The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1869-11-11

ti'nur"NS IMAM me reafrah""ft"ff rF ptl.
entire revenue >ystem, which Is at pres
rnt hardly mnre than a system III exr,er,
ments, thing of shredS and patches
! adopted in haste under the pressure o
"eces>ity and amended by bits az on,
weak place ~hnwed itself after another. o.
as one interest tter another obtained $
hearing e. sxT
Internal Revenue and Tariff have a'ite
rlergnne the>" patches. and are III -bi !
iced and dihcnlt to work hearing j.
'me places with extreme har ship u,n.
NEST men who 8 rive to ,,hnv 5h" IL,
"'i 7" de- fhair. dnv while atfortlinr
| her ...c1~ wiln 'tan;li.ias f,f rarf,.,ssa
| :. u r '
den. This is especially true Of the tariff,
which is now in such state that ev.n ex
perienced officers of the customs find i,
hard to understand somes of its provis-
ions. and impossible to prevent outrageous
frauds.
Now that war expenses are at an end.
the needs OF the Government for revenue
are diminishing. The people expect re-
lief, and are willing to provide means
only for the most economical administers
tion of the Government, after: meeting
the necessities Of the public credit. What
sources OF revenue shall be cut off, and
what burdens shall be lightered.
To answer this question, We must first
decide whether we shall lerivc the large
amount Of revenue which is still needed
from our own citizens or from foreigners.
Surely no unbiased lover of his country
VINO desires to see her conquer in the
great trade battle of the nations: no one
endowed with human reason and the in
stinct Of self preservation. can doubt
that we should remove taxation as much
as possibl from our swn citizens, and ad-
just the burdens SD that they may fall on
THE foreigners who seek our markets for
tthelr wares. This can readily be effected,
rs follows:
+ |. Remove all internal taxation ex
cept the class known rs excise-on whis-
ky tobacco and kindred articles. The
lnct he tax is direct penalty laid On
thrift AMI industry. Its inquiSitorial form
Is at war with the spirit of our free insti
tutions its character as direct tax lev
led on individuals renders it of more than
doubtful cnn~titutionality trn.n its very
| nature 1t offers direct premium on fraud
aud perjury. aud it thus bears with un-
due hardship on the hone citizen. The
>ucces>i"ntax is a ghnul. proving upon
dead bodies it robs the widow and the
orphan OF the inheritance accumulated
by the toll and economy of the husband
aud father, and causes more misery in
proportion to the amount levied than any
| other form at ilnpost. The stamp tax is
the cause Of great embarrassment to busi-
ness, and sfould be simpIifed in its ap
| pilcation to varying exigencies of trade
| The tax on gross receipts is one that
| IIrpntfy mr. ,ritb tho of
produce, and is felt in the price OF every
ton of coal and barrel of -four. The tax
on sales Is troublesome in the extreme.
and in many branches of trade offers
direct premium to the foreign producer
let Us. then, sweep away all th Se vexa
tinu. inIpnSts that drain our life-blood and
meet us at every turn.
>. Rearranee our Tariff in the inter
est of home Industry, and enforce a rigid
and honest collection of the duties I'M
posed, SO that 1t may yield revenue
large enough to supply the deficiency.
| This rearrayement of the Tariff can
easily be effecred, and in >unh manner
that no increased burden will be felt
nay, existing burdens cad he lightencd.
and our people inv'gnrated so that those
burdens which remain will be almost M
perceptib'e. Discard, as far as possible,
| sll al ynlorcna duties, which are such
,lircct incentives to frand tha, scarcely an
/ american i,nporter is left TO compete
with the foreign agents or foreign houses.
Let everything that can be rated by speci-
ic duties bc rated, and to that extent
undervalnas'on becomes Impossible du-
ties are fairly collected, the revenue in
creaSe>, and the honest merchant finds it
again ross BILE to do his business.
Extend the treeElist I Let in. without
duty, all raw material not produced here,
to he worked up by American labor. Let
in free all articles of necessity which our
soil and climate and resources Forbid our
producing at home Reduce the duties
on tea and coffee AMI other exotic pro-
ductions. for where we cannot compete
with the foreigner. he wholesof the du-
ties comes from the pocket Of the consum
er.
Place on such articles as we make, or
can make, at home such motIerate ,i,l
reasonable specific duties as shall give the
home producer paving high wages,a a fair
chanre for competition with the foreign
manufacturer paying low wages not pro-
hIbitlve duties, that enc urage lazineSs
and destroy revenue. but competitive
duties, that stimulate industry and fos-
ter the revenue, while Forcing the foreign
er to abate his prices in our market, and
|. thus pay alt or large portion of our reve
! re .in<elf Let this be de Jared the
permanent policy of the country, so tha,
labor and capital can be att, acted to en-
!. larging old industries and introducing
: new ones. Then when the labor Of the
- II '''
4 .Gslunine splwcr wits" in,rrnertha' tn
: ,t.nue~ from c,istom> III prove a,ili,
iie AN enlar.ed free lit AMI VIII :
Z ne cnnpctitian. domestic AMI f,reian
! Z keep the prices al! manufacturers -.
It ,f rAa> ,niple rates
j S.lnrr the interest on the fr,'i
.t n"t only by repn.liation brt (attr
.4ia,, ,,r,.i.g nur ability anil viilingtie
u-,,1 all oar rh!iyatinn>l by -ellin
~ h.nla1. bearing l,w2r interest n,
vth. iIrs proceed. rry uf the pre- sen
| ,nlS.
rni, i rhe system which Cnngra
isa,id lft AT it,, aap~oa Einr St'S>i"n
:. three wears rcvi i'm ot the fari
n. been nnl,. debate lfnougi, talking
: as he..n.d;sr' nd -sthegtine has com,
~ a-tio y La the@ws kins m NJ of th'
United Safes .iemlnt that. their Reefe
earative- shall ena,d i'ia> itheirsfir~i husi
I E,es@ naxr winser. Let the people aeIna D,
n hi; rcm,ul,liug ,f uur financial system :
y can have it.