The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1868-03-21
FROM OHIO
0rzRLrN, o, March Q, lSt


| copied and sent you the following, 10
gether with other articles for publicat on at
the same time; from their not appearing in
print | conclude the letter was lost.
''Ihe Var Debt What II K. and How
it must be Paid" "by Amasa Walker"
II the war between tae United States and
Mexico should be closed this year, ls4s, the
whole amount Of the debt OF tie former,
when finally funded, could not be less than
one hundred and fifty millions Of dollars.
All concur in this estimate as the lowest that
can be reasonably entertained The debt
cannot be paid OF at once. Our national
expenditures viii be, for long series Of
years, greatly augmented by tbs war. Our
army has been much enlarged, and host OF
officers have I,cened appointment, aud
large pension list has been created. A long
and dangerous frontier will require . mill
tary force hitherto anknowr III this eoun-
Try. The consequence 1t al this wilt nece5-
sarily be, that our annual expenditure viii,
vel. nigh equai our revenues, and leave but
little towards paying of the debt, with the
additions Of the millions OF d0Jdtrs IN in
tereSt tchich must be paid dahnaLty. We
may safely assume ibat the whole debt viii
not be pad off Ia a less are age psrioi than
twelve ard half years equ VaieEt 70 TWEEN
ty-hye equal instalnrnts. This is a very
favorable suppositiln Now, then, If thr
national dstt is $3.50, 100000 twelve ana
half years interest which mast be on il Of
siI per cent, IS Sis 500, 900. W hole
amount which the government mus collect
from the people, so J, JuD,VUU But this Is
not I'll the people mast pay, as ~ shall
soc il we examine the manner in which they
pay It. The whole reyende il raised ny du
lies charged 90 forei n goods, which the
importer pays IN the first instance ind then
chsrges apon the cost u The goods, ogether
with profit on the duties, and then sells TO
the iobber, who in turn charges profit on
the whole cost, including the duties, and
sells to the retailer. who sgaio charges his
profit upon he whole. ana sells 10 the con-
sumer, who footS the bill, paying all the
cost. al the duties, ana al the profits
charged npon each. TO make this more plain
we v i'll illustrate 1t in the following man
mer
sunuose shsaI eost 10 england, $40 90
sPS,f & P ss:: 5 s.r es 'f s4oss a is
And ..,i. % joebsr AZ 1878
The latter charges fifteen per cent profit. zoo
And sells 10 retailer at 1851
Who in turn charges The scasOmer twenty per cent
profits, or S,t0
Whole sssf % the wearsr, Is 81
suppose. on tbs othe- hand. be shawl eesss eio
and there no duties, tie.W
Then the Importer charges ton per cent. 90
Ard sells 20 the jobb-r at n.OO
The ioOber charges fifteen per cent, les
4 4ss . :; as. I:;: :r.s, ,. Co. M
And 10 costs the wearer, 1918
We see then, by the above illustration,
that the consumer pays for the shawl, with
duties, and the pr,6ss charged ON the do
ties, wtlch The merchants alicdys DO cAGrgr,
anisfrom the nature Of the trsnsactien al
ways ought to charge, Ss7-and We also
see that without the duties il would cost the
consumer only $l5 Is. Difference, enhanced
cost, in Consequence Of the duties, 1919.
Vi this amount, there goes to the national
treasury, - so,
Leaving a balance Of &l.2s, which The
consumer has paid, but the government has
not received that is the consumer has paid
! so per cent. more duties in this form, than
the government has acquired and this diff
fers1ee mas gone into the pocket Of the mer-
chants. $50
4 In regard to the correctness of this esti.
mate, it may be said that we hare estimated
the per cent. profit charged BY the importer,
jobber and retailer. loo high. This We deny,
for thcugha part OF the population, in cities
and large towns, nav get their merchandiz e
ct less charge Of profit, vet the great
masses Of the people, most Of whom are iar
from large markets, are obliged to pay much
higher than We have estimsted. and III.
goods they pqrcheae ofRn pass through ID.
bands Of more than three profiia, before
they reach the CONSUMERS. Il NAV Be Oh.
served, that IN this estimate We have ssid
nothing Abopt The charges Of importation
This would not vary TIE results ct all in iavol
Of the conRamefs We therefore omit theu
feE the sake Of simplicity aad. sad brevity
Now what is true OF the shawl, 10 true d
thesllk Tor dfess, tbe cloth for aso6l, Gu
gar molasses, 90 any other nrticle ON wlfct
We pay duties. Wh6r9 3he treasnry ,rets ,ons
4 ddljat fhe spsnplas ~ shis mode O. marin.
taxes Do actually pay one dollar, and hall
4 - L. us heotssF, ~ ~ s4ks ot sxnidins
IL fuppugs lnAt W havs estinn4sf ~ vroi!
its of che merchant TOO hieh, ans shat "a.
awnFemnte &C their pro&t 10 ou1y sAirtyl thrs,
and q hind pom desa, inste41 a. nIk1, MIA
t.sn viz L sast y. 80, II M Es.k - ~
iasds nins. ta1tbs A. \ ~ eocls 81 4 u
- : ~ q 49, xsss4 75les - z1h ka%HIt&&