN.e, &sr.orN.aln. til u
;lir ttop. ''d int, assuming H. ven and a
hall rtais aa .hc ntastnain. this las Wsa Toe
tr';rer i'rra-ei ia the amount Vt So, 2lr,
,uI VA "tbes oras. HE proposed tariff CA
wool ana waa' ns MI tx the community
ui II should batc the ilect sought hy those
wne proposed Il, e. HE extent Of sefeHy-
n9e rtfifVas tle, husdfe} ds3 mn MoHsdn.
.f4}afs per annGm for he protection Of our
interest, the whole annual value of who-c
Product cannot be cousiicted IN excss q;
thrty SIX millions of dollars, Can any such
Knoa III taNati n, on an absolute necessa>
IS OF lie m this country, bc justified under
the plea Il protection - American industry,
and that industry one which cannot clam,
high protection on the plea that IL j. not
We, well tstahli-hcds'
10 this iofeihlv statement VT may add,
that the duty OF iron another greA; staple
OF which We import, and must continue To
import very heavy amount is now fully
Atty per cent. nj valo EN-, and il is sought
to .ncreasr it from twenty five TO fifty per
cent. in addition. The tax on cutlery OF all
kinds is fifty per cent. higher than II was
by the war tariff Of 1861, vet another ten
per cent IL 10 be piled on top Of that, rais-
ing the duty to fifty tive per cent. ad vAlo>
rem. This cgrcsious folly is defended on
the ground Vi protection to American in
dasuy." when every man knows that the
lev bundled men employed At tire. to five
dollars day to make pocket halves. could
get remuncra,ivc employment in other oc>
equations. while the mass of people who
must now pay from one dollar and half t.
two dollars Tor what should COS, them bu,
one dollar, would put the dlift,.nce in THEN
pockets.
Even raw sugar, which came in at tire ;,
fourths Of cent per pound in lsdl, is I,
be taved three cents under this new bill. e.
Aud tea and coffee, on which the lious
bill o. the last session made reduction .
fifty per cent, are to be KEPT up 10 tn
present enormous rates Of duty levied, thu
taxing almost every person in the comnuui
~ on these three articles Of necessity. no
luxury. (accordng 10 the American stand
ari,) from twenty five to fifty per cent oi
the val ue Of what he consumes.
AMI these enormous taxes are levied Il
the face ol the notorious fast that our Ns
tonal revenue is now nearly eighty million
per annun IN excess Of our necessary e,
pen,iitures The people are beginning t
feel the sesere pressure OF the compsicaie
load Of taxes which weigh them down, an
We, the prntectionists offer US no remed
save TO heap additional burdens on The phi