The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1869-08-20

ADDRESS OF PROF PERRY AT MERCHANTs'
EXCHANGE.

EXCHANGE.
Quite number of the merchants of Port
land gathered at the Merchants Exchange
yesterday morning to hear Prof. Perry of
Williams College deliver an address on the
subject of Free Trade. Prof. Perry commenc-
ed by referring to the speech of Judge Dicker-
son at the dedication of the new Court House
at Bath. The Judge had mentioned the abo-
lition of the corn-laws Of England as a land
mark of the progress of the past 80 years; Mr..
Perry said he was glad to hear that, because
the corn laws of England were nothing in the
world but protective tariff designed to pro.
tect the British farmers from the cheaper
wheat of Russia and the United States;-as
the abolition of the corn-laws is now regarded
as sign of great progress in the past so will
the future orator refer to the abrogation of the
present duties in the United States which are
more oppressive to the masses than ever those
corn-laws were. He gave the derivation of the
word tariff as coming from the town of Tarifa
on the straits of Gibraltar where the Moors
had established q castle and compelled every
vessel passing through to pay them tribute.
Other nations where they established duties
on articles exported and imported took the
name and in almost every language the same
word with slight modification in the spelling
is employed.
Mr.. Perry proceeded to discuss the nature
of taxation, and commended that all taxes are
paid out of the gains of exchange, so that the
government as a great tax collector is interest
ed in nothing SO much as in having the ex-
changes of the people as numerous and as
profitable as possible; since, If the people do
not exchange, the government cannot collect
taxes. There is no objection, therefore, said
he, to a revenue tariff in which the duties are
laid with single eye to equitable taxation
Such duties will always be simple and laid
upon comparatively few articles of general
consumption, and be relatively low. He stat
ed that only about twenty articles are now
subjected to a tariff in England, and of these
twenty eleven paid 90 per cont. OF the whole
tariff, while eight of the eleven bore the larg-
est share. But in the United States there
were something over three thousand articles
taxed,
Mr.. Perry claimed that the object of protec-
tive duties is always to make things that are
naturally cheap artificialy dear-to prevent
certain parties from selling commodities in
market in order that other parties may sell
commodities in that market at higher price
The operation of the protective duties was con-
tended to be injurious not only iu the higher
prices paid by all consumers, but also especial
ly in the loss of market for our own commo-
dities, foreigners merely bringing their things
to US for the sake Of getting our things in re-
turn. Ii government will not let us buy, then
we cannot sell; since buying and selling are
rcciprocal--no man can buy without selling,
or sellrwithout buying.
He contended the present taaiff was unjust
in the following particular items: shipbuild-
ing, carpets and iron. He said that the duties
on the cost of building 1000 ton ship was S12,-
600, and that it only cost $40, 900 to build ves-
sci in the Provinces which would cost SS5 600
here
In conclusion Mr.. Perry urged those present
to look into the details of these matters, to
talk them over with their friends, to rid their
minds of old preiudices and 70 watch the votes
of those who held official positions.
Mr.. Perry occupied about three quarters of
an hour, and was courteousy received and list
ened to by his audience.