The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1869-01-29
Iniouities of the Present Tariff.

1
iautles Of its party:
| Some of the onerous provisions of our
revnue system are doubtless the result OF
ignorance, while many, perhaps the most,
are cunningly devised for the purpose OF
plunderIng the people IN quiet aud gen
teel manner, and, consequently. with the
/ least chances OF detection. SIngularly
enough, the public seems willing to be
robbed, if the robber only gives it chloro-
form while the operation Is being per-
! formed.
The protectiouists, having lad the iniqu-
ify of their practices and the fallacy OF
their theories pretty thoroughly exposed,
have become advocates Of only revenue
tariff, generally decl aring theuist Ives salts
fed With the incidental protection that
follows therefrom. As direct taxation
would not only magnify, i'll the eyes OF
people, the just demands OF the gonvern.
ment into outrageous extOrtions, but could
not be equally imposed without altering
| the constitution, theoretical free-traders
are willing to compromise with their OPP
ponents upon the middle ground OF tariff
/ simply tor revenue purposes. Have We
such tariff now
The duty OF 50 per cent. upon foreign
leaf tobacco, which enters into the manu-
facture OF cigars has lessened importation
and lost to the government much of the
revenue derivabIe from the tax of So per
thousand upon cigars composed OF the
Connecticut wrapping and the Spanish
filing. The duty on foreign cigars has
averaged 500 per thousand. What is the
result In 1859 the importation was over
eight hundred millions ; now it Is less than
twenty millions. 1t should be thousand
millions, aud under simply revenue tariff,
it would be. Here is an instance where
the rate OF duty has been SO high as to
lose the government, certainly, six or
eight millions annually but 1t Is only one
out OF many.
La 1860 between six and seven million
gallons OF pure gin and brandy were lm-
ported, but upder the duty OF an average
OF SIS per gallon three times the original
cost this amount was reduced in 1868 TO
but lrlhe over one milion gallons.
| The importation OF wine has declined
nearly Que half, being last year only
about two million gallons. Besides cut
ting the people of from pure spirits, the
| present tariff doubtless causes LOSS to the
revenue OF from four to five millions OF
do:lars-One able writer says seven mill
| lions.
The American people are remarkable
tor their freshness. For this they are
indebted to the present tariff upon salt.
The year before the war the consumption
OF this article in the United States was
over eight hundred thousand tons, more
than halt ot which was lmpoted, Il e tariff
then being on y fifteen per cent. Now,
notwithstanding our Increased population,
We import only two hundred thousand
tons. How have Kanawah, Saginaw,
Syracuse repaid the people tor levyIng a
tax OF three hundred per cent. upon this
indispensable article OF daily consumption
BY Increased production or by Increased
| price Let the farmers and pork packers
who used TO get their salt from dealers who
bought 1t IN Spain, Sclclly, the West In
dies and Liverpool at five cents per bushel,
anu brought 1t home almost as ballast In
returning ships, answer. Let US have
more salt, more income from 1t, and less
tariff tor the benefit OF u few pampered in-
| dlvlduais.
We tax Canadian wheat, oats and -four.
and send them to the same market to
which We send our owa, in English instead
Ut American bottoms. We tax Canadian
| potatoes, compelling them to be ted TO
Canadian hogs, thus destroying market
tor our own corn-ted pork, without In
creaoing the revenue or giving anybody
protection. We talk. about protecting In
dustry, and tax makerel and behring's out
OF The worklngnau mouth aud coal ont
| Ut his CRATE. We camOr tor cheap trans
| portatlou aud tax non into almost prec
| lous metal, and SO on to the end OF the
| chapter. Tue present tariff affords pro
lection to few rich individuals aud cor
poratlons, at The expense ut the masses,
without materially increasing the revenue
OF the government. Ii has driven our
commerce from the sea and largely in-
creased tho cost Of transportation upon the
land. 1t Is the product Ut combined igno
rance aud Iascallty, aud should be revised
by Intelligent and honest men.
The Post continues to follow up from
day to day, the swlndling propensitles of its
party, from which farmers and others can
see pretty plain Of they will! 1.-The mig
ger in the woodpile." 1t exposes what it
calls the salt robbery In the following
terms, and from which we infer that 1t will
soun turn democrat
Salt is one OF the necessaries of life 1t
stands, III that regard, before any other
Que article of human food Its use Is unl-
| versal, aud III the west, especially, where
so much ot 1t Is consumed III the curing of
meats anu In the salllng OF live animals, it
largely enters lntOs the daily economy OF
every household and farm. Que would
suppose that TO tax 1t for any other pur-
pose than tor revenue, would be equlva.
lent to taxing the air We breathe, VI the
light OF the sun by which our vegetable
food is matured. Yet 80 great are the
greed and cupldlty born OF that robbery
called Protection ~ American Industry,
that even this article could not be let aioue
Tncre xre at Syracuse and Saina, in New
ork, deposits Ut brine, which, obtalnnd
by costly boring. and reduced by more costs
~ bOlllngS, are made Into salt OF as poor
quality as Is known III the American marx
ct, 1t would not matter to the body poll
TIC the value OF button to each n,an
therein, whether salt>maklng were carried
on at Syracuse or not, except that 1t fur
nisGes tha excuse tor The fragrant robbery
that we expose. The salt wells might give
out, the kettles might all crack, the watts for
evaporation might shrink up, aud the
Whole Ut Onondaga county might be sunk
fen faat helau tho level af Saita i..t and