The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1869-06-11
How "Protecti0n" RObs the Poor
Man.

the greatest number. taxes should be lev
led 50 as 10 iall lightly upon labor The
Inass Of lie community consists ALWAYS
cf men without accumulated mcans.--
a hese men are, il ~ true, the producers
OF wealth. but so large eharc "f what
they prodtc" gOcs 10 their own support
and To The capital which cnpl,ivs their
labor, tiiat the mass oi the lahorcrs do
not become wealthy. At tha same time
that they are producers they are steady
consumers Of products Now il would
be but equitable 10 take uif the taXos on
what they consume. or ~ least 10 rccgcc
those taxes 10 the smallest amount con-
sistcnt with the ia;ions ncccssites for
revenue. II should be the poliry Of the
Government, since the laboi'ing Glasses
have but littc money, 10 shape its lcgis-
ilation 50 us to make that little 90 It's iar
as possible.
How has our Government. as Judged
by the present system OF duties Oh arti-
clcs Of consumption. discharged this du-
lty: Has he principle burden of taxa
ton been laid upon articles OF luxury?
Has legislation been 50 fralnrd rs 10 Yu.p-
tcct ,he poor mln in fhe right 70 huy
iwherc le can huy tire cheapest? Has
the accumulated capital OF The rich been
made TO serve as tic principal basis OF
taxation, Willie the poor laboring mans
icarnin@s have been exempted? We look
Iinio tie tariff laws Tor answers. Tie
Ic.otllihg worn BY our working men is
taxed between seventN-iiyc and ouc-hun-
drcd per cent. The salt they consumed i.
taxed from one luncrcd to one hundred
and sixty per cent. The iron they use
pays DUTY Of seventy 10 eighty pcr cent.
The cotton goods thcy buy COS; them
lironl ono hundred TO one hundred and
twenty per cent. more than they would
IGo but for tho tariff levied ostensi5ly 10
I'protcct American labor.
v l.o is il that is protected" by laws
which 50 enhance tie prices OF commudi-
ties consumed by the Whole people? j.
IL the people. OF is il few owners OF
spinning and rolling mills ana salt
works! Look Ut little sample Of the
lbeautics OF this protective system. Here
Iis farmer, or Il mechanic. or q mer-
lchant's clerk, who wants to buy a good
comfortable coat for his ordinary wear,
Il In former times, before Tie War, with
lthc dirty on woolen clothes a; twenty
five per cent. fas il would be now under
IN tariff framed for rcvanuc), he could buy
such coat az rom seven 10 ten dollars,
according 10 the qnaty. Now. The duty
ION woolcns is iitiy cents per pound, and
thirty five per cCEi, al yal0rem in ad,li-
tion. which amounts 10 between ninety
Iand one hundred per cent. on the prime
lcost cf the material in London. Ii re-
suits that. after adding The exchange on
.gold and the profits Of the American
ldoai"r. the coat Which used To cost less
than ten dollars ncw costs from twenty
ITO twenty-five. And two-ihirds OF tlis
enormous Increase of cost i, directly
ltnccablc 10 The protective tariff, of whose
Virtues We hear 30 much. Were the duty
ON Noolcns reduced from ninety per
cent. To twcnty-tour or twenty-five per
cent. Tie coat which now costs The " car
Ter twenty dollars could be bought for
fourteen.
! But the existing tariff actually discrim-
Iinaics against tile poor man by lcvying
higher duties on course goods than on
fine ones. Titus, the iariil' on cloih. and
Icassimercs, which was "liXcd up' in the
interest OF the WOODEN manufacturers.
! lays the heaviest tax upon The common
est article OF woolcn .ahiics. such a. are
more largely manufactured here. The
duty, instead Of being graduated ~ The
value OF cost of the goods. and so taxing
the articles ot luxury the heaviest. Il cum
lninnly levied upon tie weight of The
cloth. so thai the coarse wooden worn Ly
The working classes pays more than
double the amount of duty. in proper
ton to its cost. than i paid by fine broad
icloth. Ihe duty. The reader must re-
mctnbcr. il fifty cents per pound. and
IthiriY-Evc per cent ad valorcm in gd,ii-
liion, Then yard of co;ifSc cloth cost
ling say 81 in London. and Which viii
welsh at least two pounds 10 The yard.
costs as follows,
Specific duty At fifty cents per ID.
! two lbs. 800
Ad valorcm duty on cost, 81 at
/ % per cent, IS
i 81 30
I or just ono hundred and ,hirty-iivc Der
cent. al yiiorcm--i. c.. on The primo cost
Of the goods worn by The poor man. :
Now look nj the bin of costs charged on
a yard Of fine broadcloth. worn hy the
wcaithic-t classes. llis fine. LIGHT cloth
will weigh scarcely one pound to the
yard. though lis cost may, and sometimes
does. rise as high as five dollars. We
then have q specific duty Of only fifty
cents on tho yard. which is only cqiiivd-
lent 10 only five per cent. on iis value /:
and this, added 10 the tlirty-iivc pcr
iccnt. al yalorom duty charged on an
lwooicn goods imported, makes iust for
u ~ -firntriar cent naiu on tin ,.;rl, -. ~.