Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-09-18
exxxY.

loyal subjects, when our Government has
taken up his trade. If you wish to under
stand the yastness oftbis part of our tariff
laws, you need only to fall into converse
ltion with merchantup anlarticle whose
foreign value you are familiar with Let
him runaup before you the cost of this ar
Iticle, mark how he always takes the high
est value, then add gold premium on it, and
then the gold duty on that same high orig
tnal cost, and gold premium on it.. Then
go to the custom house and find the price it
is entered at, and you can easily figure out
I0e great loss to the consumer for he pays
mot only the ENLARGED original cost, but he
pays on this the duty andupon both the
premium. A mantilla, costing in England
five dollars (and you can get very fine ones
at that. price). are entered for four dollars
lin the custom house, but counted to the
consumer at ten dollars original cost and
ON this ten dolars---foar dollars for premi-
nm, aud five dollars for duty and two dol
lars forpremium-making TWEEN ty zone dol
lars in all, and then retail profit on it of
four dollars, SO that such an article costs
twenty-five dollars in Cincinnati, when it
could easily be sold at twelve dollars.
| 4, may be told that this extra profit will
correct itself by competition, and so it
tweuld in ordinary circumstances; but mind,
that it is Government whose will rules the
trade'under such circumstances. q The eau
tious and the men of moderate means feel
insecure in trade under such high duties.
They dislike to cooperate in commerce
which they know to be precarious, because
1t depends on Government, and because the
Natural laws are interfered with. To hide
true Knowledge as to cost, is the very ele-
ment of such traffic, and, thereby, as we'll
as from other causes already mentioned
trade falls into the hands of the auiacious,
OF those who can afford to be eaudacious. A
II - 1EllI L..
regular supplies, are impossible under such
state of thirgs. Extra profits to the big
and rich dealers ensue from this, and thus
| have arisen the larger martso of trade, those
mammoth stores whose grandeur tickles
our, people, whose existence is, however,
only evidence OF a false Capitalization in
Edistempered trade. Thus Government al
ways regulates into disorder whatever it
undertakes to subject to its will. How
muchist taken from the people by this pro-
cess, and by smuggling, is difficult to as
certain. The Social Science international
Almanac estimates the undervaluations at
| forty mine and a half millions, and the
smpggled goods at seyenty-fives millions,
or a total of one hundred and twenty-four
millions. The duty upon this sum at forty
per cent. Is forty-nin millions six hundred
thousand dollars in gold, and in paper, six
ty-nine millions. regard this estimate as
too low by thirty millions. let it stand,
however, because prefer to be, in all my
statements, on the sa1e side. 1-i ~ E17-
81 To get clear of the condemnation this
deserves from our people, our Republican
friends will interpose that the Govern
fnent is not to blame for it, because it does
| its best to reduce the evil to the lowest
amount. Anifneendiary, ,swho would labor
to put -Out a.fire kfndled by himself, has
the same excuse. True virtue abstains
from evil. Our Government is the prime
n
sistently to return to the best corrective,
to-wit: that lowest duty which brings the
highest revenue. 1t has purposely chosen
the opposite course, with its other two
correlatives-high duties, with smuggling
and uadervaluations, and an army of spies.
Social science, always true and wise, is in
nothing SO positive as inits con1emnations
of systems of revenue which invite fraud.
Onr Congress and the Republican party
ignore science. 1t does it with malice
aforethought, and it must bear the re-
| spofsfbility of the grand swindle of the
people, which 'emanates from it. --5.. "a
Our public documents are silent upon
third point, upon which we must try to yet
them 10 speak. / refer to the tares leuied by
manufacturers through our protective tariff.
l'searched long and hard for some trail by
which might trace out, with the help of
some predecessor. the amount OF this spuri-
ons levy upon our people. Finding none,I
had to be my own pathfinder. and pursued
the method which you must now allow me
to explain. 1 took up the census of 1850
| and the tariff laws, and endeavored to IA
miliarize myself with two points; first, of
the annual product of those of our home
manufactures which are pre-eminently
protected by our, tariff; and second, the
amount OF protection they enjoy. They en-
brace boots, shoes, clothing, iron, leather,
paper, salt, cotton fabrics and wooden fab
rics. then took up the Report of the, In-
tefnal Revenue Commissioners. and ascer-
certained by computing, from the amount
of Internal revenue tax paid, the annual
product, and then / charged upon this
amount the duty fixed in our tariffs. am
aware that have thus drawn into my call
culations some manufacturers who derive
no beuefit from protection; but know al
so, that have not inclnded in them sever.
al articles upon which the tariff operates
advantageously. Iname only glass, sugar,
| though others will readily occur. The du-
tY taken by me is not The highest ratein
the tariff, nor have added anything for
premium on gold. make these explana-
tions- for double purpose; first to explain
my method, and second to induce others to
follow me and perfect it,. My object was
not to ascertain the extreme highest sum,
on the contrary Iwanted the very lowest
sum compatible with truth. Thus arose
the following tabular statement: gaias
/ Articles Manufac- Internal Rev. Annual Pro-
ZOO c tured- - Tax Paid. duct.
Boots and Shoes. s6ll6sl4 % s1Os.6ls 567 60
GIoIhing 2se21'6Ns IL ,6ls l6
ufactured t;;.., ...7 Il, ,377s43 81 + s4 ss. =1l
lures. 5.ssts12 so s7.s1s.eoe OF