Middletown transcript., 1868-01-11
Taxsa ON Nasss.aries.

We hope and expect to see the day
when every dollar of the revenue needed
tossupport our government viii be levied
on superAuities, and when articles ofae-
cessary consumption will be free. Tha,
this idea is not chimerical one Is abnn-
dantly testified by the success already
achieved in this direction BY other conn
tries, and notably in England less thar
acentury ySince every article Imported into
the United Kingdom, and many of those
exported were burdencd with high duties.
Every useful commodity, - and every article
Of comfort and luxury, had to pay heavy
contribution to the State before it reached
the consumer, and the tariff exhibited a
| formidable load Of unjust and oppressive
burdens. Under hesprcad of more liberal
ideas the taxes levied blythe custom laws
upon almost every article largely consumed
were gradually reduced or got rid Of
Through the arduous and intelligent Ia
bors Of Golden, Bright and other leaders
of the,Anti-corn Law League, the princi-
pie of protection which had long ridden
the British people, as it still does our own,
was formally abandoned and disowned.
The taxes On breadstuffs were repealed,
and great diminution was made. ; ! sA
Two hundred years, ago the number of
articles charged with taxes in Great, Bri-
tain numbered l 600. In 1857 they were
reduced to 1, 425 articles; in 1S26lto L.
280; in 1841 to 1,052; in 1S49 to Sis,
and in 1858 to 466 In the latter year
the, Chancellor of. the Exchequer, Glad
stone, thus stated the principles that gov
ern the tax levy ''l" Hi. ''t'ta
i' First, to abolish altogether the duties
which are unproductive and in the next
place to abolish, as far as considerations Of
revenue will permit, duties on articles of
manufacture, except such as are in the
last stages as finished articles. In these
cases we have endeavored to fix the duties
in such a way that, as general rule,
they should not stand, as to any class Of
goods (except silks, higher than ten per
cent. on their value. ~ -~ t.,lr'
Next; wsbave been desirous to lower
the duties THAI press on foreign articles Of
food, which enter largely, if not into the
necessaries of life, at any rate into what
may be called the luxuries and comforts of
the mass of the people," ST g., s.. ,..
Still greater reductions in the number
of articles taxed have taken place.. and
since 1860, the British tariff retains only
aiReteen articles subject to import duties.
Our own complicated and burdensome
tariff presents a painful contrast to this
simplicity, with its 8, 500 articles subject
to duty-or about double the number that
were ever taxed in Great Britain, even ia
her darkest days Of national 9exclusiveness
and oppression. q Yet England raises as
great revenue every year from customs
as does the United States, and collects il
far more cheapiy and surely. Five great
items produced twenty million pounds,
5 100, 900, 900, more than our whole rev.
enue from customs (all sources) in 1865,
and nearly as much as the total average
receipts Of the current fiscal year from I'M
ports. These great staples are sugar, tea,
tobacco, wine and spirits-all, save one or
two, articles of mere luxury or superfuity.
Great Britain has population about equal
to. our own. No nation stands more in
need Of a large revenue, since ner national
debt is greater by one.third than ours. 49,
What is the secret Of her success? Low
taxes and cheap prices for all the necessa-
ries of life.
It should never be forgotten that hea-
Wy taxed articles extensively consumed by
the people, enhance the colt of those arti-
cles, first, to the extent Of the duty itself
second, to the extent of forty per cent.
premium on that duty, Gas all such taxes
are payable in gold, , third, to the extent
of the expense, delay and Inconvenience
suffered by the dealer in the payment Of
the duty !; and lastly, on account of the
discouraging effect Of such duties upon the
importation Of the article How many
times have VIC been told, in the last three
years, as q reason why the merchants nc
lodger keep certain articles on hand--7's we
can't afford to import that article any more,
the duty is so bigh.". And how often are
we reminded, when hestating over the
frightfully dear prices asked for supported
goods that the article has paid forty or
fifty per cent. gold duty and cannot posi-
bly, be afforded any less? This enhance
ment of the cost limits the consumption
of articles which are of primary ne.
cessity to- the welfare of the people, and
SO far it is a great injury. 1t is the boun-
den duty of the State to interfere so as tc
diminish materially the comforts of the
community. Yet we find our Govern.
ment, through the unwise and mistaken
counsels Of men who appear not to com,
prehend the first principle Of political econ
omy, standing in the unparental relation
Of an obstructionist to the commerce of Tho
people, BY system of inordinately high
duties, never paralleled before in thin
country, we are cut off from using our OWL
resources to the best advantage, while tn,
Government, instead of reaping the advan
tage which the people lose, is actually
cheating itself out of millions by pursuing
more reasonable system of taxation, il
the articles subjected to customs duties
1t appears from the last report of tn,
Commissioner of the Internal Revenue
that the present average tax laid by tn,
custom laws upon imported goods, is for
ty-eight per cent. on the dutiable value o