The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1870-05-27
PARAGRAPHS
and Political.
BI
How Uuiustly Are we Taxed

what extent they are indirectly
taxed to raise money 20 pay the
Bond-holder bis gold interest on
his bonds 1t is in this wise:
The Government IevIes and col.
leets q tax upon certain articles Of
foreign manufacture and growth
which, for the purpose of decelving,
is called Tariff, and rs levied for
the double purpose of raising mon
eY to pay expenses of Government,
and to protect home manufactures
against foreign competition.
All this looks very tair and nice
to one who is not accustomed to in.
vestigate such things, and 10 be
who is ready to to endorse and sup
port all and every plunderiug
scheme that may be invented and
put in force. The projectors OF
this scheme to rob the people Indi-
rectly, insist and expect that all
the people will throw up their hats
and Justify cry for protection, aid
q high tax upon foreign merchan-
disc, under the pretense of encour-
aging home labor against the pau
per labor of Europe. 1t Is all pre-
tence, however a perfect humbug
and a cheat.
But TO investigate. 1t makes no
difference to the consumer whether
he buys tho home Or foreign article;
he Is still enormously taxed, as
much on the one as on the other.
If you buy and consume the foreign
article, Tho tax goes into the Uni
ted States Treasury to pay the
enormous expenses Of the Govern
ment; but. if you choose to buy the
home article, the amount Of the
enormous tax assessed upon the
foreign article, goes into the pock-
cts of the home manufacturer, and
not q cent of it finds IFS way into
the United States Treasury. Fur
Their, the tax paid by the importer
of the foreign article is added to
the price of the commodity, and is
finally paid by the consumer; while
the home manufacturer is made
rich by being able to place his arti-
Giles in a high market, which is the
natural fruit o! protection.
Below may be found an exhibit
of some t~hirty-six articles enor-
mously taxed by the Government,
and which goes into the consump-
tion of every family of the land,
both rich and poor. The large per
cent. Of tax upon these articles
alone show to what extent the cons
sumner Ii indirectly plundered to
satisfy the demands of the few:
Copper sheathing for vessels, As
per cent; clothing, 40 per cent,
and SOC per pound; linen fabrics,
40 per cent; gImlets, As per cent;
glassware, 40 per cent; gloves, so
per cent; hatchets, As per cent;
hats, palm leaf, 40 per cent; hats.
of wool, IS per cent, and 40c per
pound; hoes, IS per cent; hosiery,
35 per ceut.. and SOC per pound;
brace bits, 45 per cent; chIsels, As
per cent; sheetlngs, 35 per cent;
hannels, 35 per cent, and Soc per
pound; spades ard shoveIs, IS per
cent; floor oIl-cloth. 45 per cent;
blankets, IS per cent, and SOC per
pound, equivalent 20 from 20 to 125
per cent sole leather, 50 per cent;
sheep shears, As per cent; paper,
IS per cent; pencils. 80 per cent,
and soc per gross; wooden rags, IS
per cent; shingles, 35 per een..;
calf skins, 80 per cent; carpeting,
IS per cent, end 40c per yard; coal,
81 rs per tun. or SOC per cwt iron
nails, 13c per pound, equivalent to
40 percent; bar iron, 1@11c per
pound. equivalent to IS per cent;
pig iron, So per tun, equivalent to
so or so per cent, shoes, IS per
cent; pocket, pen and jack knives,
so per cent; files, 80 per cent, and
l0c per pound; tea, 25c per pound,
or an average of 60 per cent. on its
cost; sugar, 3@5c per pound, or
from 30 to so per cent; salt, 24c
per 100 pounds, equivalent TO 16c
per bushel, or over 125 per cent. on
the prime cost of the article.
Such ire some of the lniquIties of
the existing tariff, levied upon ar
ticles OF general Consumption
among The people.
To more plainly illustrate this
plunderlng scheme, take, for IN
stance, the articles of clothing IN
the exhibit. What would a person
think and say, that, after buying q
suit of cloths at any of our clothing
stores at a fair price, without the
indirect tax being included in the
price as is now the case, a Govern
ment Revenue officer, before be
puts them on his back, should step
up to him and say: "Sir, before
you move any further, l want you