Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1870-08-06
Our Tariff Taxation.

If our tariff taxation were direct
and immediate 1t could not be pre-
served for single year. Its odious
features are such that it would excite
a rebellion and popular insurrection
to get rid of 1t, If there were no other
remedy. But 1t Is indirect, obscrue,
and little known or understood by the
people. 1t enters into the price fthe
the articles taxed, and not one man
In u hundred knows why the goods
for which he pays SO high are subjected
to such an imposition. Herein Is the
mischief of these Indirect taxes, and
herein Is the advantage of the honest,
direct tax. Almost every man car
ries watch or has clock In his
home. They are taxed twenty-five
per cent, or one-quarter of the whole
value. Upon every pound of coffee
there Is tax Of three cents, and ifit
Is ground and prepared, five cents.
Upon all cotton manufactures-and
what person Is there who does not
wear them-there Is duty of thirty
five per cents one-third the price.
This is an immense imposition, and
In some cases 1t is still worse. With
the profits which are made upon 1t, il
Is safe to say that every man wears q
cotton shirt or carries pOcket-hand-
kerchief, pays twice as much for 1t as
he would II 1t was not for the abOmi-
nable tariff. Oranges and lemon pay
a duty of 70 per cent, on One-fifth OF
their value. Pig iron Is seven dollars a
ton, old scraps six dollars, and steel
railway q cents per pound. These ex-
traordinary rates enter into the value
of every thing i'm which the material
of iron is admitted. They are most
oppressive upon the farmer, who in
some sort or Other is q great consumer
of them, and who could obtain his
supply at a smaller comparative rate
Ii 1t were not for this excessive duty.
Oils that enter into painting are
twenty or thirty cents gallon, which
constitutes an intolerable exaction.--
All kinds of spices are from five to
twenty cents pound. Black pepper
Is five cents and cayenne Is ten cents.
Wi2Ss of all kinds, in casks, are
charged fifty cents gallon, IL they
are bought for fifty cents to a dollar q
gallon. In other words, for revery gal
Ion of wine that is consumed the
price of another is paid to the gov.
ernment. Upon champagne the duty
Is six dollars dozen upon pint OF
quart bottles. This is tax of no less
than twenty. four dollars gallon. Ir
alquart bottle there are, say six drinks
which are charged over eight cent.
each. All liquors entered as wines
containing more than twenty-five
per cent. of alcohol, will be forfeited
Brandy is charged two dollars gal
Ion, and tea fifteen cents pound. Su'
gar Is from two to three cents pound
and mOlasses is five cents q gallon
Salt is ITO per cent.
A glance at the above will disclose
how abominably the people are taxet
under the present tariff. In fact
upon all our importatiOns there Is {
duty of forty-eight per cent. upon tn,
average. Were werelieved of this, o.
were 1t cut down, say ten or fifteer
per cent, which ought to be enough
for the support of All economical Gov
ernment, how much easier it woull
be for the laboring classes to max,
both ends meet-how much money
they would have at the end of the
year, which is now spent in defrayine
these duties! Why are we burdenet
with this oppressive taxation ? 1t i
not because the Treasury requires it
for considerable portion of it doe
not go into the Treasury. Many u
these duties are protective, especially
upon iron and cotton and manufac
lures. They stop pall importation, ant
allow the domestic manufacturer t,
charge almost any price he choose
for his goods. He makes from one I,
two hundred per cent. In order t.
have such eXorbitant profits, tn
manufacturers continue to buy th'
passage of their bills through Con
gress, Yes, literally buy, Is the word
They spend hundreds of thousands
If not millions, among the peoples re
presentatives. Thus the public
swindled and robbed-thus they hav,
been plundered for years, and will b
so in the future, until they elect mel
to Congress who are pledged agains
this iniquitous high taritfsystem, an
who have the integrity to main
tain their position against corrur
ruption in any of its forms. The frs
question of the day is tarin'reform. Th
highest duty for its statesmen an
the public journalists is to inform tn
people how and for what they are taS
ed, and to suggest the means by whic
they can he relieved from 1t. Th
Democratic Is the free trade and 10y
, revenue tariff party. The Republ
can is the high tariff, or friend to tn
monopoly organization - Cincinna
: Enquirer.