Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1869-09-30
Senator Sherman on Geo. Il.
Pendlet0n.

Senator Sherman on Geo. q
Pendlet0n.
Senator Sherman, at Marietta, O
Friday, reviewed the Hon. Geo. FL
Pendleton's speech, from which W
make the following extracts:
TAXATION.
And now as to the national taxes
the object of Mr.. Pendleton's prolonged
whine.
II affirm that no system of taxation
has ever been discovered that, taken a
a whole, has been SO productive o
revenue, and yet has fallen so lightly
on the mass fthe people During th,
war our taxes were heavy, and it wa,
necessary to have them so; but they
have been rapidly reduced. Our inter
nal taxes are now mainly laid on tn,
incomes of the rich, and upon the con
sumption of whisky and tobacco. The
residue of internal taxes will soon b.
reduced or repealed; bat even they are
of character not resting upon the
masses of the people. We levy very
heavy tax upon the National Banks,
yielding over S9,OOO,OOO to the United
States, and like amount to the States
The tax on sales is confined to the
larger dealers, and those whose sales
are small are entirely exempted. The
special tax on employments, called the
license tax, falls exclusively upon en-
ployments which are supposed to yield
large profits without manual labor,
and the tax in stamps is almost exclu-
sively commercial tax. No internal
tax is levied on any article in common
use among the people, and produced in
the United States. These taxes have
been repealed. 1t is idle for Mr.. Pen
dleton to declaim against these taxes as
oppressive, when every intelligent per-
son can see that they have been care
fully adjusted, so as to fall upon those
best bic to pay, and upon whisky and
tobacco, regarded everywhere as the
proper game for taxation.
"a TARIFF ITEMS.
But Mr.. Pendleton lights upon the
tariff, and in this connection INDUCES
IN a sneer at my expense. He says
that l truly say l never knew the diff
ference between a revenue tariff and a
protective tariff. He is a much wiser
man. He is wise in his own conceit.
Then he selects certain articles to illus
trate his wisdom.
Z He complains that coral, pearl and
tortoise shells are admitted free. Well,
this was always SO, under Democratic
tariffs, and Wing tariffs, under revenue
and protective tariffs. Why? Be-
cause they are the productions of ma
ture, and are made valuable only by
the labor put upon them.
He complains that emeralds, dia-
monds and rubies only pay 10 per
cent. Well, this was precisely so un-
der the Democratic tariff of 1886, and
the reason is because the articles are so
easily smuggled that they will not bear
a higher duty.
He complains that the duty on jew
elry is only 25 per cent. Well, the
Democratic duty was only 90 per cent.
And this was because their small bulk
makes smuggling easy, and even the
present rate is too high to secure much
revenue from jewelry.
He complains of the specific duty on
wool and woolen goods. Well, why
was this? Until recently wool was ad-
mitted duty free, or at low rate, and
woolen goods at an average ad v1lorem
1uty. The farmers of Ohio and the
West complained, with reason, that the
cheap South American woods were
brought into direct competition with
'ur Western wool, and demanded that
t should be treated like other foreign
productions, and pay duty. Upon
heir demand we did place duty of 12
o IA cents on foreign wool, and cor
duty on imported woolen
10th. But Mr.. Pendleton says the
luty on woolen cloth was fifty cents
,ound. So it is; but it takes four
pounds Of South American wool to
make one pound of cloth. That wool
S so mixed with dirt, burrs, etc., that,
IS imported, it contains three fourths
f its weight in such impurities. To
void fraud by cleansing, the duty
hall be proportionately increased; so
he specific duty on wooden goods is
equivalent to the specific
uty on wool.
He says the fine shawl worn by the
ich pays only 25 per cent. This is
OF true. The duty is 60 per cent.
But his chief complaints the duty
n salt, which he states at 125 per
ent., and he adds that the duty ad-
ances the price of domestic salt to
he consumer % to 4S cents
ushel. Now the duty on salt in
ulk is Is cents per 100 lbs, and in
ags "a cents per 100 lbs, or less
han 1 of cent per ID. A bushel of
alt is so lbs, so that the duty is 9
ents bushel in bulk, II cents q
usnel when in sacks; and this duty
ielded US Sl,3S3, 900 last year The
democratic tariff of 1916 levied a
uty of 20 per cent. on salt We
lbstituted specific duty of Is to
1 cents. Now it so happens that
le duty on salt is entirely levied on
lie New England States and the At
lntfc cities. With or without duty
le salt used in Ohio would be do
lestic salt made here in this valley,
r in western New York or Michi.
an. The freight from New York to
ny place in Ohio is more than the
uty, and is itself the sure protection
f our domestic salt. -tfe
l have just been in the salt regions
Pomeroy, and / ascertain that the
rice of salt at the works is about
cents bushel The duty is 9
,nts, or adding the gold premium is
SS than the aVeraOp rate Of duty m